Scientific name:
Lovoa trichiliodes

Other names:
African Walnut
Bibolo
Eyan
Lovoa
Nivero
Noy

Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sudan, Zaire are the countries which distribute this species. As a flooring option, boire is a very hard and durable wood. It is nearly identical in hardness to black cherry, is roughly three quarters as hard as hard maple, nearly three quarters as hard as red oak.

Weight:
Density (dry weight) = 46-52 lbs/cu. ft.

Use:
Boat building (general), Boxes and crates, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Carvings, Flooring, Furniture, Heavy construction, Joinery, Light construction, Millwork, Mine timbers, Plywood, Poles, Posts, Turnery, Vehicle parts, Veneer.

General characteristic:
The sapwood of boire is pale brown while the heartwood is bronze in color with dark streaks. The species has an interlocked grain and is fine and uniform in texture. The wood remains smooth under friction and is reported to have a slight odor similar too cedar.

Working properties:
Boire cuts rather cleanly and easily. Boire is easily nailed yet is known to occasionally split in the process. This species sands easily and takes a satisfactory stain

Drying and shrinkage:
Boire dries easily yet sometimes yields distortion in the graining from the process. Radial Shrinkage 5%; Tangential Shrinkage 8%; Volumetric Shrinkage 13 %

Durability:
Boire is moderatly durable with regards to decay, resistant to attack from termites. Susceptible to attack from powder post (Lyctid & Bostrychid) beetles.