Shedua
Scientific name:
Daniella thurifera
Other Common Names:
Daniellia
Eyhedua
Fara
Faro
Gum Copal
Incenso
Nsou
Ogea
Oziya
![]() |
The tree reaches a height of 100 to 150 ft or more; boles straight, clear, cylindrical 50 to 100 ft in length; trunk diameters 4 to 7 ft usually unbuttressed The species has a shallowly interlocked grain, is lustrous, and is fairly coarse and somewhat gummy in texture.
Weight:
Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) about 0.40; air-dry density 31 pcf.
Uses:
flooring, joinery, paneling, vaneer, and furniture components. Core stock for plywood, joinery, general millwork, furniture components, boxes and crates, a decorative veneer can be produced from selected logs. Gum exudates from cracks and wounds in the trunk are used to make a varnish (West African Gum Copal).
General Characteristics:
The sapwood of shedua is white to straw colored, while the heartwood is light golden brown to reddish-brown in color. The species has a shallowly interlocked grain, is lusterous, and is fairly coarse and somewhat gummy in texture.
Working Properties:
Shedua only slightly dulls cutting surfaces when sawing. Glue and nails hold good with shedua flooring. This species sands and polishes fairly well after filling but can mare easier than some species under heavy traffic. Works easily with hand and machine tools, quartersawn material tends to tear in planing and shaping, produces a woolly finish unless tools are kept sharp, nails and glues well.
Drying and Shrinkage:
The timber is reported to dry at a fairly rapid rate, with little degrade in thicker stock.Shedua dries rapidly with little degrade resulting from the process. Kiln schedule T10-D5s (4/4); T8-D4s (8/4) US
Durability:
Shedua has little natural resistance to termites or decay, and as such should be treated as a preventative measure. Heartwood is rated as perishable and nonresistant to termites; sapwood liable to powder-post beetle attack. Liable to sap stain, log conversion should be rapid. Heartwood and inner sapwood resistant to moderately resistant to preservative treatments; outer sapwood is permeable.

