UMTHUNZI EXOTIC WOOD
Umthunzi wood is pinkish red, close-grained, dense but elastic. The wood is easy to work with and finishes satiny smooth. It can posse a fiddle pattern, which adds to its beauty when used for furniture or turning. It is durable when exposed to water and therefore suitable for boat building, fish traps and outdoor furniture. The wood is also used for various household utensils and ornaments.
In Africa, the bark and roots have significant medicinal value and are used to cure broken bones, treat fevers, dispel bad dreams, and to treat gall sickness in livestock. Primarily growing on the sand, it is easily blown over, where it touches the ground it roots to form new trees…hence the name “Walking Tree”.
Characteristics of Umthunzi
| Origin of Wood Type | The Eastern African Cape Coastline, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mozambique |
| Botanical Name | Mimusops caffra |
| Specific Gravity | 0.65 |
| Avg. Weight Per BF | 4.75 lb/ bf |
| Color Range | Cream – Pink – Red |
| Rarity / Availability | Available |
| Typical Avg. Width | 6″ to 20″ |
| Typical Avg. Length | 8′ to 12′, sometimes longer available |
| Avg. Waste Factor | 0.3 |
| Wood Uses | Furniture, Wood Turning, Boat Building, Wood Carving, Box Making, Outdoor Construction, Garden Furniture, Fish Traps, Utensils, Ornaments, Timber framing and many other uses |
| Lumber Grades | Flitch |
| Other Trade Names | Coastal Red Milkwood, Milkwood Tree, Walking Tree, “John Dunn’s Indaba Tree” |