WENGUE

DESCRIPTION

When freshly cut, the heartwood of wenge (millettia laurentii) is a yellow-brown color, but then in a few months it darkens to a deep, uniform brown, almost black, with alternate layers of light and dark tissue, forming a decorative figure. On the tangential surface, the light lines show up as undulating streaks, like waves on the water. Orientation of the grain is an important consideration to show the wood at its best. Clearly demarcated from the heartwood is the yellowish-white sapwood. This coarse-textured wood has a straight grain.