Black Palm
Black Palm (Borassus flabellifer)
Common names: Black Palm, Palmyra Palm, pambil, doub palm, tala palm, toddy palm, wine palm, or ice apple.
Distribution : Tropical Asia (native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines) and Africa
Color/appearance : Black fibers embedded in a lighter tan or light brown colored body. Fibers are more densely packed toward the outside of the tree trunk, becoming sparser toward the center of the tree. The center core of the tree is soft and contains none of the darker vascular bundles that give the wood its characteristic look and hardness. (This is nearly opposite of the typical outer sapwood/inner heartwood combination found in dicot hardwoods.)
Janka hardness: 2020 lbf
Density: 5.08 lbf
Shrinkage: 1
Radial (thickness): 5.5%
Tangential (width): 5.5%,
Volumetric (total): 11.0%,
T/R Ratio (width to depth): 1.0
Allergies/Toxicity: 1 Palms in the Arecaceae family have been reported to cause skin irritation, and general constitutional effects.
Sustainability: CITES: No, IUCN: No
Common Uses: Flooring, boatbuilding, walking sticks, knife and tool handles, rafters, furniture, and turned objects.
