Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae, the legume family; the pea group.
Origin: It is native to Malaysia , Indonesia and the Philippines but it also grows throughout Southeast Asia and into Australia.
Other common names: New Guinea rosewood, Burma rosewood, angsana, sena and sometimes its highly figured veneers are marketed as amboyna.
The tree: Narra yellow is an evergreen, reaching heights of 80 to 100 ft. with a large, spreading crown and trunk diameters of 3 to 6 ft. above high, wide spreading buttresses. It is one the finest of tropical shade trees with its broad crown and long, drooping branches that nearly touch the ground. Its pinnate leaves are dark green on top and lighter on the bottom and it has circular, winged seedpods.
Appearance: The heartwood has a full spectrum of vivid colors from light yellow to golden-brown to reddish-brown to a deep blood red The sapwood is whitish or pale yellow and clearly defined. The grain is interlocked and sometimes wavy, together with dark growth bands produces a highly attractive figure. The texture varies from moderately fine to coarse and uneven due to its ring-porous structure.
Density: There is a wide variety of density depending upon growing conditions. Average reported specific gravity is 0.52(ovendry weight/green volume), equal to an air-dried weight of 40 pcf. Janka hardness is 1200 pounds of force.
Drying & shrinkage: Narra yellow is easy to season with little or no degrade and movement in service is rated as small. Average reported shrinkage values (green to ovendry) are 2.8% radial and 4.0% tangential.
Working properties: Narra yellow is a favorite wood of many native woodworkers in its growth area because of the ease with which it can be worked with unsophisticated tools. It works well with hand and machine tools unless interlocked grain is present in which case some torn grain may result. It turns, nails, finishes and glues well and polishes to a high gloss. Possible adverse reactions from the dust include dermatitis, asthma and nausea.
Durability: It is generally highly durable although susceptible to attack by powder-post beetles.
Uses: Narra yellow is a valued cabinet and furniture wood although it also has a wide range of other common uses including decorative veneers, novelty items, interior trim, boat building, turnery and carvings.
Availability: Supplies are not especially plentiful and are on the high end of the price range.