Black Limba

Description

          Size approx: 120 x 30 x 45 mm

Common Name(s): Limba, korina, afara, black limba, white limba

Scientific Name: Terminalia superba

Distribution: Tropical western Africa

Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Although the species has been cultivated on plantations for timber, wild supplies seem to have diminished in some regions, such as the Republic of the Congo. Its unevaluated status by the IUCN is an unfortunate omission.

Common Uses: Veneer, plywood, furniture, musical instruments (primarily electric guitar bodies), turned objects and knifemaking.

Comments: Despite the black-and-white difference in names, both black limba and white limba come from the same tree species, Terminalia superba.

In veneer form, this wood goes by a number of commercial names, such as afara, frake, korina, and ofram. In addition to its decorative use in veneer, limba has a reputation for possessing good tonal qualities and is frequently used in electric guitar bodies (marketed under the name korina).