Merbau.

Merbau (Intsia bijuga) – merbau wood is obtained from two species of trees - Intsia bijuga (Colebr.) Kuntze and l. palembianca Miq. Merbau trees occur in an equatorial climate, extremely humid, primarily in the tropical forests of Oceania and Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand - southern part, Vietnam, Malaysia, Malay Peninsula, the states of Sarawak, Sabakh and Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, Indonesia - Sumatra, Sulawesi, Moluccas and West Irian, Philippines, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands). These plants grow to 40-45 m in height, and their trunks are covered with gray, flaking bark (in places of flaking it is gray-brown to light brown-red), about 1 cm thick. The trunk, with a diameter of up to 70-150 cm, and sometimes even more, is often devoid of branches up to a height of 5-10 m. Freshly sawn merbau wood has a rather characteristic earthy smell. A characteristic feature of merbau wood is that some of the vessels are filled with yellow, shiny dust, which under transparent paint and varnish coatings is deceptively similar to gold inlays in the shape of small streaks. Another element diversifying the pattern of this wood is the presence of quite narrow, uniform wood rays. In Poland, it is used for the production of floors, countertops, stairs and in furniture, as well as in artistic carpentry. A rather unusual application is the production of handles and stocks of firearms (mainly hunting and sports) and musical instruments.