| Abstract: | Abstract The main objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition of some lesser used Mozambican native wood species, such as Acacia nigrescens Oliv., Icuria dunensis Wieringa, Pseudolachnostylis maprounaefolia Pax and Sterculia appendiculata K. Schum. Another aim was to compare these species with traditionally used species, namely, Afzelia quanzensis Welwn, Milletia stuhlmannii Taub, Pericopsis angolensis Meeuwen and Pterocarpus angolensis DC. Wood samples for analysis were taken from sapwood, outer and inner heartwood. All chemical analyses were performed according to standard methods. The contents of carbohydrates, extractives and ash were in ranges considered normal for tropical species. The contents of lignin and minerals were unexpectedly high in Pseudolachnostylis (ntholo), reaching 37.51% and 2.2% (wt% extractive-free) on a dry basis, respectively. Based on the determined chemical features, it was concluded that Acacia and Pseudolachnostylis were similar to well-known species, whereas Icuria and Sterculia differed from the known species. |
