Overview
Bosse (Leplaea cedrata, formerly Guarea cedrata) is pale pinkish brown, darkening to golden to medium brown, and is prized as pommele and quilted veneer that looks like sapele's. It is in the mahogany family. Solid lumber is uncommon.
Pros
- Dramatic figure in veneer, including pommele and quilted.
- Janka 940 lbf, about 600 kg/m3.
- Moderately to very durable.
- Glues, turns and finishes well.
- Mahogany-like appearance.
Cons
- Silica dulls cutters.
- Interlocked or quartersawn pieces tear out.
- Reported as a sensitizer.
- IUCN Vulnerable.
- Usually sold as veneer, with strongly figured veneer very expensive.
Variants and subspecies
- Leplaea cedrata: light-coloured bosse.
- Leplaea thompsonii: slightly heavier and darker, sold mixed in and called dark guarea.
- Look-alike: Sapele.
Working and finishing
Use carbide tools and light cuts. It glues, turns and finishes well.
Staining and finishing colour
Darkens with age to a golden to medium brown. Usually finished clear to show the figure.
Sustainability and handling
CITES: not listed (Wood Database; APHIS CITES Timber Species Manual, checked 2026-09-30). IUCN: Vulnerable, from a population reduction of over 20% in three generations (Wood Database). FSC availability is not verified here. The US Lacey Act makes it unlawful to trade wood taken or exported in breach of the source country's laws (fws.gov/law/lacey-act), so buy from dealers who can name the country and species. If a piece will be exported to or sold in the EU, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (the EUDR) requires due-diligence evidence that wood products are deforestation-free and legally produced; check its current application date with your buyer.
Ethical call: reasonable with provenance; Sapele is more available. Health: reported sensitizer with eye, nose, throat and skin irritation, asthma-like symptoms, nausea and headaches. The US National Cancer Institute reports strong, consistent associations between wood-dust exposure and cancers of the nasal cavity and sinuses, so use extraction and a respirator when sanding.
Popular projects
Veneered panels, furniture, cabinetry, inlay, flooring, boat parts and turned objects.
Buying notes
Usually figured veneer, so solid pricing is an estimate; Wood Database says prices depend on figure.
Typical projects
- veneer
- furniture
- cabinetry
- inlay
- flooring
- boatbuilding
Sources
Researched 2026-09-30. Prices, conservation status and CITES listings on this page are indicative and were checked on that date. They change: confirm them with your supplier, and with the relevant authority before importing or exporting.