Jichimu (chicken-wing wood)

Overview

Jichimu, "chicken-wing wood", is the eighth and last class in China's hongmu standard for classical furniture woods (GB/T 18107, as summarised by Wikipedia's Chinese furniture article). It is a grain-pattern class, not one species: Wikipedia names Millettia laurentii, M. leucantha, Ormosia hosiei and either Senna siamea or Mesua ferrea, plus others. I did not open the standard itself, so the species list comes from Wikipedia. I found no Janka or density that would apply across the class. Look at it as a tradition and a naming problem as much as a timber.

Pros

• A named place in Chinese furniture history: the Sackler Gallery cabinet pictured here is Qing, 17th to 18th century.
• The name refers to a distinctive, chicken-wing-like grain pattern.

Cons

• Not a single species, so properties, price and legal status vary; I could not give one Janka or density.
• Sources differ on which species belong: Wikipedia lists Senna siamea or Mesua ferrea for one slot, and notes Senna siamea is sometimes used interchangeably with Ormosia in jichimu.
• Some members are conservation-listed: Millettia laurentii is IUCN Endangered, and Ormosia hosiei is Near Threatened and under second-class national protection in China.
• No US price I could verify.

Variants and subspecies

• Millettia laurentii and M. leucantha, the Millettia members.
• Ormosia hosiei, the Chinese member.
• Senna siamea or Mesua ferrea, depending on the source.
• For the other hongmu classes see Huanghuali and Zitan (red sandalwood); unlike those, jichimu members are not in the Dalbergia or Pterocarpus genera.

Working and finishing

No data for the class as a whole. Because the members are different species, find the Latin name before you plan machining and finishing, then test on offcuts.

Staining and finishing colour

No stain data. The grain is the feature, so clear finishes are the usual approach in classical work; test on offcuts if you plan to colour.

Sustainability and handling

I searched the Species+ database on 2026-09-30 for Millettia laurentii, M. leucantha, Ormosia hosiei, Senna siamea and Mesua ferrea and found no CITES listing for any of them. Wikipedia reports IUCN Endangered for M. laurentii and Near Threatened for O. hosiei, which is under second-class national protection in China. The Lacey Act bars US trade in plants taken in violation of law, with timber covered since 2008, which matters for protected Chinese species. The EU deforestation regulation covers wood and furniture from 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators. I found no sourced toxicity data; extract the dust.

Popular projects

Qing-dynasty cabinets and other classical furniture, as in the pictured cabinet, and reproductions.

Buying notes

Ask for the Latin name and origin: "jichimu" alone tells you little. A sample with a documented species is worth more than a name.