The name zebrawood is used for wood with a figure

Figure (wood)

In wood, figure refers to the appearance of wood, as seen on a longitudinal surface : a "figured wood" is not plain.The figure of a particular piece of wood is, in part, due to its grain and, in part, due to the cut, or to innate properties of the wood...

 that resembles the striping of a zebra

Zebra

Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...

, with dark stripes on a light background. The name will usually refer to a wood yielded by the species of Microberlinia

Microberlinia

Microberlinia is a genus in the family Fabaceae . It includes two species of tree native to Cameroon and Gabon in West Africa. The common name is zingana or zebrawood.- References :...

, but may be applied to other woods, mostly belonging to the same family, but not exclusively so, for example: Goncalo alves

Goncalo alves

Goncalo alves is a hardwood . It is sometimes referred to as zebrawood or tigerwood — names that underscore the wood’s often dramatic, contrasting color scheme, that some compare to rosewood....

.

Zebrawood proper

The wood of Microberlinia, also known as Zebrano, is imported from Central Africa, (Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo). The heartwood is a pale golden yellow, distinct from the very pale colour of the sapwood and features narrow streaks of dark brown to black. Zebrawood can also be a pale brown with regular or irregular marks of dark brown in varying widths. It is almost always quartersawn

Quartersawn

thumb|250px|quarter sawn surface, showing ray fleck In speaking of wood, the term quartermortersawn is properly used for wood that is cut exactly radially , or to put it differently, at right angles to the growth rings...

 to get the exciting alternating colour pattern.

It is a heavy and hard wood with a somewhat coarse texture, often with an interlocked or wavy grain. The interlocked grain of this wood, like that of many tropical woods, can make it difficult to work.

It is a decorative exotic wood, used in a limited way for veneer, wall paneling, custom furniture, furniture trim, inlay bandings, marquetry, specialty items and turnery. It is also sometimes seen as stock

Stock (firearm)

A stock, also known as a buttstock or shoulder stock, is a part of a rifle or other firearm, to which the barrel and firing mechanism are attached, that is held against one's shoulder when firing the gun. Stocks are also found on crossbows though a crossbow stock is more properly referred to as a...

s of handgun

Handgun

A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....

s or in exotic guitars. In the past it was used in Cadillac

Cadillac

Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...

 and Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

 automobiles. Because of its hardness, it can also be used for skis and tool handles.

Environmental issues

Zebrawood is considered a threatened species

Threatened species

Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...

 in its native habitat. Its fast-growing popularity in the West has resulted in some reforestation efforts but this is not keeping up with the pace of destruction.

The extensive use of zebrawood in Prada

Prada

Prada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...

's flagship Manhattan store in 2002 resulted in protests from environmentalists and a promise from Prada never to use wood from endangered forests again.