Wutong wood

[RJVB]

I was browsing for, ahem, a new pair of wooden sandals/slippers that wouldn't break the bank, and came across a pair claiming to be made of "bois de wutong".

Never heard of that, but a few searches later it seems this must be wood of the Chinese parasol tree (apparently an invasive species in the southern US). And apparently Les qualités acoustiques exceptionnelles de son bois dur mais léger le font utiliser dans la caisse de résonance de plusieurs instruments de musique chinois, comme le guqin et le guzheng.

Anyone familiar with this as a tonewood? I only saw a number of e-guitars made using it (but I can't really call that use as a tonewood) ...

If the sonic qualities are as good as the quote from the French WP above suggests it could be an opportunity for an "eco" or "save our flora" line for one of the manufacturers known to have an interest in such things