| | CITESwoodID: descriptions, illustrations, identification and information retrieval |
Nomenclature. Family: FABACEAE-CAESALPINIOIDEAE. Synonym(s): Copaifera mopane Benth., Hardwickia mopane (Benth.) Breteler. Further trade and local names: mopani, mupanyi, omutati, omusati (NA); turpentine tree, balsam tree, butterfly tree, ironwood (GB, ZA); chanate, memee, messanha, m'sano, mupane (MZ). Code according to DIN EN 13556: none.
CITES(EU) status of protection. Not protected (in Namibia this species is of cocern because of the danger of over exploitaion; it is therefore subject to national forestry legislation).
Similar timbers. Easily mistaken for Dalbergia melanoxylon (CITES II).
Geographic distribution. Southern Africa. Zambia, Malawi, southern Angola, northern Namibia, north-eastern Botswana, Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and northern South Africa.
Growth rings, colour, grain, etc. Growth ring boundaries distinct, or indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically brown, red, black; with streaks. Sapwood distinct from heartwood colour (off-white to pale yellowish brown). Odour indistinct or absent. Wood heavy and hard (0.95 – 1.23 g/cm3). Surface oily. Interlocked grain present, or absent.
Hardwood vs softwood. Vessels (pores) present (= hardwood).
Vessels (pores). Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels (pores) in multiples; commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Vessels medium (70–100–125); few to moderately numerous (12–19–25). Tyloses absent. Other deposits in heartwood vessels (pores) present.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present; banded and not banded. Parenchyma bands exclusively marginal (or seemingly marginal); narrow. Other macroscopically visible types of axial parenchyma: vasicentric, aliform lozenge type, confluent.
Rays. Rays narrow. Large rays commonly less than 1 mm high.
Storied structure. Storied structure absent.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood fluorescent (yellow). Water extract not fluorescent; colour shade of water extract colourless to brown, or red. Heartwood extractives leaching out when in contact with water. Ethanol extract fluorescent (pink-orange = apricot); colour shade of ethanol extract colourless to brown, or red. Froth test positive. Splinter burns to full ash; colour of ash bright white.
Additional information. • Transverse section + wood surface. Transverse section ca. 10x. tangential and radial surface, natural size.
The interactive key allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting specified attributes, summaries of attributes within groups of taxa, and geographical distribution.
Cite this publication as: ‘Richter, H.G., Gembruch, K., and Koch, G. 2014 onwards. CITESwoodID: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. In English, French, German, and Spanish. Version: 4th April 2023. www.delta-intkey.com’.
