| | CITESwoodID: descriptions, illustrations, identification and information retrieval |
Nomenclature. Family: FABACEAE-FABOIDEAE. Further trade and local names: jacarandá do Pará, jacarandá do Amazonas, saboarana (BR); tinta-tinta (BO); palissandre du Amazon (FR); palo santo Amazonas (ES). Code according to DIN EN 13556: none.
CITES(EU) status of protection. Listed in Annex II(B).
Similar timbers. The wood of Dalbergia spruceana (Amazonas rosewood) is externally similar to that of the genera Platymiscium and Swartzia; in addition, it cannot be distinguished safely from D. stevensonii (Honduras rosewood) based on macroscopic structural features. Only the combustion behaviour (burning splinter test) serves for a safe differentiation of these two rosewoods: a splinter of D. spruceana burns to charcoal, that of D. stevensonii to white ash.
Geographic distribution. Tropical South America. Amazon basin (Brazil, Perú), south to Bolivia.
Growth rings, colour, grain, etc. Growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically brown, purple; with streaks (dark brown to black), or without streaks. Sapwood distinct from heartwood colour. Odour distinct (aromatic, somewhat sweet when freshly cut). Wood heavy and hard (0.85–1.10 g/cm3). Interlocked grain present, or absent.
Hardwood vs softwood. Vessels (pores) present (= hardwood).
Vessels (pores). Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels (pores) arranged in no specific pattern; in multiples; commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows and in radial rows of 4 or more (rarely 4 or more). Vessels of rather different size and unevenly distributed over the cross section. Vessels small, or medium, or large ((50-)115–150–215–390 µm); very few, or few (1–9–20). Tyloses absent. Other deposits in heartwood vessels (pores) present (light amber and dark brown).
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present; banded, or not banded. Parenchyma bands not (only) marginal; narrow. Other macroscopically visible types of axial parenchyma: diffuse-in-aggregates (short irregular bandlets), vasicentric, aliform winged (occasionally also unilateral, i.e., forming semicircular hoods or caps only on one side of the vessel).
Rays. Rays narrow. Large rays commonly less than 1 mm high.
Storied structure. Storied structure present. Tiers regular (horizontal or slightly inclined); 4–5 per axial millimetre. Rays, axial parenchyma, vessels (pores) and fibres storied.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract fluorescent (blue); colour shade of water extract colourless to brown, or yellow (light amber). Ethanol extract fluorescent (hues of blue); colour shade of ethanol extract colourless to brown, or yellow (dark amber). Froth test weakly positive. Splinter burns to charcoal.
Additional information. See also: Informationsdienst Holz Merkblatt Nr.53. • Transverse section + wood surface. Transverse section ca. 10x. Wood 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’.
