| | CITESwoodID: descriptions, illustrations, identification and information retrieval |
Nomenclature. Family: FABACEAE-FABOIDEAE. Other trade relevant species: Platymiscium lasiocarpum, P. pinnatum, P. ulei, P. yucatanum. Further trade and local names: Platymiscium pleiostachyum, P. pinnatum: cristobal, ñambar (CR); P. yucatanum: chulul, sbinché (MX); P. ulei: macacaúba (BR). Code according to DIN EN 13556: PZXX.
CITES(EU) status of protection. Listed in Annex II(B) (Platymiscium pleiostachyum), or not protected (P. lasiocarpum, P. pinnatum, P. ulei, P. yucatanum).
Similar timbers. The heartwood colour of Platymiscium species is quite variable; those with a dark purplish brown heartwood, for example Platymiscium ulei (Trebol) and P. yucatanum (Granadillo) can be easily mistaken for some Dalbergia species, for example D. spruceana (Amazon rosewood).
Geographic distribution. Mexico and Central America, tropical South America. Platymiscium pleiostachyum: Pacific rim of Central America, from Costa Rica to SW-Mexico; Platymiscium lasiocarpum: Pacific rim of SW-Mexico; Platymiscium pinnatum: Central America to tropical South America; Platymiscium ulei: northern Brazil, Surinam; Platymiscium yucatanum: Yucatan pensinsula (Belize, Mexico).
Growth rings, colour, grain, etc. Growth ring boundaries distinct, or indistinct or absent (demarcated by fine marginal parenchyma bands visible only with a hand lens). Heartwood basically brown, red, and purple (dark reddish to copper brown, often with a violet hue); with streaks, or without streaks. Sapwood distinct from heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent. 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) in multiples; commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Vessels medium to large (80–150–240 µm); very few, or few (2–4–6). 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: aliform lozenge type and confluent (the latter rare).
Rays. Rays narrow. Large rays commonly less than 1 mm high.
Storied structure. Storied structure present, or absent (some specimens with, some without storied structure). Tiers regular (horizontal or slightly inclined), or irregular; 4–5 per axial millimetre.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract fluorescent (P. lasiocarpum: weakly pink to purple; P. yucatanum: bright light blue); colour shade of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract fluorescent (blue); colour shade of ethanol extract colourless to brown, or purple (light reddish to purplish brown). Froth test negative. Splinter burns to full ash, or to partial ash; colour of ash bright white. Physical-chemical tests were conducted only with wood of Platymiscium lasiocarpum and P. yucatanum; sufficient heartwood of P. pleiostachyum was not available.
Additional information. • Transverse section + wood surface. Transverse section ca. 10x. Tangential surface, natural size. Platymiscium lasiocarpum (Granadillo).
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’.
