| | CITESwoodID: descriptions, illustrations, identification and information retrieval |
Nomenclature. Family: SIMAROUBACEAE. Synonym(s): Quassia glauca, Simarouba glauca, S. medicinalis, S. officinalis, S. opaca, Zwingera amara. Further trade and local names: caixeta, cajú-rana, malacacheta, pitomba (BR); hualaja (PE); soemaroepa (SR, NL); acajou blanc (GR, FR); bitterwood (US); el negrito, aceituno negrito (MX). Code according to DIN EN 13556: SMAM.
CITES(EU) status of protection. Not protected.
Similar timbers. Easily mistaken for Gonystylus spp. (CITES II).
Geographic distribution. Mexico and Central America to tropical South America. USA (Florida), Caribbean, Mexico, Centra America, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Surinam, French Guyana, Venezuela.
Growth rings, colour, grain, etc. Growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically yellow, white or grey. Sapwood similar to heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent. Wood light weight and soft (0.32–0.45 g/cm3). Interlocked grain present.
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 large (130–200–290 µm); very few, or few (1–4 (-10)). Tyloses absent. Other deposits in heartwood vessels (pores) present (yellowish brown).
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present; not banded. Other macroscopically visible types of axial parenchyma: aliform winged and confluent.
Rays. Rays narrow. Large rays commonly less than 1 mm high.
Storied structure. Storied structure present. Tiers regular (horizontal or slightly inclined), or irregular; 2 per axial millimetre.
Resin canals. Normal resin canals present (infrequent); in long tangential lines, or in short tangential lines; small. The irregular occurrence of axial resin canals gives rise to the asumption that these canals are of traumatic origin.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent (the bluish colour is a reflection the ultraviolet radiation, not fluorescence). Water extract not fluorescent; colour shade of water extract colourless to brown. Heartwood extractives not leachable by water. Ethanol extract not fluorescent; colour shade of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Froth test weakly positive. Splinter burns to partial ash; colour of ash white to grey.
Additional information. • Transverse section + wood surface. Simarouba amara (Simaruba, Marupá). 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’.
