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Nomenclature etc. ANACARDIACEAE. A. occidentale L., A. giganteum Engl., A. spruceanum Benth. Trade and local names: cajueiro (BR); Kaschubaum, Acajoubaum, Herznussbaum (DE); pauji (IN). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 7 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Mexico and Central America, Caribbean, tropical South America (cultivated in Africa, Asia (temperate and tropical climate), Australia).
General. Heartwood basically brown to yellow (russet brown with a golden or reddish cast). Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour, or distinct from heartwood colour (sapwood greyish white with more or less pinkish tinge). Density 0.42–0.62 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 66–138 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 4–9. Average vessel element length 348–500 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 9–14 µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, rounded or angular. Tyloses present, thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 650–1010 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres septate and non-septate (septate fibres very infrequent); evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma not banded. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, or aliform. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–4.
Rays. Rays 6–14 per tangential mm, exclusively uniseriate. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types (heterocellular). Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows (with inner cells typically square).
Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells absent. Intercellular canals absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals not observed. Silica present, as grains; in rays cells.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown, or yellow.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. • Tangential section. Anacardium sp. Anacardium occidentale. predominatly bi-seriate rays. predominantly uni-seriate rays. • Radial section: silica. Anacardium sp. silica particles in ray cells (crystals absent). • Radial section. Anacardium occidentale.
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., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2000 onwards. Commercial timbers: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. In English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Version: 9th April 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
