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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. ACANTHACEAE (AVICENNIACEAE). Incl. Avicennia germinans (L.) L., A. officinalis L., Avicennia spp. Trade and local names: grey mangrove, white mangrove tree (AU, GB); palétuvier (FR); mangle negro (ES); bina, tivar, madaipattai (IN); upattha, nalla mada (LK); api api ludat, api api daun bulat, udat (MY); hai lan ci (CN). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 7 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indomalesia.
General. Heartwood basically brown, white or grey; with streaks. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density 0.56–0.8 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern (with tendency towards radial alignment), in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows or in radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 80 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 14. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 3 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Other deposits present (yellowish brown).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty, vasicentric, and aliform. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 3–4(–6).
Rays. Rays 9–12(–14) per tangential mm, multiseriate, (1–)2–4(–10) cells wide. Rays of two distinct sizes. Height of large rays commonly 500 to 1000 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types (heterocellular). Heterocellular rays with procumbent, square and upright cells mixed throughout the ray. Sheath cells present.
Cambial variants. Included phloem present, concentric.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic or styloids or elongate or in other forms (few small cubic crystals), located in ray cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square and procumbent. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Heartwood extractives leachable when in contact with water. Ethanol extract fluorescent (weakly greenish). Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Splinter burns to charcoal.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. included phloem, concentric (PH). PH. PH. • Tangential section. Avicennia germinans. • Radial section. Avicennia germinans. PH. PH.
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’.
