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Nomenclature etc. BIGNONIACEAE. Handroanthus heptaphyllus (syn. Tabebuia heptaphylla (Vell.) Toledo, Tabebuia. ipe (Mart.) Standl., Tecoma ipe Mart.); Handroanthus serratifolius (Vahl) Grose (syn T. serratifolia (Vahl) Nichols., Tecoma serratifolia G. Don). Trade and local names: capitary, carobeira, pau d'arco (BR); arco, canuguate, guyacán (CO); arahonie, ebéne vert (GF); taiy (PY); groenheart (SR); arcwood, bastard lignum vitae (US). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 4 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical South America, southern Brazil, temperate South America.
General. Heartwood basically brown, yellow, and green; with streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent. Density 0.8–1.2 g/cm³. Wood with bitter taste, sawdust can cause skin irritation (Berni 1982).
Vessels. Vessels present. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 60–95–175 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 23–40. Average vessel element length 200–300 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 10–14 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Tyloses present, thinwalled. Other deposits present (yellow organic deposits, known as "lapachol" or "ipeina").
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thick-walled. Average fibre length 700–900 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Marginal parenchyma bands 1–2 cells wide, some discontinuous. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty, vasicentric, aliform, confluent, and unilateral. Aliform parenchyma of the winged type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–4.
Rays. Rays 5–11 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 2–3(–4) cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Storied structures. Storied structure present, all rays storied, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied, fibres storied. Number of ray tiers per axial millimetre 3–4.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, in other forms, located in ray cells and axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing ray cells procumbent. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells not chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one, or more than one. Navicular crystals in Tabebuia heptaphylla, cubic and navicular crystals in T. serratifolia. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown, or yellow. Splinter burns to charcoal (with very little light grey ash).
Illustrations. • Makroskopische Abbildungen. quer (ca. 10x). radial (natürliche Größe). • Querschnitt. Handroanthus heptaphyllus. • Tangentialschnitt. Handroanthus serratifolius. • Radialschnitt. Handroanthus serratifolius.
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’.
