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Nomenclature etc. BIGNONIACEAE. Syn.: Tecoma rosea Bertol.; Couralia rosea (Bertol.) Donn.-Smith; Sparattosperma rosea (Bertol.) Miers. Trade and local names: roble de sabana, roble prieto, apamate, maculis, palo de rosa (MX); coralibe, guaiacán rosado, roble, r. rosado (CO); roble de sabana (CR); maquilishuat (SV); orumo (VE). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 11 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Mexico and Central America, tropical South America (Venezuela and coastal Ecuador).
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct (demarcated by marginal parenchyma bands). Heartwood basically brown (pale pinkish brown). Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density 0.5–0.6 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous (sometimes with tendency towards semi-ringporous). Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows or in radial rows of 4 or more or in clusters (in some specimens). Average tangential vessel diameter 65- 130–180 µm (-220). Average number of vessels/mm² 4- 7–16 (-22). Average vessel element length 280–400 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 4–6 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses absent.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 970–1170 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) or not marginal (or seemingly marginal) (additional bands between marginal ones, irregular and often discontinuous). Bands fine (marginal bands) or coarse. Axial parenchyma paratracheal. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, or aliform, or confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: (2–)4(–6).
Rays. Rays 8–9 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 2–4 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. Arrangement of tiers regular, or irregular (in few specimens). Number of ray tiers per axial millimetre 3–4.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals not observed. Silica present or not observed (in some specimens present, in others not), as grains; in rays cells.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract yellow (light yellow). Ethanol extract fluorescent (light blue). Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Froth test positive. Splinter burns to partial ash (burns to a thin cohesive thread). Ash grey-black.
Illustrations. • Tree. tree at pacific coast in western Mexico. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). tangential (natural size). • Transverse section. • Transverse section enlarged. Tabebuia rosea. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Silica. small silica particles occasionally present in wood of individual trees.
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’.
