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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. MALVACEAE (BOMBACACEAE). Syn.: C. thonningii A. Chev., Eriodendron anfractuosum DC., Bombax pentandrum L. Trade and local names: fuma (DE, BE, AO, LR, CG, CD); "Baumwollbaum" (DE); cottonwood (GB); bulele (CD, BE); enia (CI, GH); capoquier (FR); bouma, doum, ogouma (G); onyina (GH); bentegnie (SN); kankanteri (NL); araba, egungun, okha (NG); ghe (NG, LR); banda (LR); polon (PT); pain de seda, sumauma (BR); seiba (CU); kumaka (GY); yasche (HN); ceiba blanca (CO); pochotl (MX); ceibón, poxote (NI); ceiba juca, ceibo jabillo (VE); imbul (LK); randoe (IN); ko, roko (KH); kabu, mengkapas (MY); nun (TH). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indomalesia, Pacific Islands, Australia (cultivated), tropical Africa, Mexico and Central America, Caribbean, tropical South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct (demarcated by latewood with lower vessel frequency, thicker-walled fibres and, occasionally, marginal parenchyma bands). Heartwood basically brown, white or grey. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density 0.16–0.27–0.42 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 145–245–360 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 1–3(–10). Average vessel element length 320–610 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 10–11 µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular, of uniform size or type. Tyloses present (few), thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 1400–1790–2850 µm. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma rarely banded or not banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and diffuse-in-aggregates (constituting the bulk of wood volume). Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–4.
Rays. Rays 3–12 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 2–5–8 cells wide. Height of large rays commonly 500 to 1000 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular), or two or more cell types (heterocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent. Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows, mostly 1 marginal row of upright or square cells or mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells. Sheath cells present. Vertically fused rays common.
Storied structures. Storied structure present (often indistinct), some rays storied, some not, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied, fibres storied. Number of ray tiers per axial millimetre 2–3.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells and axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square or procumbent. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells not chambered. 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. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Froth test positive, or negative. Splinter burns to full ash. Ash white to grey.
Illustrations. • Tree. Ceiba pentandra. • Macroscopic images: cross section. transverse (ca. 10x). • Macroscopic images: wood surface. surface (natural size). tangential. radial. • Transverse section. • Tangential section. note difference in ray size in different specimens. • Radial section.
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’.
