| | Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. MALVACEAE (BOMBACACEAE). Syn. Chorisia speciosa A. St.-Hil. Trade and local names: palo borracho (PY); paneira, paneira-branca, paina de seda, barriguda, arvore-de-paina (BR); paneira (US). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 2 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: temperate South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct (demarcated by bands of thicker walled fibres and noded rays). Heartwood basically white or grey. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density 0.25–0.3 g/cm³.
Vessels. Vessels present. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 12–16 µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular and horizontal to vertical, of two distinct sizes or types in the same ray cell. Tyloses present, thinwalled. Other deposits present (brown).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and diffuse-in-aggregates (constituting the bulk of wood volume). Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: (3–)4.
Rays. Rays multiseriate, (1–)3–12(–22) cells wide. Rays of two distinct sizes. Height of large rays commonly 500 to 1000 µm, or commonly over 1000 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types (heterocellular). Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows, mostly 1 marginal row of upright or square cells and mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells. Sheath cells present.
Storied structures. Storied structure present, some rays storied, some not, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied, fibres storied. Number of ray tiers per axial millimetre 2.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • 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’.
