|
| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. BURSERACEAE. Syn.: C. chevalieri Guillaum., C. occidentale A. Chev., C. velutinum Guillaum. Trade and local names: canarium (DE, GB, BE, NG); m'bili (AO, CG, LR); African canarium (GB, NG); bidikala, bidinkala, mbidikala (BE, CD); ahie, labe (CI); abel, abeul, ovili (GA); bediwunua (GH); olem (GQ); atué, botua, wotua (CM); goekwehn (LR); elimi, ibagho (NG); m'wafu (UG); bobele, mubiri, mupafu (CD). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical Africa.
General. Growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically yellow to white or grey (yellowish to pinkish grey). Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density 0.33–0.46–0.53 g/cm³. Frequently with interlocked grain.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 170–220–255 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 2–4–5. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 10–13 µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, rounded or angular or horizontal to vertical, of uniform size or type (same type but of different sizes), of the same type in adjacent elements or unilaterally compound and coarse (rarely). Tyloses present, thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 990–1185–1415 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres exclusively septate; evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and diffuse-in-aggregates (apotracheal parenchyma very rare). Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty, or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 4–6–8.
Rays. Rays multiseriate, (1–)2–3 cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular) (rare), 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 to mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells. Sheath cells absent.
Storied structures. Storied structure present (in most specimens rather indistinct) or absent, all rays storied, axial parenchyma not storied. Arrangement of tiers irregular.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent. Laticifers or tanniniferous tubes absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic or druses or in other forms, located in ray cells or axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square or procumbent. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one (refers to prismatic crystals only). Spherical crystalline splinters distributed over the entire ray, sometimes also druses present; true prismatic crystals and small splinters primarily in marginal rows, occasionally together with silica particles. Silica present, as grains; in rays cells (mostly but not exclusively restricted to marginal upright cells), in axial parenchyma (rare), in fibres (rare). According to literature sources the occurrence and type of silica in Canarium species is extremely variable.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Silica. silica grains in marginal ray cells. • Silica and crystals. silica grains (Si) and prismatic crystals (CR) in marginal ray cells, rarely jointly in a single cell (C+S). Canarium schweinfurthii. C+S. CR. Si.
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’.
