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Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-CAESALPINIOIDEAE. Syn.: Apuleia praecox Mart. Trade and local names: grapiapunha, muirajuba, barajuba, muiratauá, amarelinho, gema de ovo, jataí-amarelo (BR); ibira peré, grapia, apócope de grapiapuña, ibira-piapuña (AR); yvyra peré (PY);. Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 9 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: southern Brazil, temperate South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct or indistinct or absent (sometimes distinct, sometimes indistinct; if distinct, demarcated by darker latewood band). Heartwood basically brown, yellow. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour, or distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.78–0.81 g/cm³. Sapwood very wide, beige.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 70–100–120 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 20–30. Average vessel element length 200–300 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 10–14 µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Other deposits present (yellow or amber, more or less frequent).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Average fibre length 600–900 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres septate and non-septate; evenly distributed. Sepate fibres rare, with one or two septae.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded and not banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal) and not marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma aliform, confluent, and unilateral. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–4. Parenchyma strands mostly 3–4, rarely 2 cells long.
Rays. Rays multiseriate, 2 cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular) and 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. Uniseriate rays rare and much lower than the 2–3 seriate rays.
Storied structures. Storied structure present, all rays storied, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied. Number of ray tiers per axial millimetre 3–4. Storied structure generally regular, locally also irregular or absent.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica present, as grains and in aggregates; in rays cells (mostly in marginal cell rows), in axial parenchyma.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract yellow. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract yellow. Splinter burns to full ash. Ash white to grey.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). radial (natural size). tangential (natural size). • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Intervessel pits. large alternate, nearly circular intervessel pits, vestured. • Crystals and silica. prismatic crystals (left) and silica (right) in axial parenchyma.
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’.
