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Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-CAESALPINIOIDEAE. E. ivorense : syn. E. micranathum Harms ex Holl. Trade and local names: lim du Gabon (FR); ordeal tree (GB); missanda (GB, MZ, CD); mancone (GW); alui, atiemia, lo, méli (CI); eloun, elon (GA, CM); elondo, eyo (GA); bolondo, loundi, oloun (CM); bobala, dikassaakassa, kassa, massanda, mishenga, sasswood, ngero (CG, CD); muave (MZ); erun, ibo, obo (NG); gogwi (LR); potrodom (GH); etsa (TG). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical Africa.
General. Growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically brown, red, yellow; partly with streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.82–0.94–1.04 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 140–225–350 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 2–5–7. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 7–10 µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders or with reduced borders or apparently simple, similar to intervessel pits or different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular. Helical thickenings absent. Other deposits present.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thick-walled. Average fibre length 540–1150–1630 µm. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma not banded. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, aliform, and confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 4–7.
Rays. Rays 7–12 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 1–2(–3) cells wide. Aggregate rays absent. 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 (rare) or absent, all rays storied. Arrangement of tiers irregular. Storeying mostly irregular (wavy) and only macroscopically visible.
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 not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood fluorescent (green). Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown, or red. Ethanol extract fluorescent (green). Colour of ethanol extract red. Froth test positive.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. Erythrophloeum ivorense. • Tangential section. Erythrophloeum ivorense. • Radial section. Erythrophloeum ivorense.
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’.
