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Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-CAESALPINIOIDEAE. Trade and local names: tola (GA). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 3 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical Africa (Cameroon - Gabun)).
General. Heartwood basically brown to yellow, brown to red (pinkish brown); without streaks. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour, or distinct from heartwood colour. Odour distinct. Density 0.45–0.6 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 150–200–300 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 1–3. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 4–5 µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Other deposits present (orange brown).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Bands not marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine or coarse. Banded parenchyma only connecting axial intercellular canals. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse, or diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, or aliform, or confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 3–4.
Rays. Rays 5–8 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 2–4 cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 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 or mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals present, non-traumatic origin, oriented axially, axial intercellular canals in short tangential lines or diffusely arranged.
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.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. axial intercelluar canals (IC). IC. IC. IC. • Tangential section. species with many uniseriate rays (uR). uR. uR. • Radial section. rays predominantly heterocellular.
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’.
