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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. ASTERACEAE (COMPOSITAE). = Brachylaena huillensis O. Hoffm. (syn. B. hutchinsii Hutch.). Trade and local names: muhugwe (DE), kipugupugo (KE), karkarro (ET); muhugu, mubuubu, ol-magogo, watho, mvumvo, mshenzi (eAfr); silver oak (GB). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical Africa (East Africa).
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct. Heartwood basically brown to yellow, brown to green. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.81 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in a dendritic pattern or no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in radial rows of 4 or more or in clusters. Average tangential vessel diameter 20–35–50 µm. Vessels per square millimetre numerous. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 2–3 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Helical thickenings absent. Other deposits present (pale yellow).
Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids commonly present. Fibres very thick-walled. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma apotracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse. Axial parenchyma fusiform and as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2.
Rays. Rays exclusively uniseriate (very occasionally biseriate rays present). 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, all rays storied, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied, fibres storied or not storied (fibres partly integrated in storied structure). Number of ray tiers per axial millimetre 4.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals not observed. 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’.
