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Nomenclature etc. COMBRETACEAE. Syn. Bucida bucidas L. Trade and local names: Cacho de toro, olivo negro (MX); pocte (GT); mareón (PA); búcaro, júcaro (VE); úcar (PR); bullet tree (BZ); bois gris-gris, b. margot, grignon (FR); black olive, gregory wood, oxhorn, "shady lady" (US). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 6 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Mexico and Central America, Caribbean, tropical South America (Venezuela).
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct (demarcated by marginal parenchyma bands and alternating light colored and darker zones). Heartwood basically brown, white or grey, green (varying from tree to tree: from light to dark to olive brown). Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour (light greyish brown). Density 0.85–1–1.1 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 50- 120–135 µm (-180). Average number of vessels/mm² 4- 7–11 (-18). Average vessel element length 220–400 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 6–8 µm, pits vestured (possibly). Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Other deposits present (honey to brown cor de mel a marrom).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma aliform, or confluent, or unilateral. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: (3–)4–9.
Rays. Rays multiseriate, (1–)3–5 cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm to commonly 500 to 1000 µm (only few). Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, styloids or elongate, located in ray cells or axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing ray cells procumbent. Crystals in procumbent ray cells in radial alignment. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells not chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one, or more than one (sometimes 2). Crystals in one cell or chamber of two distinct sizes. Crystal containing cells enlarged (idioblasts) (somewhat enlarged horizontally and vertically; they are not idioblasts). Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown, or green (with yellowish to greenish hue). Heartwood extractives leachable when in contact with water. Ethanol extract fluorescent (predominantely the color of lilac, in the outer heartwood of two trees blue). Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown, or green (with yellowish to greenish hue). Froth test positive. Splinter burns to full ash. Ash bright white.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). radial (natural size). • Transverse section. • Transverse section enlarged. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Crystals. radial series of styloid crystals in rays (bleached 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’.
