|
| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. SALICACEAE (FLACOURTIACEAE). Homalium foetidum (Roxb.) Benth., H. longifolium Benth., H. tomentosum (Vent.) Benth. Trade and local names: aranga, Burma lancewood (GB, trade); gia, dlingsem, melmas, momala (ID); selimbar, petaling, padang, takaliu, banisian (MY); aranga (PH); myaukchaw, myaukugo (MM); khen nang (LA); kha nang (TH). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indomalesia.
General. Heartwood basically brown to yellow. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour, or distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.72–1.1 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows or in radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 50–130 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² (18–)24–30(–56). Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 3–5 µm. 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 or horizontal to vertical, of uniform size or type or of two distinct sizes or types in the same ray cell, of the same type in adjacent elements or unilaterally compound and coarse. Tyloses absent.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Average fibre length 1100–2100 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres exclusively septate; evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present, not banded. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty, or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–4.
Rays. Rays 11–19 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 3–5 cells wide. Height of large rays commonly 500 to 1000 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types (heterocellular). Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows, mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells or with more than 4 marginal rows of upright or square cells.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent. Laticifers or tanniniferous tubes absent.
Cambial variants. Included phloem absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square, upright and/or square ray cells chambered or not chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one, or more than one. Crystals in one cell or chamber of the same size, or of two distinct sizes. Silica not observed.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. Homalium foetidum. • Tangential section. Homalium foetidum. • Radial section. Homalium foetidum.
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’.
