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Nomenclature etc. GNETACEAE. Trade and local names: maninjau, sabong (MY); belinjo, bagoe (ID); bago, banago, kunang, magatungal, nabo (PH); voe, khalet (KH); gam cay, bet (VN); peedae, phak, miang, phak kaniang, liang (TH); Spanish koint fir (GB, US).
Description based on 5 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indomalesia, Pacific Islands.
General. Heartwood basically white or grey. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels exclusively solitary. Vessel outline angular. Average tangential vessel diameter (50–)85–120(–145) µm. Average number of vessels/mm² (6–)8–14(–20). Average vessel element length 1050–1400 µm. Perforation plates simple and reticulate, foraminate or other types. Intervessel pits opposite, average diameter (vertical) 7–11 µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits.
Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids commonly present. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 1450–1900 µm. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, distinctly bordered. Fibres septate and non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty, or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: (4–)5–6(–10).
Rays. Rays 2–3 per tangential mm (only the large rays), multiseriate, (1–)3–9 cells wide. Rays of two distinct sizes. Height of large rays commonly over 1000 µm (up to 4 mm). Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic and in other forms, located in ray cells or axial parenchyma cells (rarely). Crystal-containing ray cells procumbent. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells 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. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Perforation plates. multiple (ephedroid, left and right) and simple (centre) perforation plates. • Intervessel pits. intervessel pits more or less opposite, vestured. • Fibres: septae and pits. fibres partly septate and with large, distinctly bordered pits. • Crystals. small crystals of variable size and shape in rays (semi-polarized light).
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’.
