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Nomenclature etc. LAURACEAE. Syn.: Nectandra rodiei R.Schomb., Ocotea rodiei (R.Schomb.) Mez. Trade and local names: bebeere, tugul (GY), Demerara groenhart, sipiroe (SR), viruviru (VE), Demerara greenheart, black-, brown-, yellow-, white- (GB). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical South America (in the Guayanas but not in French Guyana).
General. Heartwood basically brown, green; with streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.9–1.02–1.1 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 108–130–170 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 6–11–13. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 3–4 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders and with reduced borders or apparently simple, similar to intervessel pits or different from intervessel pits, of two distinct sizes or types in the same ray cell, unilaterally compound and coarse. In crossfields between vessels and ray/axial parenchyma presence of very large pit(fields) apparently resulting from fusion of numerous small pits. Tyloses present, thinwalled or sclerotic.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thick-walled. Average fibre length 600–1100–1500 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres septate and non-septate; evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 5–8.
Rays. Rays 6–10 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 2 cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent (also few heterocelular rays with one marginal row of square cells).
Secretory structures. Greenheart is the only among the better known lauraceous species in which oil and mucilage cells have never been observed, either wood or bark.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals not observed. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract fluorescent (yellowish to lilac). Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Splinter burns to charcoal.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). radial (natural size). • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Crossfield pits. crossfield pits (similar to intervascular pits), here between vessels and axial parenchyma, unilaterally compound in defined fields (left), sometimes forming large, round to oval openings (right).
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’.
