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Nomenclature etc. LAURACEAE. Syn.: Licaria wilhelminensis. Trade and local names: louro, canela (BR); laurel, canela (EC, CO, AR, etc.); kaneel (SR); silverballi (GY). these names with various epithets as a function of the region. Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct (demarcated by marginal parenchyma bands). Heartwood basically brown and yellow, green. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Odour distinct, or indistinct or absent. Density 0.6–0.9 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Vessel outline rounded, or angular. Average tangential vessel diameter (55–)70–110(–130) µm. Average number of vessels/mm² (11–)13–24(–28). Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) (7–)9–11(–12) µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular or horizontal to vertical, of the same type in adjacent elements. Tyloses present, thinwalled and sclerotic.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 750–1200 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres exclusively septate; evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. 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: 4–8.
Rays. Rays multiseriate, 2–3 cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm, or 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.
Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells present, associated with axial parenchyma or ray parenchyma.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals not observed. Silica present, as grains; in rays cells.
Physical and chemical tests. Colour of water extract colourless to brown. Colour of ethanol extract yellow.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Silica. the only Licaria species known to contain silica (grains in ray cells).
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’.
