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Nomenclature etc. LAURACEAE. M. itauba (Meissn.) Taub. ex Mez, M. lindaviana Schwacke & Mez. Trade and local names: M. itauba: itaúba, i. preta, i. vermelha, i. amarela, louro itaúba (BR); M. lindaviana: itaúba abacate (BR). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical South America.
General. Heartwood basically brown to yellow, brown to green. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.65–0.75 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in sometimes in diagonal pattern, yet mostly no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows or in radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 80–120–190 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 8–14–26. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 10–14(–16) µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular or horizontal to vertical (large window-like pits), unilaterally compound and coarse. Tyloses present, thinwalled or sclerotic.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Average fibre length 900–1600–2200 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres exclusively septate, or septate and non-septate; evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma not banded. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma rarely diffuse, or diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, confluent, and unilateral. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–8. Axial parenchyma often sclerotic.
Rays. Rays 4–11 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 2–3(–4) cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types (heterocellular). Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows, mostly 1 marginal row of upright or square cells.
Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells present (oil cells), associated with axial parenchyma or ray parenchyma (infrequent). Oilcells conspicuous, barrel-shaped.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals not observed. Silica present, as grains; in rays cells. Silica particles located in short, 2–6 seriate strings of procumbent as well as square/upright cell; this feature is typical for Mezilaurus and sofar has not been observed in other taxa.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood fluorescent (pale yellow). Water extract fluorescent (bluish green (turquoise)); colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract fluorescent (light yellow). Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Splinter burns to charcoal.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). tangential (natural size). • Transverse section. Mezilaurus itauba. • Tangential section. Mezilaurus itauba. • Radial section. Mezilaurus itauba. • Silica. Mezilaurus itauba. silica grains in rays, in series of 2 to 4 radially shortened cells, a feature unique to the lauraceous genera Mezilaurus and Clinostemon.
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’.
