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Nomenclature etc. LAURACEAE. Important species: Nothaphoebe archboldiana, N. elata, N. kingiana, N. malabonga, N. malayphoebe, N. panduriformis, N. spathulata, N. umbelliflora. Trade and local names: medang (ID, MY). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 20 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Indomalesia.
General. Heartwood basically brown and green (light brown with various shades of green to olive). Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.35–0.55 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Vessel outline rounded to angular. Average tangential vessel diameter 140–220(–300) µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 9–17. Perforation plates simple. Occasionally with scalariform perforations which are, however, not characteristic of the genus. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 11–15(–18) µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular, of uniform size or type, of the same type in adjacent elements or unilaterally compound and coarse. Tyloses present, thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 900–1500 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres exclusively septate; evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric to confluent. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 4–8.
Rays. Rays 5–7 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 2–4 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 1 marginal row of upright or square cells to mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells present, associated with axial parenchyma or ray parenchyma. Oil cells associated primarily with axial parenchyma, rarely with rays. Intercellular canals absent. Laticifers or tanniniferous tubes absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals not observed. Silica present or not observed, as grains; in fibres. Silica observed in: Nothaphoebe kingiana, N. malabonga, N. malayphoebe.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. Nothaphoebe archboldiana. • Tangential section. Nothaphoebe archboldiana. • Radial section. Nothaphoebe archboldiana. • Silica; vessel-ray pitting. large and seemingly simple vessel-ray pits. Nothaphoebe malabonga. silica grains in septate fibres. Nothaphoebe kingiana.
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’.
