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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. MALVACEAE. Trade and local names: louro branco, algodão, algodoeiro, barbanteiro, jangada brava, malvão, pau barbante (BR); peteriví-morotí, peteriví blanco (AR, PY). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 3 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: southern Brazil, temperate South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct (demarcated by a band of smaller and thick-walled cells (latewood) in combination with a slight thickening of the rays). Heartwood basically yellow and white or grey. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density 0.6–0.7 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows or in radial rows of 4 or more or in clusters. Average tangential vessel diameter 110 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 13. Average vessel element length 250 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 5–6 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Helical thickenings absent. Other deposits present (colour of amber, in some vessels).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 1100 µm. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, or aliform, or confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the winged type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–4(–6).
Rays. Rays 3–7–10 per tangential mm, multiseriate, (1–)2–7 cells wide. Rays of two distinct sizes. Height of large rays commonly 500 to 1000 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent. Sheath cells absent.
Storied structures. Storied structure present, some rays storied, some not, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied, fibres storied. Number of ray tiers per axial millimetre 2–3. Only narrow (1–3 seriate) rays storied.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells. Crystal-containing ray cells procumbent. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Chrome azurol-S test positive (only along the perimeter of the reaction area). Froth test weakly positive. Splinter burns to partial ash. Ash white to grey.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section 1. • Radial section 2. Bastardiopsis densiflora.
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’.
