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Nomenclature etc. MELIACEAE. Syn.: C. nicaraguensis DC., Persoonia guareoides Willd., Amapa guianensis (Aubl.) Steudel, Xylocarpus carapa Sprengel, Granatum nicaraguense (C.DC.) O. Kuntze, Guarea mucronulata C.DC.; incl. C. grandifolia, C. procera. Trade and local names: carapa rouge (FR, GF), crapwood (GB, US, CA), cedro macho (CR), mas balo (CO), figueroa (EC), krappa (SR), camacari, yandiroba (BR); bateo (PA); C. grandifolia: African crabwood (wAfr, GB), mugueto (CG); C. procera: African crabwood (wAfr, GB), kowi (LR), okoto (CG, CD). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical Africa (C. procera, C. grandiflora), Mexico and Central America, tropical South America (C. guianensis).
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct (demarcated by marginal parenchyma bands). Heartwood basically red to brown (pale reddish brown, darkening upon exposure). Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour (in green timber not always distinct). Density 0.5–0.55–0.65 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows (occasionally also in longer radial chains and small clusters). Average tangential vessel diameter 130–175–230 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 7–11–16. Average vessel element length 420–570–730 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 2–4 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Helical thickenings absent. Other deposits present (dark brown).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 900–1500–2000 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres exclusively septate, or septate and non-septate (few non-septate fibres present); evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present, banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine or coarse. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse (rarely), or diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty to vasicentric. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: (2–)4–6–8.
Rays. Rays 4–8 per tangential mm, multiseriate, (1–)2–4–5 cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular) and two or more cell types (heterocellular) (some of the uniseriate rays are homocelular); homocellular ray cells procumbent, or square or upright. Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows, mostly 1 marginal row of upright or square cells or mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells or with more than 4 marginal rows of upright or square cells (C. grandifolia).
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells absent. Intercellular canals present or absent, traumatic origin, oriented axially, axial intercellular canals rarely in long tangential lines or in short tangential lines.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells and axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square and procumbent (only few in procumbent cells). 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. Heartwood extractives leachable when in contact with water. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Splinter burns to partial ash. Ash white to grey.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). radial (natural size). • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section.
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’.
