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Nomenclature etc. MORACEAE. Trade and local names: cow-tree, palo de vaca (cAm, sAm); arbre à lait, arbre à la vache (FR); lechero, vacuno guaimaro pucre (CO); panguana (PE); cavo, marina, cedro montañes (VE); mastate (CR); palo de leche (PA); ujustle (GT); ramos (MX); turuy, prunainha, amapá doce, caucho macho (BR). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 6 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Mexico and Central America, Caribbean, tropical South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically yellow, white or grey. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density 0.5–0.65 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 160–220–270 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 3–9. Average vessel element length 250–480–780 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 8–10 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses present, thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 1140–1390–2130 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma aliform to confluent, or unilateral. Aliform parenchyma of the winged type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–4.
Rays. Rays 5–8 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 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 or mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells. Sheath cells absent.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells absent. Intercellular canals absent. Laticifers or tanniniferous tubes present (latex tubes in rays).
Mineral inclusions. Crystals not observed. The presence of prismatic crystals in rays of B. utile has been described in literature but could not be confirmed in the studied material. 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.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). tangential (natural size). • Transverse section. • Tangential section. latex tubes in rays (right). • 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’.
