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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. MORACEAE. Trade and local names: mururé (BO); oiticica amarela, o. da mata (BR); aji (CO); moral bobo, mata palo, pituca (EC); turupay amarillo (PE). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical South America.
General. Heartwood basically golden yellow (turning a lustrous gold-brown upon exposure). Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.63–0.75 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. Average tangential vessel diameter 130–200 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 3–13. Average vessel element length 300–500 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 6–8 µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular or horizontal to vertical. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses present, thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 960–1500 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Bands coarse, 1–3(–4) per radial mm. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, aliform, and confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the winged type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–4.
Rays. Rays 4–7 per tangential mm, multiseriate, (1–)2–5 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 or mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells. Sheath cells present (few).
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent. Laticifers or tanniniferous tubes absent.
Cambial variants. Included phloem absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present or not observed (if present, scarce), prismatic, located in ray cells and axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells not chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica present, as vitreous silica; in vessels. Vitrious silica of infrequent occurrence, lining vessel lumina or tyloses.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. tangential (natural size). transverse (ca. 10x). • 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’.
