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Nomenclature etc. MORACEAE. Syn.: Chlorophora tinctoria (L.) Gaudich. Trade and local names: tata jyva, tata-yva (PY); mora amarilla (AR); taiúva, amoreira, tatajuba, limão- rana, amarelinho, moreira, tatajiba, tajuba (BR); moral fino, sota (EC); mora (NI); brazil, mora, morillo (CR); mora, mora amarilla, palo mora (BO); dinde, dinde fustete, avinge, palo amarillo, palo moro, moral fustete, morita, palo de mora (CO); insira caspi, limulana (PE); mora, moral amarillo (VE); palo negro (GT); mora, moral, palo de mora, chichiti, lun-da-e-quec, fustic, mora amarilla, moral liso, mora lisa, moral de clavo, moradilla, palo moral, moral amarillo, yaga-huil, ya-hui, tzitzi, tzitzil, chijchijtli, palo amarillo (MX); mora, moral de loma (CU); palo naranjo (ES); yellow wood (US); murier de tinturies, bois jaune (FR); echter Fustic, Kubaholz (DE). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 11 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Mexico and Central America, Caribbean, tropical South America, southern Brazil, temperate South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct and indistinct or absent. If distinct, demarcated by darker latewood band (smaller and thicker walled fibres - latewood). Heartwood basically brown and yellow. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.7–0.9 g/cm³. Sapwood white to yellowish; heartwood bright yellow when fresh, upon exposure changing to brown or russet.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 110–230 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 5–12. Average vessel element length 150–400 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 5–6 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders and with reduced borders or apparently simple, similar to intervessel pits and different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular and horizontal to vertical, of uniform size or type and of two distinct sizes or types in the same ray cell. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses present, thinwalled. Other deposits present.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 600–1350 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present, banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, aliform, and confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: (2–)3–6(–8).
Rays. Rays 5–13 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 2–4 cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Secretory structures. Laticifers or tanniniferous tubes present (latex tubes).
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells, axial parenchyma cells, and tyloses. Crystal-containing ray cells procumbent (sporadic). Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Crystals in rays sporadic. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown to yellow. Ethanol extract fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown to yellow. Splinter burns to full ash. Ash bright white.
Illustrations. • Transverse section 1. compare this and the following illustration as regards variability in pore size and axial parenchyma distribution. • Transverse section 2. • 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’.
