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Nomenclature etc. MYRISTICACEAE. Myristica buchneriana Warb., M. elliptica Wallich ex Hook.f. & Thomson, M. gigantea King, M. iners Blume, M. lowiana King, M. maingayi Hook.f., M. maxima Warb., M. simiarum A.DC. Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indomalesia, Pacific Islands.
General. Heartwood basically reddish to orange brown. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.38–0.73 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Vessel outline rounded, or angular. Average tangential vessel diameter 140–200 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 3–11. Perforation plates simple, scalariform, and reticulate, foraminate or other types, with 2–10 bars. Perforations mostly scalariform, occasionally simple or reticulate. Intervessel pits opposite to alternate, average diameter (vertical) 5–10 µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, different from intervessel pits, horizontal to vertical. Tyloses present, thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled to of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 800–1450 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate. Fibres typically in radial alignment (transverse section).
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine or coarse. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and vasicentric. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 3–6.
Rays. Rays 7–12 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 1–3 cells wide. Rays with multiseriate portions as wide as uniseriate portions occasionally present, or absent. 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.
Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells present, associated with ray parenchyma. Slightly enlarged oil cells located in marginal as well as body cell rows. Laticifers or tanniniferous tubes present. Tanniniferous tubes.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals not observed. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Froth test negative.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. Myristica buchneriana. • Tangential section 1. Myristica buchneriana. • Tangential section 2. Myristica elliptica. size and shape of ray cells vary considerably between species (for comparison see previous image). • Radial section. Myristica buchneriana. • Tanniniferous tubes. Myristica lowiana. exceptionally large and frequent tanniniferous tubes (TT) in rays. tangential view. radial view. TT. TT. TT. TT. TT. TT.
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’.
