| | Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. OCHNACEAE. Syn.: L. procera A. Chev. Trade and local names: ekki, eba (GB, NG); asso, edoum, ous (CI); hendui (LR), kaku (GH); akélé, bang, okoa (CM); akoga, akoura (GA); aya, bonkolé (BE, CD, CF); red ironwood (GB). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical Africa.
General. Heartwood basically brown, red to brown (dark), brown to purple (dark); without streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent. Density 0.95–1.05–1.15 g/cm³. Transition zone between sapwood and heartwood; heavily interlocked grain.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 200–252–315 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 1–4–7. 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 (predominantly light coloured, macroscopically distinct from the dark wood).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thick-walled. Average fibre length 1700–2400–2900 µm. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma predominantly banded or not banded. Axial parenchyma bands much wider than rays. Bands fine or coarse. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: (6–)8–10(–14).
Rays. Rays 8–11 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 1–2–3 cells wide (uniseriates few). Aggregate rays absent. 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. Intercellular canals absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered and not chambered. 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. Ethanol extract fluorescent, or not fluorescent (in some specimens with weakly yellow fluorescence, in others none). Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown, or red. Froth test positive, or negative. Splinter burns to charcoal (splinter burns with a noticable crackle).
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’.
