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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-FABOIDEAE. Bowdichia nitida Benth., B. virgilioides H.B.K., Diplotropis purpurea (Rich.) Amsh. (syn.: Bowdichia guianensis Ducke, Diplotropis guianensis Benth., Tachigali pupurea Rich.); Ferreirea spectabilis Fr. Allem. Trade and local names: sapupira do campo, -preta, sebipira, cutiuba, paricarana (BR); coeur dehors (GF). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical South America.
General. Heartwood basically brown to yellow, brown to black. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.7–0.85 g/cm³.
Vessels. Vessels present. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 70–150–260(–300) µm; diameter of vessels: large to very large. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 6–9 µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders and with reduced borders or apparently simple, similar to intervessel pits or different from intervessel pits (only D. purpurea). Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses absent. Other deposits not observed.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma not banded. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric (typically vasicentric only in F. spectabilis), or aliform, or confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type and of the winged type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–4.
Rays. Rays 6–8 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 2–4 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 (B. nitida).
Storied structures. Storied structure present or absent (storied structure conspicuous in B. virgilioides, weakly so in D. purpurea, absent in B. nitida and F. spectabilis), all rays storied, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied (B. virigilioides), fibres storied or not storied.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent.
Cambial variants. Included phloem absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present or not observed (D. purpurea), prismatic, located in ray cells or axial parenchyma cells (only B. nitida and B. virgilioides). Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square or procumbent, upright and/or square ray cells chambered. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Froth test negative.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. Bowdichia sp. • Tangential section. Bowdichia nitida. • Radial section. Bowdichia nitida.
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’.
