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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-FABOIDEAE. Syn.: D. hypoleuca Pittier, D. lineata Pittier, D. pacifica Standley & Steyermark; incl. Dalbergia granadillo Pittier. Trade and local names: granadillo (GT, HN, MX, NI); ñambar, ñambar legítimo (NI); tampinzarán (MX); palo negro (HN); ñambar (CR); palisandro (CO); funera (ES); Nicaragua rosewood (GB); Salamanderholz, Korallen- Palisander (DE). Listed in CITES Annex II.
Tree. Geographic distribution: Mexico and Central America (up to northern Columbia).
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct or indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically yellow to brown to red (yellowish to orange brown when fresh, darkening to deep reddish brown); with streaks (dark brown to purplish black). Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Odour distinct (sweetly aromatic). Density 0.89–1.15 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 80–320 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 3–6. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 8–10 µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders or with reduced borders or apparently simple (state 2 rare), similar to intervessel pits, rounded or angular. Other deposits present.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thick-walled. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded and not banded (bands often narrow and indistinct). Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Axial parenchyma apotracheal (mostly as short lines between rays), or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse, or diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and vasicentric. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2 (rarely in series of 4, paratracheal parenchyma up to 6 cells).
Rays. Rays 9–15 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 1–2 cells wide (rarely 3). Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular) (occasionally with tendency to heterocelular composition); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Storied structures. Storied structure present, all rays storied, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied, fibres storied. Arrangement of tiers regular. Number of ray tiers per axial millimetre 5–6.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract fluorescent (light yellow to pale green); colour of water extract yellow. Ethanol extract fluorescent (pale orange). Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Froth test positive. Splinter burns to full ash. Ash white to grey.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). surface (natural size). tangential (plain). tangential (wild). • 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’.
