| | Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-FABOIDEAE. Incl. E. subumbrans (Hassk.) Merr., E. stricta Roxb. Trade and local names: arbre au corail (F); dadap, dedap (MY, ID); dap-dap, rarang (PH); kathit (MM); thong lang (TH); December-tree (GB). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 2 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indomalesia.
General. Heartwood basically yellow. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Wood very limited of commercial potential.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows and in clusters. Average tangential vessel diameter 200–300–390 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 1–2.5. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 7–10 µm, pits vestured. Intervessel pits typically polygonal.. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Helical thickenings absent.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Few fibres alternating with abundant axial parenchyma.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Axial parenchyma bands much wider than rays. Bands coarse. Axial parenchyma fusiform, or as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 1(–2).
Rays. Rays multiseriate, 5–15 cells wide. Height of large rays commonly over 1000 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Storied structures. Storied structure present, rays not storied, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied, fibres not storied.
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 not fluorescent (weakly greenish); colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract fluorescent (blueish hues). Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Chrome azurol-S test negative. Froth test positive (only weakly positive). Splinter burns to partial ash. Ash nearly black.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. Erythrina cristagalli. • Tangential section. Erythrina cristagalli. • Radial section. Erythrina cristagalli.
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’.
