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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-FABOIDEAE. Trade and local names: incienso, yvyra paje, kavure'y (PY); cabriúva-parda, bálsamo, bálsamo cabureíba, miroé, óleo-de-caboreiba, óleo-pardo, caboré, cabriúva-preta, óleo vermelho, cabriúna (BR); incienso colorado, incienso negro, incienso amarillo, incienso blanco, ivirapayó (AR); incienso (UY); common sassafras, sassafras (US). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical South America, southern Brazil, temperate South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct. Demarcated by fine (1–2 cells thick) , somewhat wavy and sometimes discontinuous marginal and by a slight thickening of rays parenchyma bands. Heartwood basically brown and red; with streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Odour distinct (pleasant, similar to myrrh). Density 0.84–0.91 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Two distinct vessel diameter classes absent. Average tangential vessel diameter 30–60–100 µm. Vessels per square millimetre moderately numerous. Average vessel element length 160–180 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 4–5 µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Other deposits present, with many dark brown organic inclusions in most vessels.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Average fibre length 900–1400 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Parenchyma bands short or longer, sometimes wavy or forming short arcs. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma aliform and 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 multiseriate, 2(–3) cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular), or two or more cell types (heterocellular) (rare); homocellular ray cells procumbent. Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows, mostly 1 marginal row of upright or square cells.
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 4–5. Storied structure sometimes irregular.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells and axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square, upright and/or square ray cells chambered. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Crystals in marginal ray cells infrequent. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract yellow. Water extract light blue, ethanol extract blue. Splinter burns to charcoal.
Illustrations. • 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’.
