| | Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-FABOIDEAE. Trade and local names: muninga, mninga (TZ); girassonde (AO); mulombwa (CD); mukwa (ZW); umbila, mbila (MZ); kiaat, kajat (ZA). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical Africa, southern Africa.
General. Heartwood basically brown (strikingly orange to redbrown, changing to brown upon exposure); with streaks or without streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Odour distinct (slight fragrance of vanilla). Density 0.5–0.7 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 115–230–295 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 1–2. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) (8–)9–12(–13) µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders or with reduced borders or apparently simple, similar to intervessel pits, rounded or angular. Other deposits present (orange brown).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 1035–1380–1660 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine or coarse. Axial parenchyma apotracheal (short tangential lines without contact to vessels), or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma aliform and confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the winged type. Axial parenchyma fusiform and as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2.
Rays. Rays 12–17 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 1–2 cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Storied structures. Storied structure present, all rays storied, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied, fibres 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. Crystal containing cells of normal size. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown (very light orange brown). Ethanol extract fluorescent (faint greenish blue). Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Froth test negative.
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’.
