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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. RUBIACEAE. Syn.: Anthocephalus cadamba Miq., A. chinensis (Roxb.) Miq., A. indicus A. Rich. Trade and local names: kadam (MY, trade); jabon, kelampai, sugi manai (ID); laran (MY-sab); selimpoh, sempayan (MY-sar); kaatoan bangkal (PH); gao (VN); mau-lettan-she (MM). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indomalesia (cultivated worldwide in tropical regions).
General. Heartwood basically yellow, white or grey. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density (0.29–)0.35–0.55 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows (-2). Average tangential vessel diameter (90–)120–150(–220) µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 4–11. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 5–7 µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Tyloses present (sparse), thinwalled. Other deposits very little present (yellowish).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length (900–)1200–1400–1980 µm. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, simple to minutely bordered or distinctly bordered. Fibres septate and non-septate; evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present. Axial parenchyma apotracheal (forming a subtle network between rays). Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 8–12.
Rays. Rays (5–)7–13 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 1–8 cells wide. Rays of two distinct sizes. Height of large rays commonly 500 to 1000 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. Disjunctive ray parenchyma end walls distinct.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, only in some specimens, and very few in form of crystal sand, located in ray cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square. Silica not observed.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). tangential (natural size). • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Crystals; disjunctive endwalls. micro crystals (crystal sand) in square and/or upright ray cells. disjunctive endwalls of square/upright ray cells frequent.
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’.
