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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. RUBIACEAE. F. ledermannii (K. Krause) Y.F. Deng (syn.: Hallea ciliata (Aubrév. & Pellegr.) J.-F. Leroy, H. ledermannii (K. Krause) Verdc., Mitragyna ciliata Aubrév. & Pellegr., M. macrophylla Hiern); F. stipulosa (DC.) Y.F. Deng (syn.: Hallea stipulosa (DC.) J.-F. Leroy, Mitragyna stipulosa (DC.) Y.F. Deng). Trade and local names: abura (DE, FR, GH, GB), bahia (BE, CI, FR), elelome (CM), subaha (GH), vuku (CI), woda (ET). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical Africa.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct (sometimes indicated by zones of low vessel frequency) or indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically brown to white or grey, red to yellow, brown to yellow, red to white or grey. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour, or distinct from heartwood colour (occasionally with reddish-brown wetwood). Density 0.44–0.52–0.62 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in some specimens solitary, however predominantly in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows or in radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 60–105–170 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 15–30–40. 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 absent.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 1750–2300–2950 µm. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, distinctly bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma apotracheal and paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 6–10.
Rays. Rays 6–13 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 1–4 cells wide. Rays with multiseriate portions as wide as uniseriate portions present. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types (heterocellular). Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows, mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells or with more than 4 marginal rows of upright or square cells.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals not observed. Silica present, as grains; in rays cells.
Illustrations. • Wood surface. tangential (natürliche Größe). Fleroya ledermannii. • Querschnitt. Fleroya ledermannii. • Tangentialschnitt. Fleroya ledermannii. • Radialschnitt. Fleroya ledermannii.
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’.
