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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. RUTACEAE. Incl. F. australis R. Brown, F. amboinensis Poir., F. brayleyana F.v.Muell., F. ifflaina F.v.Muell., F. schottiana F.v.Muell. Trade and local names: silkwood (PG, GB, AU); F. ifflaina: hickory ash (AU); F. amboinensis, F. schottiana: silver ash (AU); F. brayleyana: silkwood maple, Queensland maple (AU). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 9 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Indomalesia, Australia.
General. Heartwood basically brown, red, yellow (darkening to organge brown). Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour, or distinct from heartwood colour. Odour distinct. Density 0.55–0.7(–0.95) g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 65–150–265 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 5–8–10. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 3–5 µm ((F. amboinensis with pits less than 4 µm). Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Other deposits present (yellow, brown to nearly black organic contents in vessels) or not observed.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness, or very thick-walled. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded (in one specimen of F. amboinensis no banded parenchyma observed). Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse, or diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty, or vasicentric. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–6.
Rays. Rays 4–6(–8) per tangential mm, exclusively uniseriate and multiseriate (F. ifflaina with exclusively uniseriate rays), (1–)2–4 cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm, or commonly 500 to 1000 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
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; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract yellow. Chrome azurol-S test positive. Froth test positive. Splinter burns to partial ash. Ash bright white.
Illustrations. • Transverse section: F. australis. Flindersia australis. • Tangential section: F. australis. Flindersia australis. • Radial section: F. australis. Flindersia australis. • Transverse section: F. ifflaina. Flindersia ifflaina. • Tangential section: F. ifflaina. Flindersia ifflaina. • Radial section: F. ifflaina. Flindersia ifflaina. • Transverse section: F. brayleana. Flindersia brayleana. • Tangential section: F. brayleana. Flindersia brayleana. • Radial section: F. brayleana. Flindersia brayleana.
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’.
