| | Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. SAPOTACEAE. Trade and local names: elang, elanzok (CM); bouanga (CF); mfua (CG); kungulu (AO). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 4 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical Africa.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct (at times demarcated by an abrupt change in the distance between parenchyma bands) or indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically brown to red; without streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.82–0.95 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in a diagonal and/or radial pattern and no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows to in radial rows of 4 or more. Radial orientation of vessel multiples more or less evident. Average tangential vessel diameter 100–150 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 10–15. Average vessel element length 400–800 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 8–10 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders and with reduced borders or apparently simple, similar to intervessel pits and different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular and horizontal to vertical, of two distinct sizes or types in the same ray cell, located throughout the ray. Tyloses present, thinwalled. Other deposits not observed.
Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids sporadic to absent. Fibres very thick-walled. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal) or not marginal (or seemingly marginal). Axial parenchyma bands forming a reticulate pattern with rays. Bands fine. Axial parenchyma apotracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse, or diffuse-in-aggregates. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 6–9.
Rays. Rays 7–11 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 1–3 cells wide. 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. Disjunctive ray parenchyma end walls distinct to indistinct or absent. Uniseriate rays composed exclusively of square and/or upright cells.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Crystalliferous chains very short (3–5 crystals). Silica present, as grains; in rays cells and in axial parenchyma. Silica in rays typically restricted to marginal rows.
Physical and chemical tests. Froth test positive.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Silica and crystals. small spherical silica particles in rays (primarily in marginal cells) and axial parenchyma cells (rare). prismatic crystals occasionally in chambered and non-chambered axial parenchyma cells.
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’.
