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Nomenclature etc. SAPOTACEAE. Syn.:Sapota gonocarpa Martius & Eichler, Chrysophyllum cysneiri F. Allemão, C. cearaenses F. Allemão, C. obtusifolium F. Allemão, C. persicastrum Eichler, C. lucumifolium Grisebach, Martiusella gonocarpa (Martius & Eichler) Pierre, Sideroxylon reticulatum Britton, C. lucumifolium f. obtusata Chodat & Hassler, Sideroxylon bolivianum Rusby, Pouteria boliviana (Rusby) Baehni, Chloroluma gonocarpa (Martius & Eichler) Baillon ex Aubréville. Trade and local names: aguaí-da-serra, aguaí-guaçú, bapepa, caxeta, cerejinha, desfolhador, guatambú-de-leite, mata-olho, peroba branca, pororoca (BR); aguay (BO); aguaí dulce, mataojos (AR). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 2 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical South America, southern Brazil, temperate South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct or indistinct or absent (if distinct, demarcated by a band of thicker walled fibres and by low concentration of axial parenchyma). Heartwood basically brown, red (light to pinkish brown). Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour, or distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.55–0.75 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in a diagonal and/or radial pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows or in radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 30–60–85 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 35–38–44. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 5–8 µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular or horizontal to vertical, of two distinct sizes or types in the same ray cell. Tyloses present, thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids commonly present. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present, not banded. Axial parenchyma apotracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse, or diffuse-in-aggregates. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: (3–)4–5(–7).
Rays. Rays 11–14–16 per tangential mm, multiseriate, (1–)2(–3) cells wide. Rays with multiseriate portions as wide as uniseriate portions present and absent. 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 1 marginal row of upright or square cells or mostly 2–4 marginal rows of upright or square cells or with more than 4 marginal rows of upright or square cells. Disjunctive ray parenchyma end walls distinct.
Cambial variants. Included phloem absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic and in form of crystal sand, located in ray cells and axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square, upright and/or square ray cells chambered and not chambered. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered and not chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one and more than one. Crystals in one cell or chamber of the same size and of two distinct sizes. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. 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’.
