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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. SAPOTACEAE. Incl. Chrysophyllum beguei Aubrev. & Pellegr. (syn. Gambeya beguei (Aubrév. & Pellegr.) Aubrév. & Pellegr.; Chrysophyllum pruniforme Engl. (syn. Donella pruniformis (Engl.) Piere ex Engl.). Trade and local names: longhi blanc (DE, FR); aninguéri, anigré, agnégré (FR); aningeria (GB); kali (DE); grogoli, koandio, osam (CI); mukali (AO); mukalla (CG); inon, agwa (NG); mukangu (KE); osan (UG). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical Africa (West and East Africa).
General. Heartwood basically white or grey to yellow. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density 0.6 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in a diagonal and/or radial pattern (strictly radial), in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows and in radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 75–125–175 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 4–12. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 6–10 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders and with reduced borders or apparently simple (bordered vessel-ray pits primarily in procumbent cells, larger and simple vessel-ray pits restricted to marginal cells), similar to intervessel pits, horizontal to vertical, of uniform size or type and of two distinct sizes or types in the same ray cell, of the same type in adjacent elements and unilaterally compound and coarse. Tyloses present, thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded or not banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal) or not marginal (or seemingly marginal). Axial parenchyma bands forming a reticulate pattern with rays. Bands fine. Parenchyma bands uniseriate, mixed with diffuse-in-aggregate parenchyma. Axial parenchyma apotracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse, or diffuse-in-aggregates. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 4–8.
Rays. Rays 8–14 per tangential mm, multiseriate, (1–)2–4 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 and with more than 4 marginal rows of upright or square cells.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, in form of crystal sand, located in ray cells and axial parenchyma cells (rarely). Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square. Silica present, as grains or in aggregates; in rays cells (marginal cells only). Silica particles and aggregates, respectively, few and very large and often filling the entire cell lumen.
Physical and chemical tests. Froth test positive.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). longitudinal (natural size). Chrysophyllum beguei. • Transverse section. Chrysophyllum beguei. • Tangential section. Chrysophyllum beguei. • Radial section. Chrysophyllum beguei. • Mineral inclusions. Chrysophyllum beguei. SI. CR. CR. exceptionally large silica grains (SI) and crystal sand (CR) in marginal ray 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’.
