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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. SAPOTACEAE. Syn.: Achras zapota L. Trade and local names: zapote, chapote, peruétano (MX); sapotier (FR); níspero, zapotillo (cAm); chicle, sapote (US). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 5 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Mexico and Central America, Caribbean (cultivated).
General. Heartwood basically brown, purple. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 1–1.2 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 50- 90–105 µm (-140). Average number of vessels/mm² 11- 18–34 (-48). Average vessel element length 360–500 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 5–6 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 or sclerotic. Other deposits present.
Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids commonly present. Fibres very thick-walled. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered.
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, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse, or diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: (5–)7–9.
Rays. Rays multiseriate, (1–)2 cells wide (rarely 3-seriate). Rays with multiseriate portions as wide as uniseriate portions present (only few). 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 present, prismatic, located in ray cells or axial parenchyma cells or tyloses. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square, upright and/or square ray cells chambered. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one, or more than one. Crystals in one cell or chamber of two distinct sizes. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown, or red. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown, or red. Froth test positive (very strong). Splinter burns to full ash. Ash dark grey.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). tangential (naturals size). • Transverse section. • Transverse section enlarged. Manilkara zapota. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Crystals. prismatic crystals in chambered cells of axial parenchyma (left) and rays (right).
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’.
