| | Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. STYRACACEAE. Other species: Alniphyllum eberhardtii Guillaumin, A. pterospermum Matsumura. Trade and local names: chi-yang-ye (CN); mee dong (LA); Fortune's China bells (GB, US).
Description based on 2 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: temperate Asia (S-China), Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct. Heartwood basically yellow, white or grey. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density 0.35–0.4 g/cm³.
Vessels. Vessels present. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in a diagonal and/or radial pattern, in multiples, commonly in radial rows of 4 or more or in clusters. Vessel outline angular. Perforation plates scalariform, with 8–15 bars. Intervessel pits opposite or alternate. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits, restricted to marginal rows. Helical thickenings absent.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, distinctly bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present. Axial parenchyma apotracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and diffuse-in-aggregates. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 5–8.
Rays. Rays 9–13 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 1–3 cells wide. Aggregate rays 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.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals not observed. Silica not observed.
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’.
