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Nomenclature etc. SALICACEAE (FLACOURTIACEAE). Syn.: Casearia lanosperma Diogo, Gossypiospermum paraguariense Rehder. Trade and local names: mbavy (PY, AR); guaçatonga, cambroé, pau-de-espeto, espeteiro, laranjinha, vidro (BR). 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 (demarcated by 2–3 rows of radially flattened fibres, a larger number of vessels, and high concentration of crystals in rays) or indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically yellow. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density 0.88 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows and in radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 24–42–57 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 105. Average vessel element length medium. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 3–4 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Helical thickenings absent (spiral thickenings observed in large and small vessels of one specimen; this needs to be confirmed by further observations). Other deposits present (light to dark yellow).
Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids sporadic to absent. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Average fibre length medium. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, distinctly bordered. Fibres septate and non-septate; evenly distributed (1–3 septae).
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma absent or extremely rare.
Rays. Rays present, 15 per tangential mm, multiseriate, (1–)3–4(–5) cells wide. Rays of two distinct sizes. Height of large rays commonly over 1000 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types (heterocellular). Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows, with more than 4 marginal rows of upright or square cells. Perforated ray cells present, or absent. Disjunctive ray parenchyma end walls distinct.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square and procumbent. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Crystal containing cells of normal size. With few chambered crystalliferous cells. Silica not observed.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Crystals. prismatic crystals exclusively in marginal ray cells (semi-polarized light).
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’.
