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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-MIMOSOIDEAE. Trade and local names: tall albizia (GB); ki hiyang, wangkal, weru (ID); brown albizia (PG); akleng parang (PH); kokko-sit, sit, sitpen (MM); suan, thing thon (TH); muong xanh (VN); karangro, karak,baro, dun-siris, gurar (IN); oriang (MY); seto siris (NP); tramkang (KH); rain siris (AU). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Description based on 8 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indomalesia, Pacific Islands, Australia.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct. Heartwood basically brown; with streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.64–0.88 g/cm³. Conspicuous interlocked grain.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 200–350 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 1–3. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 7–10 µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Other deposits present (brown, red, yellow).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres exclusively septate; evenly distributed. Periodic change between thin and thick-walled fibres observed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded (only sporadically along growth ring limits) or not banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, aliform, and confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–5.
Rays. Rays 4–6–8 per tangential mm, multiseriate, (1–)2–3(–4) cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Heartwood extractives leachable when in contact with water. Ethanol extract fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Froth test positive. Splinter burns to charcoal.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Crystals; homocellular rays. prismatic crystals in chambered axial parenchyma cells. rays composed exclusively of procumbent cells; fibres septate (at least in part).
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’.
