| | Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. SIMAROUBACEAE. Trade and local names: marupá , caixeta, cajú-rana, malacacheta, pitomba (BR), hualaja (PE), soemaroepa (SR, NL), simaruba (DE, GB, VE), acajou blanc (GF, FR), bitterwood (US). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical South America.
General. Heartwood basically yellow to white or grey. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Density 0.38–0.48–0.55 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 130–200–290 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 1–4(–10). Average vessel element length 370–720 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 6–8 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Other deposits present (yellowish brown).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres very thin-walled to of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 770–1150–1590 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma aliform and confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the winged type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 3–7.
Rays. Rays 3–8 per tangential mm, multiseriate, (2–)3–5 cells wide. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular), or two or more cell types (heterocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent. Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows, mostly 1 marginal row of upright or square cells. Sheath cells absent. Few heterocelular rays.
Storied structures. Storied structure present, all rays storied, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied, fibres storied. Arrangement of tiers regular, or irregular. Number of ray tiers per axial millimetre 2.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals present (of sporadic occurrence de ocorrência esporádica), traumatic origin, oriented axially, axial intercellular canals in long tangential lines.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in rarely ray cells or axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing ray cells procumbent. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered, or not chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Froth test weakly positive. Splinter burns to full ash. Ash white to grey.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. transverse (ca. 10x). radial (natural size). • 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’.
