Acacia petraea Pedley

Voucher:  JAB164  

Family: Leguminosae.  Common names: Lancewood

Habit:  Shrub or tree to 10m tall.  Distribution:  South-west Queensland on and around the Grey Range and in New South Wales.

General features:   Density 1100-1200 kg/m3.  Heartwood reddish-brown  and darker than sapwood. 

Microscopic features:

Vessels  Tangential vessel diameter: range 19-114 µm; mean 51 µm; SD 19 µm; average maximum 61-85 µm; n =    152 vessels.  Vessels per square millimetre: range 43-66 vessels per mm2;  n = 4 sampled areas.  Vessels arranged in radial multiples usually of 2-3 vessels .  Perforation plates simple without prominent rim.   Vessel to vessel pits with vestured pits.

Axial parenchyma  Axial parenchyma paratracheal and confluent.  Marginal bands present.  Chambered parenchyma present (may be with crystals).

Rays  Rays 1-2 cells wide with uniseriate rays present (n = 205 rays).  Rays of uniform width and not wider than vessels.  Rays 10-12 per tangential mm (n = 5 sampled areas).  Ray height: range 57-236 µm; mean 107 µm; SD 32 µm; n = 157 rays.  Rays homocellular. 

Helical thickenings Absent.

Physical and chemical tests:  Chrome azurol-s test negative.  Heartwood fluorescence present.  Froth test positive.  Ethanol extract possibly fluorescent.   Ethanol extract colourless.  Water extract discoloured.  Water extract fluorescence absent.