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| Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-CAESALPINIOIDEAE. Trade and local names: amouk, allen ele (CM), izingana (GA), enuk-enug (GQ), African zebrawood (GB). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical Africa.
General. Heartwood basically brown, yellow; with streaks (dark brown). Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Density 0.65–0.73 g/cm³. Interlocked grain; green wood with unpleasant odour.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 110–205–350 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² (1–)4–11. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 6–8 µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Helical thickenings absent. Other deposits present (brown).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 1120–1440–1680 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded and not banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Axial parenchyma paratracheal. Paratracheal axial parenchyma aliform, or confluent (rarely). Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–4.
Rays. Rays 10–14 per tangential mm, exclusively uniseriate. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Storied structures. Storied structure present (rarely), all rays storied, axial parenchyma not storied, vessel elements storied. Arrangement of tiers irregular.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals 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 not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Splinter burns to partial ash. Ash white to grey.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images: cross section. Microberlinia brazzavillensis. transverse (ca. 10x). • Macroscopic images: wood surface. surface (natural size). tangential. radial. • Transverse section: M. brazzavillensis. Microberlinia brazzavillensis. • Tangential section: M. brazzavillensis. Microberlinia brazzavillensis. • Radial section: M. brazzavillensis. Microberlinia brazzavillensis. • Transverse section: M. bisulcata. Microberlinia bisulcata. • Tangential section: M. bisulcata. Microberlinia bisulcata. • Radial section: M. bisulcata. Microberlinia bisulcata.
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’.
