Astronium spp. (Gonçalo alves, muiracoatiara, urunday)
Nomenclature etc. ANACARDIACEAE. A. graveolens, A. fraxinifolium. Trade and local names: gonçalo alves (BR); gateado (YV); jobillo (MEX). Status of protection under CITES regulations: not protected.
Description based on: 10 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Caribbean, or Mexico and Central America to tropical South America.
General. Heartwood basically brown red (russet brown, orange brown or reddish brown when fresh, changing upon exposure to brown, red, or dark reddish brown). Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour (sapwood dingy greyish or brownish-white). Basic specific gravity 0.69–0.95 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 80–170 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 7–13. Average vessel element length 320–750 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 8–11 µm. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, rounded or angular. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses in vessels present or absent.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness, or very thick-walled. Average fibre length 910–1710 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres exclusively septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma paratracheal. Paratracheal axial parenchyma aliform, or confluent. Aliform parenchyma winged. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per axial parenchyma strand 3–4.
Rays. Rays 6–11 per tangential mm, multiseriate, also if only few, 2–3 cells wide. Rays composed of two or more cell types. Heterocellular rays square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows. Number of marginal rows of upright or square cells 1, or 2–4.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells absent. Intercellular canals present, radial type.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square or procumbent. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood fluorescent, or not fluorescent. Water extract fluorescent, or not fluorescent (green blue). Water extract basically colourless to brown or shade of brown, or red or shade of red. Ethanol extract fluorescent, or not fluorescent. Ethanol extract basically colourless to brown or shade of brown, or red or shade of red. Splinter burns to full ash. Ash bright white.
Cite this publication as: H. G. Richter and M. J. Dallwitz (2000 onwards). 'Commercial timbers: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval.' In English, French, German, and Spanish. Version: 4th May 2000. http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/.
Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993 onwards, 1995 onwards, 1998) should also be cited (see General references).