Casearia gossypiosperma Briquet (mbavy)
Nomenclature etc. FLACOURTIACEAE. Syn.: Casearia lanosperma Diogo, Gossypiospermum paraguariense Rehder. Trade and local names: mbavy (PY, RA). Status of protection under CITES regulations: not protected.
Description based on: 2 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical South America, southern Brazil, and temperate South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct and indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically yellow. Basic specific gravity 0.88 g/cm³.
Vessels. Vessels present. Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly short (2–3 vessels) radial rows and radial rows of 4 or more. Vessel outline rounded. Two distinct vessel diameter classes absent. Average tangential vessel diameter 24–42–57 µm. Average tangential diameter of vessel lumina small. Average number of vessels/mm² 105. Vessels per square millimetre very numerous. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 3–4 µm, minute, not vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits, of uniform size or type, of the same type in adjacent elements, located throughout the ray. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses in vessels absent. Other deposits in heartwood vessels present, sustancias orgánicas de color amarillo claro a oscuro.
Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids sporadic to absent. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, distinctly bordered. Helical thickenings absent. Fibres septate and non-septate. Septate fibres evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma absent or extremely rare.
Rays. Rays present, 15 per tangential mm, multiseriate, also if only few, (1–)3–4(–5) cells wide, commonly 3–5 cells wide. Rays with multiseriate portions as wide as uniseriate portions absent. Aggregate rays absent. Rays of two distinct sizes. Height of large rays commonly over 1000 µm. 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 more than 4. Sheath cells absent. Tile cells absent. Perforated ray cells absent. Disjunctive ray parenchyma end walls distinct.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells absent. Intercellular canals absent. Laticifers or tanniniferous tubes absent.
Cambial variants. Included phloem absent. Other cambial variants absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square and procumbent, upright and/or square ray cells not chambered. Crystals in procumbent ray cells not in radial alignment. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Crystal containing cells of normal size. Cystoliths absent. Algunas células cristalíferas, septadas. Silica not observed.
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).