Manilkara bidentata (A.DC.) A.Chev. (Massaranduba)
Nomenclature etc. SAPOTACEAE. Syn. Mimusops bidentata A.DC., Mimusops huberi Ducke, Mimusops elata Fr.Allem., Manilkara bidenta (A.DC.) Chev. ssp. surinamensis (Miq.) Pennington, Manilkara elata (Fr. Allem.) Monachino, Manilkara huberi (Ducke) A. Chev. Trade and local names: massaranduba, m. verdadeiro, m. araua, balata maparajuba (BR), purguo morado (YV), bulletrie (SME), quinilla, ansubo (PE).
Tree. Geographic distribution: Caribbean and tropical South America.
General. Heartwood basically brown to red (dark reddish brown). Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Basic specific gravity 0.85–0.95–1 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels arranged in diagonal and/or radial pattern, in multiples, commonly short (2–3 vessels) radial rows and radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 82–112–150 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 10–11. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 4–6 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders or with reduced borders or apparently simple, similar to intervessel pits or different from intervessel pits, rounded or angular or horizontal to vertical, of two distinct sizes or types in the same ray cell. Tyloses in vessels present, thinwalled or sclerotic. Other deposits in heartwood vessels present (dark brown).
Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids commonly present. Fibres very thick-walled. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Axial parenchyma bands reticulate, fine, up to three cells wide. Axial parenchyma apotracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse to diffuse-in-aggregates. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per axial parenchyma strand 7–9.
Rays. Rays 12–15 per tangential mm, multiseriate, also if only few, (1–)2 cells wide (rarely 3-seriate). Rays composed of two or more cell types. Heterocellular rays procumbent, square and upright cells mixed throughout the ray.
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. Froth test positive.
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).