Schima wallichii (DC.) Korth. (samak, puspa)
Nomenclature etc. THEACEAE. Syn.: S. crenata Korth, S. noronhaeReinw. ex Blume. Trade and local names: puspa (RI); samak (MAL). Status of protection under CITES regulations: not protected.
Description based on: 4 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Indomalesia.
General. Growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically brown, without streaks. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent. Basic specific gravity 0.45–0.92 g/cm³. Hardwood pinkish, reddish or greyish brown.
Vessels. Vessels present. Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels exclusively solitary. Vessel outline angular. Two distinct vessel diameter classes absent. Average tangential vessel diameter 48–92–118 µm. Average tangential diameter of vessel lumina medium. Average number of vessels/mm² 25–33. Vessels per square millimetre moderately numerous. Perforation plates scalariform, with more than 10 bars. Intervessel pits scalariform and opposite, average diameter (vertical) 10–13 µm, large, 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 present, only in vessel element tails. Tyloses in vessels present, thinwalled. Other deposits in heartwood vessels not observed.
Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids sporadic to absent. Fibres of medium wall thickness and very thick-walled. Fibre pits common in both radial and tangential walls, distinctly bordered. Helical thickenings absent. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma present, not banded. Axial parenchyma apotracheal and paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per axial parenchyma strand 4–12. Unlignified parenchyma absent. Some parenchyma cells with spiral thickenings.
Rays. Rays present, 6–8 per tangential mm, multiseriate, also if only few, 1–2 cells wide, 2–3 cells wide. Rays with multiseriate portions as wide as uniseriate portions absent. Aggregate rays absent. Rays of one size. Height of large rays commonly 500 to 1000 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types. Heterocellular rays procumbent, square and upright cells mixed throughout the ray. Sheath cells absent. Tile cells absent. Perforated ray cells absent. Disjunctive ray parenchyma end walls indistinct or absent.
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 axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Crystal containing cells of normal size. Cystoliths absent. Sometimes two crystals in one chamber. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent. Water extract basically colourless to brown or shade of brown. Heartwood extractives not leachable by water. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Ethanol extract basically colourless to brown or shade of brown. Chrome azurol-S test negative. Froth test positive. Splinter burns to full ash. Ash other than white, grey, yellow or brown.
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).