Tapirira guianensis Aubl. (Tatapiririca)
Nomenclature etc. ANACARDIACEAE. Trade and local names: tatapiririca, cedro-í, cupiúva, pau pombo, peito de pomba, jobo (BR); duka, waramia (GUY); weti-oedoe, ook doka (SME); isaparitsi (PE).
Tree. Geographic distribution: Mexico and Central America to tropical South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. Heartwood basically pinkish brown. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent. Basic specific gravity 0.45–0.65 g/cm³. When green with waxy surface due to exudation of resin.
Vessels. Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 80–120–180 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 6–10. Average vessel element length 500–670–970 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 7–12 µm, not vestured. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, rounded or angular or horizontal to vertical, of uniform size or type, of the same type in adjacent elements or unilaterally compound and coarse. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses in vessels present, thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids sporadic to absent. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 740–1140–1530 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Helical thickenings absent. Fibres exclusively septate. Septate fibres evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma not banded. Axial parenchyma paratracheal. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per axial parenchyma strand 4–6.
Rays. Rays 4–10 per tangential mm, multiseriate, also if only few, (1–)2–3 cells wide. Rays with multiseriate portions as wide as uniseriate portions absent. Aggregate rays absent. Rays of one size. 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. 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 present, non-traumatic origin, radial type.
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. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Crystal containing cells of normal size, or enlarged (idioblasts). 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).