Commercial timbers

H. G. Richter and M. J. Dallwitz


Kokoona littoralis Laws. (mata ulat)

Nomenclature etc. CELASTRACEAE. Trade and local names: mata ulat (MAL). Status of protection under CITES regulations: not protected.

Description based on: 1 specimen. Tree. Geographic distribution: Indomalesia.

General. Growth ring boundaries distinct, growth ring boundaries marked by few rows of radially flattened latewood fibres. Heartwood basically brown, without streaks. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent. Basic specific gravity (0.84–)0.9–1.07(–1.12) g/cm³. Heartwood yellowish to pinkish brown.

Vessels. Vessels present. Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, exclusively solitary. Vessel outline rounded. Two distinct vessel diameter classes absent. Average tangential vessel diameter 55–70 µm. Average tangential diameter of vessel lumina medium. Average number of vessels/mm² 16–27. Vessels per square millimetre moderately numerous. Perforation plates simple. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, 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 not observed, brown to reddish deposits in vessels.

Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids commonly present. Fibres 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, banded. Axial parenchyma bands not marginal (or seemingly marginal), bands much wider than rays, coarse, more than three cells wide. Sometimes short parenchyma bands present. Axial parenchyma as strands. Unlignified parenchyma absent.

Rays. Rays present, 10–15 per tangential mm, multiseriate, also if only few, 1–2 cells wide. Rays with multiseriate portions as wide as uniseriate portions absent. Aggregate rays absent. Rays of one size. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type. Homocellular ray cells procumbent. Sheath cells absent. Tile cells absent. Perforated ray cells absent. Disjunctive ray parenchyma end walls indistinct or absent. Rays often uniseriate with biseriate central parts.

Storied structures. Storied structure absent.

Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells absent. Intercellular canals absent.

Cambial variants. Included phloem absent. Other cambial variants absent.

Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells and axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square and procumbent, upright and/or square ray cells chambered and not chambered. Crystals in procumbent ray cells not in radial alignment. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered and not chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Crystal containing cells of normal size. Cystoliths absent. Maximum of two chambers per parenchyma cell. 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 positive. Froth test negative. Splinter burns to partial 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).

Index