Pera glabrata (Schott) Baill. (Pilón rosado)
Nomenclature etc. EUPHORBIACEAE. Trade and local names: pilón rosado.
Description based on: 5 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Caribbean, or Mexico and Central America to tropical South America.
General. Heartwood basically white or grey. Sapwood colour similar to heartwood colour. Basic specific gravity 0.55–0.8 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly short (2–3 vessels) radial rows or radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 120–180 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 5–8. Average vessel element length 350–850 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 9–11 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Tyloses in vessels absent. Other deposits in heartwood vessels present (crystals in tyloses).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 1044–1674 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Axial parenchyma bands fine, up to three cells wide. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per axial parenchyma strand 5–8.
Rays. Rays 10–15 per tangential mm, exclusively uniseriate. 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.
Storied structures. Storied structure absent.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells and tyloses. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract fluorescent, or not fluorescent. Water extract basically colourless to brown or shade of brown. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Ethanol extract basically colourless to brown or shade of 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).