Lagerstroemia balansae Kohne (Tabek)
Nomenclature etc. LYTHRACEAE. + Lagerstroemia angustifolia, L. cochinchinensis, L. duppereana , L. floribunda, L. ovalifolia, L. speciosa (syn. L. flos-reginae). Trade and local names: Bungur (MAL, RI); bang-lang (K, VN); jarul (RI); banaba (RP); nana, bentak, bangor (IND); pyinma (BUR); intanin, tabek (T); sralao (K).
Tree. Geographic distribution: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indomalesia.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct. Heartwood basically brown (pinkish to purple brown (color of walnut)). Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Basic specific gravity (0.58–)0.66–0.76(–0.81) g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood ring-porous, or semi-ring-porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 50–100–180 µm. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 6–9 µm, vestured. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, rounded or angular or horizontal to vertical, of two distinct sizes or types in the same ray cell. Tyloses in vessels present, thinwalled.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Average fibre length 900–1100–1400 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres exclusively septate. Septate fibres evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Axial parenchyma bands marginal (or seemingly marginal), fine, up to three cells wide or coarse, more than three cells wide. Mostly anastomosing bands in contact with vessels. Axial parenchyma paratracheal. Paratracheal axial parenchyma aliform, or confluent. Aliform parenchyma lozenge. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per axial parenchyma strand (3–)4(–6).
Rays. Rays 15–19–25 per tangential mm, exclusively uniseriate. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type. Homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Chambered crystalliferous cells (axial parenchyma) of two types: a) in long narrow chains with numerous small crystals; b) wide and short with few large crystals. 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).