Rhizophora mangle L. (Mangle)
Nomenclature etc. RHIZOPHORACEAE. Trade and local names: mangle colorado, mangle rojo.
Description based on: 5 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: tropical South America.
General. Heartwood basically brown red. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour (sapwood yellowish, greyish, or pinkish). Basic specific gravity 0.8–1 g/cm³.
Vessels. Vessels present. Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels exclusively solitary. Average tangential vessel diameter 70–96 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 14–25. Average vessel element length 869–1064 µm. Perforation plates scalariform, with 2–10 bars. Intervessel pits scalariform. Vessel-ray pits with reduced borders or apparently simple, horizontal to vertical. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses in vessels present.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Average fibre length 1495–2185 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered or distinctly bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma paratracheal. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty to vasicentric. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per axial parenchyma strand 5–8.
Rays. Rays 5–7 per tangential mm, multiseriate, also if only few, 3 cells wide. Height of large rays commonly over 1000 µm. 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 2–4, or more than 4.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells. Crystal-containing ray cells procumbent. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract 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).