IAWA Bulletin n.s., Vol. 2 (2-3),1981 61

DESCRIPTIONS AND NOTES ON THE WOOD ANATOMY OF FROM WESTERN MEXICO

by

Josefina Barajas MoraIes Instituto de Biologia, Universidad Nacional Aut6noma de Mexico, Ap. Postal 70-233, Mexico, D.F.

Summary Material and Methods The wood anatomy of six of Boragi• Tree species examined were: alliodo• naceae: Cordia elaeagnoides, e. sonorae, e. hin• ra (Ruiz et Pav.) Cham., Perez 601, Barajas tonii, e. dentata, e. alliodora and Bourreria 003; e. dentata Poir., Barajas 001, 085, 086; purpusii from western Mexico is described. e. elaeagnoides DC., Garcia 010, Barajas 008, Some observations are made about interest• 002; e. hintonii Johnst., Perez 825, 1575; e. ing characteristies for the family, such as pres• sonorae Rose, Perez 631, Barajas 004; Bourre• ence of silica grains, oxalate crystals, starch and ria purpusii Brandeg., Perez 1702, Barajas 005, coalescent apertures and some inferences about 027. Two other Cordia species (e. seleriana and their possible taxonomic significance and diag• e. microsebestena) from Mexico have not been nostic value. incIuded in this study because they are shrubs. All the specimens were collected at the Biology Introduction Station of Chamela in Jalisco, western Mexico, Many Mexican woody species have never and herbarium vouchers are deposited in the been described, in spite of interesting structural National Herbarium (MEXU) and wood sam• characteristics that make them very important pIes in the xylarium of the Biology Institute at in studies of a taxonomic or other nature. the Universidad Nacional Aut6noma de Mexico About 200 species have been described but on• (MEXUw) (Stern, 1978). The sectioning blocks Iy a few are available in national publications were taken at 1.50 m from the base of the (Huerta, 1963; Huerta & Becerra, 1976; Echen• trunk, soaked in ethylenediamine (Kukachka, ique, 1970; Flores, 1968; Oe la Paz, 1974, 1977), dehydrated, stained and mounted by 1976; Guridi, 1975; Barajas and co-workers, standard methods. Macerated material was also 1976,1979,1980; RebolIar, 1977; Romero et prepared, and 25 measurements were taken for al., 1978). each of the quantitative characters. The Boraginaceae are very weil represented The terminology and nomenclature is in ac• in America and in western Mexico there are cordance to the recommendations of the com• some endemie species like Cordia elaeagnoides mittees on nomencIature of IAWA (1957). (section Rhabdocalyx), e. sonorae (section Standard terms for size cIassification follow Gerascanthus), e. hintonii (section Pilicordia) those of Chattaway (1932) and the committee and Bourreria purpusii (Johnston, 1930, 1940). on the standardization of terms of cell size In this area some species have a distribu tion go• (lAWA, 1937 and 1939). ing down to northern South America and the West Indies, like Cordia den ta ta (Johnston, ResuIts 1950). Others have a wide ranging distribution The macroscopic characters are summarized throughout America, like e. alliodora. in Table I. In the Boraginaceae there are many taxon• omie problems, especially regarding the genus Cordia alliodora (Ruiz et Pav.) Cham. - Dif• Cordia because of the heterogeneity of its spe• fuse or semi-ring-porous, pores mostly solitary eies; it has been suggested that only the Cordias and in groups of 2 and 3 (to 5), moderately of the Varronia seetion should be maintained few, 8/mm2; tangential diameter moderate• in the genus Cordia and that section Sebestena sized (average 142 J.lm); lumina with tyloses. and its aIlies should be transferred to different Vessel elements very short (200-310 J.lm, aver• genera (Nowieke & Ridgway, 1973). This sug• age 243 J.lm); perforation plates simple; vessel• gestion, supported by palynological studies ray and intervascular pitting alternate. Paren• that show eoncordance with the floral and chyma paratracheal, confluent, sometimes ali• fruiting structures, gives relevance to the wood form and also marginal, containing starch anatomy studies related to the of grains and rhomboidal crystals. Rays moderate• Cordia. Iy numerous, 4/mm, multiseriate, 5 or more

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Table 1

heartwood sapwood taste lustre tex ture grain sp.gr. *

Cordia alliodora brown grayish light brown none high medium straight 0.73 den ta ta light brown light brown none medium medium straight 0.53 elaeagnoides dark brown-blackish light brown none little medium interlocked 0.88 hintonii light brown light brown none medium medium interlocked 0.64 sonorae light brown-reddish light brown none medium medium straight 0.81 Bourreria purpusii cream pinkish cream pinkish bitter medium fine straight 0.73

* sp.gr.: specific gravity of ovendry wood.

cells wide, heterogeneous, with upright margin• trie, aliform, or conf1uent, containing prismatic al cells, very short (average 950 Jlm). Sheath crystals. Rays few, 4/mm, multiseriate, 4-5- cells present. Rhomboidal crystals in upright seriate, heterogeneous with one or more rows cells. Fibres libriform, medium-sized (length of upright marginal cells, very short (average 950-1840 Jlm, average 1320 Jlm) with very 907 Jlm). Sheath cells and prismatic erystals thick walls (Fig. I). present. Libriform fibres medium-sized (length 800-1570 Jlm, average 1132 Jlm) with very Cordia den ta ta Poir. (synonyms Varronia alba thiek walls. Growth rings present but inconspi• and Cordia alba). - Diffuse porous, pores most• cuous, delimited by flattened and more thick• Iy solitary and in small groups of 2 or 3 to 5, walled fibres and occasionally by marginal pa• moderately few, 8/mm2; tangential diameter renchyma (Fig. 3). moderate-sized (average 140 Jlm). Vessel ele• ments very short (150-260 Jlm, average 206 Cordia hintonii lohnst. - Ring-porous, pores Jlm); perforation plates simple; intervascular mostly solitary and in small groups of 2 to 5, pitting alternate and with coalescent apertures; few, 4/mm2; tangential diameter moderate• vessel-ray pits gash-like horizontal; lumina sized (average 200 Jlm). Vessel elements very with tyloses. Parenehyma conf1uent parat ra ch• short (150-270 Jlm, average 204 Jlm); perfora• eal, very abundant with a tendency to form tion plates simple; vessel-ray and intervascular bands, and marginal, containing rhomboidal pitting alternate and with coalescent apertures; erystals. Rays moderately numerous, 6/mm; lumina with tyloses. Parenchyma paratraeheal mostly triseriate and sometimes multiseriate, confluent or aliform and in short bands, con• heterogeneous with one or more rows of up• taining abundant rhomboidal erystals. Rays right marginal eells; very short (average 676 few, 4/mm, multiseriate, 3 to 5 cells wide, Jlm). Sheath eells present. Prismatie crystals in heterogeneous with one or more rows of up• upright eells. Librifonn fibres medium-sized right marginal celIs, short (average 1025 Jlm). (length 820-1500 Jlm, average 1154 Jlm) (Fig. Sheath celIs and rhom boidal crystals present. 2). Libriform fibres medium-sized (length 900- 1500 Jlm, average 1170 Jlm). Growth rings de• Cordia elaeagnoides oe. - Semi-ring-porous, limited by more thick-walIed fibres and some pores mostly solitary and in small groups of :2 marginal parenchyma (Fig. 4). to 5, moderately few. 6/mm2 with medium• sized tangential diameter (average 200 Jlm). Cordia SO/lorae Rose. - Semi-ring-porous, Vessel elements very short (150-350 Jlm. aver• pores mostly solitary and in groups of 2-5, age 240 Jlm); perforation plates simple; vessel• moderately numerous, 16/mm2, tangential dia• ray and intervascular pitting alternate and mete r moderate-sized (average 107 Jlm). Vessel sometimes with coalescent apertures; lumina elements moderately short (200-380 Jlm, aver• with tyloses. Parenchyma paratracheal vasicen- age 290 Jlm): perforation plates simple; vessel-

Fig. 1-6. Transverse sections, alI x 35. - I. Cordia alliodora. - 2. C. de/ltata. - 3. C. elaeagnoides. - 4. C. hinto/lii. - 5. C. SOllOrae. - 6. Bourreria purpusii.

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(9 1861 '((-z:) z: "\OA '"SOU ug;JIIng VAWI 64 IAWA Bulletin n.s., Vol. 2 (2-3),1981

Table 2. Average vaIues of some quantitative characters.

fibre vessel member vessel pores/mm2 rays/mm ray length length diameter height (in j.Lm) (in j.Lm) (in j.Lm) (in j.Lm)

Cordia alliodora 1320 243 142 8 4 950 Cordia den ta ta 1154 206 140 8 6 676 Cordia elaeagnoides 1132 240 200 6 4 907 Cordia hintonii 1170 204 200 4 4 1025 Cordia sonorae 1179 290 107 16 5 1209 Bourreria purpusii 1167 332 30 79 9 312

ray and intervascular pitting alternate. Lumina Discussion with tyloses. Parenchyma paratracheal, some• The eells of the axial and/or radial parenehy• times alifonn or confluent, and scanty marginal, ma in all speeimens studied showed calcium containing rhomboidal crystals and silica grains. oxalate erystals (Figs. 7, 8). Rays moderately numerous, 5/mm, muItiseri• In seetion Geraseanthus two of the species ate, 3-5 cells wide, heterogeneous with one or presented eertain inclusions unusual for the more rows of upright marginal cells, short family, stareh grains in the fibres as weil as in (average 1209 j.Lm). Sheath cells and rhomboi• the parenehyma of Cordia alliodora (Figs. 9, dal crystals and silica grains present. Fibres me• 10) and silica grains in the radial parenehyma dium-sized (Iength 980-1750 j.Lm, average of C. sonorae (Figs. 11, 12). 1179 j.Lm) with very thiek walls. Growth rings The stareh in the fibres of C. alliodora might inconspieuously delimited by scanty marginal provide an identification aid of praetieal signifi• parenehyma and thieker walls of fibres (Fig. 5). eanee. The silica grains in the radial parenchyma of Bourreria purpusii Brandeg. - Diffuse por• C. sonorae, being reported for the first time for ous, pores mostly solitary and in groups of 2 to this species, supports Gottwald 's opinion (1980) 5, very numerous, 79/mm2, tangential diame• about the siliea grains eonstituting an impor• ter very small (average 30 j.Lm). Vessel elements tant taxonomie eharaeter in the family because moderately short (280-480 j.Lm, average 332 both speeies: C. sonorae reported here and C. j.Lm); perforation plates simple; vessel-ray and glabrata (Gottwald, l.e.) belong to seetion intervaseular pitting alternate, minute. Paren• Gerascanthus. This should be an important in• ehyma apotracheal in aggregates and short tan• eentive to keep track of their presenee in all gential bands, eontaining erystals. Rays numer• speeies and genera of the family. ous, 9/mm, mostly triseriate and sometimes bi• C. hintonii and C. dentata both from the seriate, heterogeneous with one row of upright Pilicordia group and C. elaeagnoides from sec• marginal ceHs, extremely short (average 312 tion Rhabdoealyx have coaleseent apertures to j.Lm), eontaining erystals of two different sizes. the intervaseular pits (Figs. 13, 14). The taxon• Fibre-traeheids medium-sized (Iength 900- omie signifieanee of this feature within the 1450 j.Lm, average 1167 j.Lm), with small bor• Boraginaeeae is not yet fully understood. The dered pits. Traeheids also present. Growth rings same applies to the variable presence of vestur• ineonspieuously delimited by more thiek-walled ed pits (cf. Miller, 1977). In the material I stud• fibres (Fig. 6). ied, vestured pits eould only with diffieuIty be observed in Cordia dentata, C. hintonii, C. so• Quantitative eharaeters are summarized in norae and C. elaeagnoides, using an oil immer• Table 2. sion objeetive. An uItrastructural study would

Fig. 7-12. Cordia, miscellaneous features. - 7. C. elaeagnoides, crystals in rays, x 140. - 8. C. alliodora, ibid. - 9. C. alliodora, fibres with starch grains, x 140. - 10. C. alliodora, parenchyma cells with starch grains, x 600. - 11. C. sonorae, silica bodies and crystals in ray parenchyma, x 140. - 12. ibid., silica bodics, x 600.

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S9 1861 '(f:-z:) z: "IDA '"SOU U!l;Jllna YAWl 66 IAWA Bulletin n.s., Vol. 2 (2),1981

Fig. 13 & 14. Coalescent apertures of intervascular pits in Cordia hintonii (13) and C. dentata (14), x 600.

be neeessary to eonfirm their prcsenee or ab• ---- & S. Rebollar. 1979. Anatomia de Made• senee in all ma terial. ras de Mexieo. No. 2: 20 espeeies de la In eonclusion, the present study on related selva laeandona. Biotiea 4: 163-I 93. species from Mexieo has brought to light sever• Chattaway, M.M. 1932. Proposed standards for al differential eharaeters whieh ean be profit• numerical values used in deseribing woods. ably used in taxonomie diseussions and for Trop. Woods 29: 20-28. identifieation purposes. Within Cordia, C. den• De La Paz-Perez, O.C. 1974. Anatomfa de la tata ean be reeognized on aeeount of its gash• madera de ein co espeeies de eneinos de like vessel-ray pits; C sonorae on aeeount of Durango. Bol. Tee. lnst. Nae. Invest. For. its siliea grains; C. alliodora beeause of its Mexieo. No. 43. stareh grains. Bourreria purpusii immediately --- 1976. Caraeteristicas anat6mieas de eineo stands out beeause of its high frequeney of nar• encinos de Mexico. Bol. Tee. lnst. Nae. ln• row vessels and its fibre-traeheids. Cordia vest. For. Mexieo. No. 46. elaeagnoides and C. hin tonii are rather similar Echenique-Manrique, R. 1970. Deseripei6n, ea• but differ in eolour and density. racteristicas y uso de 25 maderas tropieales mexieanas. Cim. Nal. de h lnd. de la Con• Aeknowledgements strucei6n. Mexico, 237 p. The author is very grateful to M. C. Perez Flores, R.L.J. 1968. Anatomia de la madera de limenez L. A. for his help in the eolleeting of tres espe eies tropieales mexieanas. Bol. sampies. I am also grateful to M. C. Genoveva Tee. lnst. Nae. lnvest. For. Mexieo. No. Garcfa and Dr. Femando Chiang who helped 24. me in the translation of this paper. Gottwald, H. 1980. 'Louro preto' - Found to be the first silica-bearing Cordia (Cordia glabrata, Boraginaeeae). IA WA Bull. n.s. References I: 55-58. Barajas, M.J. 1980. Anatom fa de Maderas de Guridi, G.L. 1975. Cineo espeeies de maderas Mexieo. No. 3: 10 sp dei Bosque eadueifo• tropieales de importancia eeon6miea. Bos• lio de las eereanias de Xalapa, Veraeruz, ques y Fauna 1 I (5): 26-40. Mexieo. Biotica 5: 23 -40. Huerta, C.l. 1963. Anatomfa de la madera de ----- & R. Echenique-Manrique. 1976. Anato• 12 espeeies de eoniferas mexicanas. Bol. m ia de Maderas de Mexico. No. I: 12 es• Tee. lnst. Nac. lnvest. For. Mexico. No. 8. peeies de laliseo y Veraeruz. Biotica I: --- & M.J. Becerra. 1976. Anatomia macro• 29-70. se6piea y algunas earaeteristicas ffsieas de

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dieeisiete maderas tropicales mexieanas. Noteworthy speeies from tropieal Ameri• Bol. Tee. Inst. Nae. Invest. For. Mexieo. ca. B. Cordia sect. Gerascanthus in Mexico No. 46. and Central America. J. Arnold Arbor. IAWA. 1937. Standard tenns ofsizelengthsof 31: 172-187. vessel members and wood fibres. Trop. Kukachka, B.F. 1977. Sectioning refractory Woods 51 : 21. woods for anatomical studies. USDA FPL- IAW A. 1939. Standard terms of size for vessel 0236. diameter and ray width. Trop. Woods 59: Miller, R.B. 1977. Vestured pits in Boragina• 51-52. ceae. IAWA Bull. 1977/3: 43-48. IAWA. 1957. Multilingual glossary of terms Nowicke, J.W. & J.E. Ridgway. 1973. Pollen used in wood anatomy. Trop. Woods 107: studies in the genus Cordia (Boraginaeeae). 1-36. Amer. J. Bot. 60: 584-591. Johnston, I.M. 1930. Studies in the Boragina• Rebollar, D.C. 1977. La madera de Ainus firmi• eeae VII I. Observations on the speeies of folia y sus usos. Cieneia Forestal 2 (8): Cordia and Tournefortia known from Bra• 51-63. sil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. Romero, A.C., et al. 1978. Caracteristieas ana• Contrib. Gray Herb. Harvard Univ. 92: 5- t6mieas y fisieomecanieas de oeho espe• 65. eies de eoniferas de Baja California Norte. ---- 1940. Studies in the Boraginaeeae XV. Bol. Tec. Inst. Nac. Invest. For. Mexico. Notes on some Mexiean and Central Amer• No. 57. iean species of Cordia. J. Arnold Arbor. Stern, W.L. 1978. Index Xylariorum. Institu• 21: 336-355. tional Wood Collections of the World. 2. ---- 1950. Studies in the Boraginaceae XIX. A. Taxon 27: 233-269.

REVIEWS

Dipterocarps 1 & 2. Covering Literature ab• Fichas de Caracteristicas das Madeiras Brasilei• stracted from 1939 to 1972 (part I) and from ras. Calvino Mainierit (Ed.), xv pp. + 120 illus• 1973 to 1979 (part 2). Compiled by Everild trated brochures of 4 pp. each. Instituto de Haynes, 124 pp. eaeh. 1980. Annotated Biblio• Pesquisas Tecnologicas do Estado de Sao Paulo graphy No F 18 (1 & 2). Commonwealth Agri• S/A-IPT, Pub!. 966 Brazil. 1978. Price Cr$ cultural Bureaux. Price in U.K. t 11.00 (part 4.000 (c. US$ 70) or available on exchange I) and :L 8.80 (part 2). Overseas plus 10% (USA basis. and Canada), 20% (Australasia) or 15% (other This volume compiled by the late Dr. C. Mai• areas) for postage (paper). nieri brings together 120 brochures on Brazilian These annotated bibliographies bring together timbers published before separately between abstracts published previously in Forestry Ab• 1971 and 1976. For eaeh timber species data stracts (Part I) and/or present in the CAB data• are given on occurrence, general and anatomi• base (Part 2). All wood scientists with an inter• cal characters, durability, preselVative treat• est in this important timber producing family ments, cellulose and lignin contents, volatile will welcome these publieations which contain substances, tannins, and uses. For each wood numerous abstracts of literature on wood struc• there is also aseparate table with physical and ture and identification, as weil as on a number of mechanical properties (data usually based on related subjeets of interest in forestry and tim• one tree only). There are high quality miero• ber utilization. There are great differences in graphs of transverse and tangential sections (at emphasis and lay-out of parts 1 and 2. Thesere• x 50) which illustrate the fairly detailed wood fleet, according to the introduction, 'different anatomical descriptions. This publication can retrieval methods and an increased emphasis on be considered an important source of informa• forest products in our journals'. It is a pity that tion on a fairly great number of species from a the increase in references on timber products has major timber producing country. gone hand in hand with a retrieval and printing method producing a messy and hardly legible Pieter Baas part 2. Pieter Baas

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