THAI FOR. BULL. (BOT.) 43: 87–103. 2015. Wood anatomical survey and wood specifi c gravity of 13 species of Aglaia (Meliaceae) from Thailand SUTTHIRATANA KHAOPAKRO1,2*, SRUNYA VAJRODAYA3, SOMKID SIRIPATANADILOK4 & PRASART KERMANEE3 ABSTRACT. The wood anatomical features of 13 species of Aglaia from Thailand were studied and described to aid microscopic wood identifi cation. Diagnostic features include the width of multiseriate rays, crystals, the type of paratracheal parenchyma and ray cell composition. Wood specifi c gravity was studied in relationship with the wood anatomy. Our results showed a high negative correlation between wood specifi c gravity and fi bre lumen diameter, but no signifi cant relationships between wood specifi c gravity and features of rays and axial parenchyma. KEY WORDS: Aglaia, anatomy, Meliaceae, wood, wood specifi c gravity. INTRODUCTION is often used as a mahogany substitute (Lemmens et al., 1995; Mabberley et al., 1995; White & Aglaia Lour. is the largest genus in the family Gasson, 2008). Meliaceae and consists of about 120 species (Muellner et al., 2008). In Thailand, it is represented Several authors have described the wood anat- by 32 species (Wongprasert et al., 2011). Aglaia omy of many genera of Meliaceae. Their results constitutes a medium-sized woody genus, distributed showed great differences in wood structures within mainly in the tropical forests of the Indo-malesian these genera (Kribs, 1930; Panshin, 1933; Metcalfe region (Pannell, 1992; Muellner et al., 2005). & Chalk, 1950; Desch, 1954; Ghosh et al., 1963; Pennington & Styles, 1975; Wong, 1975; Datta & Aglaia has received increasing scientifi c Samanta, 1983; Lemmens et al.,1995; Negi et al., attention because of its bioactive potential. A group 2003). The web-database InsideWood (2004 onwards; of cyclopenta[b]benzofurans from Aglaia were see also Wheeler, 2011) has summarized compre- shown to have potential as anticancer drugs and as hensive wood anatomical information on numerous insecticides (Ishibashi et al., 1993; Janprasert et al., Aglaia species. Moll & Janssonius (1908) showed 1993; Satasook et al., 1994; Nugroho et al., 1997a, that variation within species often exceeds that b; Brader et al., 1998; Bacher et al., 1999; Nugroho between species, especially in Aglaia. In 2008, White et al., 1999; Dreyer et al., 2001; Greger et al., & Gasson (2008) provided detailed descriptions of 2001; Kim et al., 2006) as well as cytotoxic (King 18 genera of mahogany timbers in the family et al., 1982; Cui et al., 1997; Wu et al., 1997) and Meliaceae. In Thailand, Chunwarin and Sriaran antifungal compounds (Engelmeier et al., 2000). (1973) presented the details of the wood anatomy The timber of Aglaia is used for construction work, of 11 species of Meliaceae. Saentrong (1990) furniture and fl ooring; especially A. argentea Blume 1 Bioscience Program, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand . 2 Narathiwat Agricultural & Technology College, Princess of Naradhiwas University, 102 Moo 5 Tambon Tanyong Limor, Ra-ngae, Narathiwat 96130, Thailand. 3 Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand. 4 Department of Forest Biology, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand. * Email: [email protected] SW 8736-p087-103-G8.indd 87 12/1/58 BE 10:00 PM 88 THAI FOREST BULLETIN (BOTANY) 43 described the anatomical characters of roots, stems, Samples were softened in boiling water for 1 h, leaves, fl owers, fruit, and seeds of Melia azedarach L. then sectioned with a sliding microtome at 10–20 and M. dubia Cav. However, the wood anatomical μm thickness along the transverse, tangential, and data of Aglaia are mostly confi ned to a few species, radial plains. Samples were stained with safranin and usually scattered over limited papers and some (safranin 2%, water soluble) and dehydrated using books or atlases on wood anatomy for restricted an ethanol dehydration series through absolute geographical regions. ethanol, transferred to xylene and embeddedd in Physical properties are the quantitative char- Permount (Biomeda, Burlingame, California, USA). acteristics of wood and their behaviour to external To determine the fi bre size and length, the wood infl uences other than applied forces such as directional tissues were macerated using Franklin’s technique properties, moisture content, dimensional stability, (Franklin, 1937). All the microscopic slides were thermal and pyrolytic (fi re) properties, density and stored at the herbarium of Science and Technology electrical comical and decay resistance. Included Department, Princess of Naradhiwas University here is specifi c gravity. Familiarity with the physical (STPNU). Sections were observed using light properties of wood is important to know the per- microscope and compound microscope (Zeiss formance and strength of wood used in structural Axios and Zeiss Axios digital camera eyepiece, applications. Specifi c gravity provides a relative Leica DMRBE Microscope and Leica DFC 420C measure of the amount of wood substance contained digital camera). The terminology, defi nition, and in a unit volume of wood. It is calculated by dividing measurements of quantitative features mainly follow the ovendry weight by the green volume measured the IAWA standard list (IAWA Committee, 1989). by water displacement. The generated data were exported to a Microsoft This paper focuses on the anatomy of the sec- Excel spreadsheet. The basic standard statistics ondary xylem and some properties of Aglaia from were evaluated including the average and standard Thailand. All detailed wood anatomical accounts deviation, the range and number of observations in the literature have been summarized, using for specifi c gravity and anatomical characters. The IAWA Hardwood List codes (IAWA Committee, values reported are averages. In this study the 1989) in the webdatabase InsideWood (2004 and diversity in various wood anatomical characters onwards; Wheeler, 2011). were analysed in order to search for any relation between wood anatomical characters and wood specifi c gravity. The wood anatomical characters MATERIALS AND METHODS analysed were wood specifi c gravity, vessel grouping The wood anatomy of 13 species of Aglaia index, solitary vessel index, vessel density, fraction was investigated. Nine species of Aglaia were col- of vessel area per total area, vessel diameter, vessel lected in natural sites from Nakhon Ratchasima, element length, hydraulic diameter, intervessel pit Narathiwat, Phangnga and Trat provinces, Thailand, diameter, fi bre diameter, fi bre lumen diameter, by the fi rst author and anatomical vouchers are fi bre length, fi bre wall thickness, the ratio of fi bre housed in the herbarium of Science and Technology lumen diameter to fi bre wall thickness, ray frequency, Department, Princess of Naradhiwas University fraction of ray area per total area, uniserate ray (STPNU). Usually stem disks, over 5 cm in diameter, width, multiseriate ray width, uniserate ray height were collected from felled trees. In some cases and multiseriate ray height. Pearson’s correlation where trees had to be conserved thick branches analyses were used to explore relationships between (diameter 4.5–6.5 cm) were sampled. In addition, wood anatomical variables and wood specifi c four species were represented by samples from the gravity. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used xylarium of the Offi ce of Forest Management and to calculate the signifi cance levels of the correlations Forest Production Research, Bangkok, Thailand between wood anatomical characters and wood (FMFPR) (Table 1). specifi c gravity. All samples were stored in the laboratory in air-dried condition until wood density determination. SW 8736-p087-103-G8.indd 88 12/1/58 BE 10:00 PM SW 8736-p087-103-G8.indd 89 Table 1. Samples of Aglaia, location and diameter of sampes at each site in Thailand. W OOD ANATOMICAL SURVEY AND WOOD SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF GRAVITY SPECIFIC WOOD AND SURVEY ANATOMICAL OOD Scientifi c name Sample Latitude Longitude Diameter Province Origin Collector (number of specimen studied) no. WGS84 WGS84 (cm) A. crassinervia Kurz ex Hiern (1) Phangnga STPNU 063 S. Khaopakro 98.470583 8.994028 7.2 ( S. KHAOPAKRO, S. VAJRODAYA, S. SIRIPATANADILOK & P. KERMANEE P. & SIRIPATANADILOK S. VAJRODAYA, S. KHAOPAKRO, S. A. cucullata (Roxb.) Pellegr. (1) Xylarium FMFPR 3370 Unknown - - - A. elaeagnoidea Benth. (1) Trat STPNU 024 S. Khaopakro 102.675222 12.399167 19.0 A. elliptica Blume (1) Narathiwat STPNU 015 S. Khaopakro 101.628361 6.615139 4.5 A. forbesii King (1) Narathiwat STPNU 013 S. Khaopakro 101.628361 6.615139 5.0 A. grandis Korth. (1) Trat STPNU 022 S. Khaopakro 102.669167 12.389889 15.0 A. lawii (Wight) C.J.Saldanha Xylarium FMFPR 3287 Unknown - - - A. leptantha Miq. (1) Trat STPNU 021 S. Khaopakro 102.669083 12.389833 29.7 13 SPECIES OF AGLAIA AGLAIA OF SPECIES A. oligophylla Miq. (1) Nakhon Ratchasima STPNU 036 S. Khaopakro 101.845278 14.4425 13.7 A. silvestris (M.Roem.) Merr. (1) Xylarium FMFPR 3308 Unknown - - - A. spectabilis (Miq.) S.S.Jain & Trat STPNU 023 S. Khaopakro 102.669167 12.389889 32.5 Bennet (1) ( MELIACEAE A. spectabilis (Miq.) S.S.Jain & Nakhon Ratchasima STPNU 032 S. Khaopakro 101.845278 14.4425 30.0 Bennet (1) ) ) A. tenuicaulis Hiern(1) Narathiwat STPNU 016 S. Khaopakro 101.837194 5.794167 5.0 THAILAND FROM A. tomentosa Teijsm. & Binn. (1) Xylarium FMFPR 1402 Unknown - - - Note: Origin: STPNU = herbarium of Science and Technology Department, Princess of Naradhiwas 12/1/58 BE10:00 PM University