Description of the Woods in the Collection. 65- 



Salient Features. A hard, heavy wood of an uniform nut- 

 brown colour; fine-grained and solid. 



Physical Characters. Weight (so far recorded), 61J Ibs. per 

 cubic ft. Hardness, Grade 3, very hard. Smell 0. Taste little 

 if any. Heartwood darkens but little upon exposure to the air, 

 not defined from the Sapwood. Surface clean. (?) a Sapwood tree. 



Bark. H-TF in. thick, smooth like that of Sycamore; hard and 

 woody, brown within. Of two layers, the inner fibrous and 

 bristly; the outer and thicker of the two is harder. Surface of 

 log beneath Bark, finely striated. 



Uses, Qualities, etc. " Should make excellent scantlings as it 

 is a lasting wood, and insects do not attack it. Is readily procur- 

 able in logs up to 40 ft. in length, squaring 9-12 ins. " (2). Very 

 hard to saw. Fissile, takes nails badly; planes and turns very badly, 

 though moderately easily; polishes indifferently. Of no value for 

 export as a furniture wood, but as it is hard and said to be durable, 

 it may be useful as a paving wood. Specimen, however, was 

 unsound. 



Authorities. 2. Bell, p. 8. 12. Hawtayne, p. 387. 



ANATOMICAL CHARACTERS. 



Superficially the same as those of Wamara, No. 92. 



Transverse Section. A trifle darker than the other sections. 



Pores. Generally visible with the naked eye from their light 

 colour; not diminishing towards the close of the season's growth, 

 little variation, nearly (if not quite) all single ; evenly distributed ;. 

 few, and widely scattered. 



Rays. Just visible to the naked eye to good sight, very fine; 

 uniform; regular, very close, much less than the width of a Pore 

 apart. With the lines of Soft Tissue they form a fairly regular 

 network. 



Rings. Apparently defined; boundary a zone of less dense- 

 wood here and there; uncertain and often difficult to locate; 

 contour nearly regular; number per inch of radius in my specimens, 

 11 on an average. 



Soft Tissue of definite arrangement; type of Lecythis, No. 45, 

 i.e., a great number of fine lines crossing the Rays, with which 

 they make a fine net-work, as they are about the same colour, width 

 and distance apart. 



Radial Section. The Pores are fine, open grooves; not 

 numerous. The Rays are small but readily visible, lighter-coloured 

 flakes. The Rings are not indicated. The Soft Tissue is visible- 

 with the lens, and appears as fine parallel lines. 



Tangential Section as the Radial, but lacking the silver-grain 

 and the fine lines of Soft Tissue; the Rays need the lens being 

 minute . 



Type Specimens. Authenticated by Bell, No. 64/2720. 

 DaGama mentions a wood under the name of " Marsiballi," Tecoma. 

 leucoxylon. Mart. 



