The Timbers of British Guiana. 



, Sometimes defined; boundary a band of one row of 

 -small Pores or large cells loosely collected at wide intervals; not 

 always present; contour, well rounded. 



Soft Tissue of definite arrangement; type of Quassia (cf. 27a, 

 PL II., fig. 18); abundant, in the form of concentric fragments, 

 winging and often linking the Pores ; white ; rather wider than the 

 Rays; as dense as the ground and imperceptible in a transparent 

 section, though visible with care in the solid; absent throughout 

 large areas. 



Radial Section. Lighter in shade than the other sections. The 

 Pores are prominent, brownish, rather coarse and dull lines. The 

 Rays are very fine, inconspicuous, narrow, shining flakes, yet readily 

 visible. Neither the Rings nor the Soft Tissue are indicated. 



Tangential Section as the Radial, but the Rays are only just 

 visible, being minute lines about '5 m/m. high, very narrow even 

 for their size. 



Type Specimens. Authenticated by Bell, No. 80/2736. Imp. 

 Inst., No. 0296. 



81. HYMENCEA, SP. 

 Hat. Ord., LEGUMINOS^E. Perhaps HYMEN^EA COURBARIL. LINN. 



As the wood is persistently reported to be from this tree, 

 we have thought well to give the alternative names, etc. 

 Synonyms, H. AMINIFERA. STOKES. H. RESINIFERA. SALISB. The 

 generic names Courbari and Courbaril are synonymous with 



Hymensea. 



Alternative Names. ''Courbaril, Locust, Jetahy, Jetahy accu 

 or assu, in the N. and Amaz. Prov., Brazil" (21). " Simiri and 

 Kwannarri (representing two different qualities), in British 

 <Guiana" (22); "Locust Gum" (4a) ; " Pois confiture, Gomme 

 ^nimee, Jatoba, in Barbadoes and Jatai in Brazil" (26); 

 " Leathery-leaved Locust tree, West Indian Locust tree in the W. 

 Indies, Quapinole " (28); " Locustrier, Algarroba, in R. de 

 Janeiro" (7); " Bois Surin Teck in Dutch Guiana" (30)'; 

 "Chimidida, in Fr. Guiana" (1); " Zapateri " (21). 



Sal i mi Features. A dark brown to orange-red wood, often 

 streaky ; apparently fine and close-grained on account of the 

 scarcity of the Pores; rather heavy and hard. 



I'tiiiaii-fil Characters. Weight (so far recorded), 33J-57J Ibs. 

 per cubic ft. (The lower figure is from an unsound sample). Smell 

 0. Taste faintly sweetish. Hardness, Grade 3, very hard; com- 

 pare Blackthorn. Surface dull: darkens on exposure to the air. 

 Sapwoocl yellow or dirty-white, fairly well defined from the Heart- 

 wood ; width 3-4 ins. 



Earl-. About \ in. thick ; dark brown with shallow fissures ; as 

 liard as the wood. Of three layers, the inner showing the continu- 

 ations of the Rays; tho middle white, thin, sharply contrasting; 



