THE TIMBERS OF COMMERCE 



100-150 per sq. mm. : the large ones predominating : arranged 

 in loose, radial lines, often nested in groups of as many as 14. 



Rays. Just visible ? fine : uniform in size : tapering extremely 

 gradually : many, 7-12 per mm. : colourless : slightly denser than 

 the ground tissue : direct in their course : more than a pore- 

 width apart yet avoiding the pores. 



Rings. Clear on account of a very fine boundary line of 

 Autumn wood only. Contour round or gently undulating : a 

 slight difference in shade between the Spring and Autumn wood. 



The Ground-tissue is all more or less wide meshed. 



Pith, 2 to 4 mm. thick, rounded, white. 



Radial Section. The pores need the lens and are fine, shining, 

 colourless lines. The rays are just visible in a certain light as 

 extremely narrow lines or flakes. The rings are visible as fine 

 colourless lines. 



Tangential Section. The rays are extremely fine, colourless 

 lines about 5 mm. high, otherwise as the Radial section. 



No. 2. LANCEWOOD. Duguetia quitarensis. Benth. 



PLATE I. FIG. 2. 



Natural Order. Anonaceae. 



Synonyms. Guatteria quitarensis. G. virgata. Dunal. Ox- 

 andra virgata. Rich. Uvaria lanceolata ? (see Royle in 48). 



Alternative Names. Jamaica and Cuba Lancewood. Beriba 

 in Guiana (76). Yaya in Honduras (12). Yariyari (131). 



Source of Supply. The West Indies. 



Physical Characters, etc. Weight 52-63 Ib. per cu. ft. Hard- 

 ness Grade 2, compare Boxwood. Smell none, taste faintly 

 astringent. Burns well with a lively spluttering flame, embers 

 glow in still air, the heat expels a red gum or resin. Solution 

 with water, alcohol, or potash, colourless. 



Grain. Very fine and dense. Surface lustrous, the rays and 

 pores dull, but not sufficiently prominent to affect the lustre of 

 the ground tissue. Cold to the touch. 



Bar k. (Jamaica variety.) \ inch, thick, smooth with coarse 

 wrinkles, scarious : rays continued into the bark in the form of 

 a blunt, converging pencil of about 100 rays each. (Cuba 

 variety.) \ inch thick, smooth with narrow shallow wrinkles, rays 

 as above in pencils of about 12 rays each. 



Uses, etc. Lances, shafts, spars, fishing-rods, ramrods, 

 general turnery, etc., etc. Tough, strong, and elastic. Seldom 

 of any considerable size. Imported into England in the form of 

 small logs or spars. Often confused with Degame wood. No. 125. 



Authorities. Holtzapfel (48), p. 89. Boulger (12), p. 437. 

 Wiesner (131), L. 6, p. 72. J. Leman (64). 



