THE TIMBERS OF COMMERCE 



Soft-tissue. Very abundant and though fine, the most con- 

 spicuous feature : in thin, weak, hoary, concentric or anasto- 

 mosing, thread-like lines, gently undulating : size about 3-5 

 (ray-scale) and about 5-8 per mm. but absent at intervals : 

 fluctuating in width, widening at, but seldom completely sur- 

 rounding the pores. 



Pith. ? 



Radial Section. Pores readily visible, but dark, inconspicuous 

 lines usually completely filled with black contents. Rays minute, 

 darker, shining flakes when cleft, lighter when planed. Soft- 

 tissue needs lens : close fine lines (like " machine-ruling") and also 

 as more prominent borders to the pores. 



Tangential Section. As the Radial, but the rays are minute, 

 inconspicuous lines about O'l mm. high and the soft-tissue is 

 scarcely traceable except alongside the pores. 



Type specimens from commercial sources. Not authenticated. 

 They agree sufficiently closely with the specimens of Andirain 

 the Museum No. I, Kew, to justify the assumption that they all 

 belong to the same genus, but the whole of the species examined 

 differ entirely from a specimen sent me from Jamaica by Messrs. 

 Elder Dempster and Co. under the name of Andira inermis. 

 See No. 80. 



I incline to the view that this wood is Andira excelsa. H. B. 

 and K. syn., Vouacapoua americana . Aubl., Geffroya racemosa. 

 Poir., or Andira racemosa. Lam., called Vouacapoua, or Angelin 

 in Guiana. 



Miers, whose descriptions are excellent, has unfortunately 

 mixed up the Systematic names in inextricable confusion. The 

 description which tallies perfectly with the present species is 

 referred to both A. Aubletti and to A. racemosa, besides which he 

 gives cross references which leave one in doubt whether he means 

 either of the two foregoing or A. amazonum, A. stipulacea, or 

 A. retusa, all five being good species according to the Index 

 Kewensis. We find the following : 



Under A. amazonum : ' ' Angelim de Para and Andara-Uichi 

 probably that known in England as Partridge-wood." 



Under A. racemosa "ibairiba. Tiss., A. stipulacea. Benth., 

 Andaia-uichi (See Uichi)." 



Under A. racemosa. Lam. : " Uichi : Uici : Andaia Uichi (See 

 Angelim de Para)." 



Under Uichi : " ULxi. (see Andaia de Para)," which latter he 

 refers to A. retusa. H. B. and K. ) 



The description which he gives under the head of " Acapu- 

 rajada from Para " is the one which is much the nearest to the 

 commercial Partridge-wood. 



As it is quite possible that the proper name may be A. Aubletti, 



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