THE TIMBERS OF COMMERCE 



Bark. Rugged, brown, from -1 inch thick, corky : the inner 

 layer forming an apparent transition from the woody tissue to 

 the cork. The rays are easily traceable in the Radial as well as 

 in the Transverse section. 



Uses, etc. " A tree more ornamental 'than useful" (17). 

 Height 24-40 feet : diameter I foot " (15). Very suitable for 

 cabinet-making on account of the beauty of its figure. 



Authorities. Ednie Brown (17). Boulger (15). 



Colour. Reddish-brown heart -wood fading gradually into the 

 whitish-brown sap-wood which is about 2^ inches wide. 



Anatomical Characters. Transverse section : 



Pores. Need lens, size 5, uniform : regularly distributed in 

 concave loops (dentate) between the larger rays : pore-ring of 

 one or two rows, closely arranged and compressed one against the 

 other : no pores in the later wood : each loop a continuous 

 cluster : few, about 60 per sq. mm. accompanied by a loop of 

 soft-tissue, together appearing unusually conspicuous, the pores 

 themselves as perforations only : often some white deposit. 



Rays. Of two kinds. Conspicuous. The larger size o, com- 

 pounded of as many as 16 rows of cells : almost equidistant : 

 nearly i mm. apart : slightly undulating : not nodose : very lax 

 and of large rectangular cells coarser than the ground-tissue : 

 tapering both ends without fringeing out. Smaller rays extremely 

 fine, thinner by far than the single cell-rows of the larger, size 

 5-6, weak : hoary. The larger rays the colour of the wood but 

 brighter. 



Rings. Clear : unusually prominent on account of their 

 colour. Boundary the pore-ring and its soft-tissue, which is as 

 light-coloured as the rays : contour obscurely dentate and un- 

 dulating. The colour is much aided by the white deposit in the 

 pores. 



Soft-tissue. Abundant, conspicuous in concentric lines follow- 

 ing the pore-rings : actually a series of excessively fine, con- 

 centric lines of whitish cells. 



Radial Section. Darker than the Transverse section : pores 

 just visible, whitish, undulating, lines shining or filled with brown 

 resin. Rays rather broad, conspicuous, soft-looking, red flakes, 

 lustrous in certain lights. Rings indicated by the pore-lines 

 and a line of soft-tissue. 



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

 prominent spindles divided or interrupted, as it were, by the 

 extremely irregular net-work of the ground-tissue : often dis- 

 torted as though pushed aside. 



Type specimen authenticated by the Forest Officer to the 

 Government of Western Australia. 



1 88 



