THE TIMBERS OF COMMERCE 



No. 62. ANGICO. Piptadenia rigida. Bth. 

 Plate V. Fig. 39. 



Natural Order. Leguminoseae. 



Synonym. Acacia Angico. Mart. 



Alternative Names. Queen-wood. Angica do Sertao : Angica 

 vermelho : Zergipe (?) in the Prov. Rio de Janeiro (76). Cangica 

 erroneously in Holtzapffel (48), under " Snake-wood." 



Source of Supply. Brazil. 



Physical Characters, etc. Recorded dry-weight 71^ lbs. per 

 cu. ft. Hardness Grade 2, compare Boxwood. Smell none. 

 Taste slightly astringent. Burns well and quietly without smell, 

 embers glow in still air. Solution with water rich red to brown : 

 afterwards with alcohol none. 



Grain. Fine : open or close : dense, smooth. Surface scarcely 

 lustrous : the pores have a pitchy lustre. 



Bark. ? 



Uses, etc. Turnery, cabinet-making, and ornamental work. 



Authorities. Holtzapffel (48), p. 106. Nordlinger (86), vol. ix. 

 p. 23. Miers (76). 



This wood may be met with in the form of trimmed logs from 

 6 to 10 inches in diameter (48). It can easily be confused with 

 certain kinds of Rosewood and with Sabicu. 



Colour. Reddish-brown or dark-brown striated with black : 

 sap-wood (?). 



Anatomical Characters. Transverse section : — 



Pores. Readily visible in the light zones from their colour ; 

 coarse, size 2, little variation except in the groups ; collected 

 rather more in some zones, otherwise uniformly scattered ; 

 groups radially -disposed, subdivided, from 2-6, mostly single 

 though many pairs ; usually with dark contents : rather numerous 

 15 to 75 per mm. 



Rays. On the limit of vision size 5 or 5-6, uniform : equi- 

 distant, a pore-width or less apart, thin, avoiding the pores 5^7 

 per mm. : tapering both ends : lighter than the ground-tissue. 



Rings. Not indicated by any clear boundary : pores rather 

 fewer in some zones than in others, the colour zones of brown 

 and black are prominent. 



Soft-tissue. In prominent, golden borders, imperfectly sur- 

 rounding the pores : (appear perfect in the solid), clearer in dark 

 specimens by reflected but not by transmitted light. 



Pith. ? 



Radial Section. Pores fine, black, but readily visible lines with 

 shining linings and sometimes yellow or black contents. Rays 

 inconspicuous flakes visible by contrast of lustre not of colour. 

 Rings, doubtful, but the colour zones are very striking. 



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