THE TIMBERS OF COMMERCE 



Synonyms. A. heterophylla, fLam. A. Jaca, Lam. A. 

 maxima, Blanco. A. pubescens, Willd. 



Sources of Supply. Throughout India, Ceylon : Malay Archi- 

 pelago, West Indies, Brazil, Barbadoes. 



Physical Characters, etc. Recorded dry- weight 35-44J lbs. per 

 cu. ft. Hardness Grade 6, compare Beech. Smell and taste 

 none. Burns fairly well, embers glow in still air. Solution with 

 water faint brown : with alcohol olive-brown, rather darker. 



Grain. Very coarse but close : irregular, being soft and hard 

 by turns. Surface, lustrous bands alternating with dull ones : 

 the ground-tissue of an almost metallic lustre. 



Bark. " Thick, blackish, deeply fissured " (37). 



Uses, etc. " Carpentry, boxes and furniture in India : cabinet- 

 making, and brush-backs in Europe : marquetry" (37). " Soft, 

 brittle, and of no use for building " (64) in the West Indies. 

 May be met with in logs from 3-5 ft. diameter and also in planks 

 of similar width. Furnishes a yellow dye (12). 



Authorities. Gamble (37), p. 329. Holtzapffel (48), p. 88. 

 Boulger (12). Schomburgk (105). Van Eeden (123). J. 

 Leman (64). Wiesner (131), L. 6, p. 68. Watt (127), vol. i. 

 p. 332. Miers (76). 



Colour. Yellow or rich yellowish-brown heart-wood. Dar- 

 kens on exposure (37). Sap-wood ?. 



Anatomical Characters. Transverse section : — 



Pores. Conspicuous, size 1-2, little variation : uniformly dis- 

 tributed : few, 3-8 per sq. mm. : mostly single or in pairs, rarely 

 more in a group : very slightly oval : appear white in the solid, 

 being often filled with a white deposit. 



Rays. Very distinct, size 4-5, uniform : nearly equidistant, 

 the width of a large pore apart : straight, scarcely avoiding the 

 pores: many, 4-7 per mm. : slightly denser and very much lighter 

 than the ground-tissue. 



Rings. Doubtful. No traceable boundary. 



Soft-tissue. Rather abundant in prominent patches of irregu- 

 lar shape near the pores, and also in scattered threads of cells 

 partly imbedding the pores and extending to short rings : very 

 coarse-celled. 



Pith.? 



Radial Section. Of a metallic lustre. Pores conspicuous from 

 their white contents, which give the wood a hoary appearance : 

 chambers shorter than the width of the groove. Rays, very 

 clear from their whitish colour, resembling that of the contents 

 of the pores. Rings not traceable. 



Tangential Section. As the radial, but the rays need lens and 

 appear as clear, white, blunt lines about 0-5 high. 



Type specimens authenticated by the Forest Officer to the 



206 



