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Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-FABOIDEAE. Leptolobium panamense (Benth.) Sch. Rodr. & A.M.G. Azevedo (syn. Acosmium panamense (Benth.) Yakovlev, Sweetia panamense Benth.); L. nitens Vogel (syn. Acosmium nitens (Vogel) Yakovlev, Sweetia nitens (Vogel) Benth.); L. dasycarpum Vogel (syn. Acosmium dasycarpum (Vogel) Yakovlev, Sweetia dasycarpa (Vogel) Benth.); Acosmium subelegans (Mohlenbr.) Yakovlev (syn. Sweetia subelegans Mohlenbr.). Trade and local names: Leptolobium panamense: Cencerro, guayacán, huesito (MX); cocobolo, malvecino (PA); vera de água (VE); congrio (VE, CO); carboncillo (CR); billy webb (BZ); chichipate (HO, SV). Leptolobium nitens: lapachín (BO); water groenhout, watra grin (SR); itaúbarana (BR), kamarakata (GY). Acosmium subelegans: lapachillo (AR). Leptolobium dasycarpum: perobinha (BR).
Description based on 10 specimens. Tree. Geographic distribution: Mexico and Central America, Caribbean, tropical South America.
General. Heartwood basically brown; with streaks or without streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent.
Vessels. Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows or in radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 80–130–160 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² (11–)13–16(–28). Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 6–7(–8) µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Tyloses absent. Other deposits present.
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded or not banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Axial parenchyma paratracheal. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, or aliform, or confluent, or unilateral. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 2–4.
Rays. Rays multiseriate, 2–3(–4) cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types (heterocellular). Heterocellular rays with square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows, mostly 1 marginal row of upright or square cells. Tile cells absent.
Storied structures. Storied structure present, all rays storied, axial parenchyma storied, vessel elements storied, fibres not storied. Number of ray tiers per axial millimetre 4.
Secretory structures. Oil and mucilage cells absent. Intercellular canals absent.
Cambial variants. Included phloem absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in ray cells and axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing ray cells upright and/or square, upright and/or square ray cells chambered. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract not fluorescent; colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract fluorescent (light blue). Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown. Splinter burns to full ash, or to partial ash. Ash white to grey.
Illustrations. • Macroscopic images. tangential (natural size). transverse (ca. 10x). • Transverse section. • Tangential section. • Radial section. • Crystals in rays. prismatic crystals in septate, marginal ray cells (under polarized light).
The interactive key allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting specified attributes, summaries of attributes within groups of taxa, and geographical distribution.
Cite this publication as: ‘Richter, H.G., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2000 onwards. Commercial timbers: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. In English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Version: 9th April 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
