Tetramerista glabra Miq. (Punah)
Nomenclature etc. TETRAMERISTACEAE. Trade and local names: punah (MAL), entuyut (MAL-Sar), tuyut (MAL-Sab); punak (RI).
Tree. Geographic distribution: Indomalesia.
General. Heartwood basically brown yellow to white or grey. Sapwood colour not always distinct from heartwood colour. Basic specific gravity 0.56–0.72 g/cm³.
Vessels. Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly short (2–3 vessels) radial rows to radial rows of 4 or more. Average tangential vessel diameter 150–250 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 6–10. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 2–4 µm. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits, located throughout the ray. Other deposits in heartwood vessels present (yellowish brown).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma apotracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse. Paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty to vasicentric. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per axial parenchyma strand 4–8.
Rays. Rays 8–12 per tangential mm, multiseriate, also if only few, 1–4 cells wide. Rays of two distinct sizes. Height of large rays commonly over 1000 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types. Heterocellular rays square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows. Number of marginal rows of upright or square cells more than 4.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, raphides, located in ray cells. Crystal-containing ray cells procumbent. Crystal containing cells somewhat enlarged (idioblasts). Silica not observed.
Miscellaneous. • Tangential section. Tetramerista glabra. (Inset: minute intervessel pits). • Radial section. Tetramerista glabra. (Inset: raphide bundle in ray cell).
Cite this publication as: H. G. Richter and M. J. Dallwitz (2000 onwards). 'Commercial timbers: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval.' In English, French, German, and Spanish. Version: 4th May 2000. http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/.
Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993 onwards, 1995 onwards, 1998) should also be cited (see General references).
