WOOD ANATOMY
OF THE
NEOTROPICAL SAPOTACEAE
XXII. PRADOSIA
RESEARCH PAPER FPL 373
FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY
FOREST SERVICE
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
MADISON, WIS.
1981
Abstract
As constituted here, the genus Pradosia consists of a group of closely related
species including the species attributed to Glycoxylon and Neopometia. The
members of Pradosia are readily separable anatomically from other American
Sapotaceae by the presence of silica in the wood rays and of microcrystals
(crystal sand) in the axial parenchyma. Although Podoluma does share these
features with Pradosia, it has much larger pores arranged in a clusteredechelon arrangement.
Preface
The Sapotaceae form an important part of the ecosystem in the neotropics; for
example, limited inventories made in the Amazon Basin indicate that this
family makes up about 25 percent of the standing timber volume there. This
would represent an astronomical volume of timber, but at present only a very
small fraction is being utilized. Obviously, better information would
help utilization-- especially if that information can result in clear
identification of species.
The Sapotaceae represent a well-marked and natural family, but the homogeneous
nature of their floral characters makes generic identification extremely difficult.
This in turn is responsible for the extensive synonomy. Unfortunately, species
continue to be named on the basis of flowering or fruiting material alone and this
continues to add to the already confused state of affairs.
This paper on Pradosia is the twenty-second in a series describing the anatomy
of the secondary xylem of the neotropical Sapotaceae. The earlier papers, all
by the same author and under the same general heading, include:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
Bumelia--Res. Pap. FPL 325
Mastichodendron--Res. Pap. FPL 326
Dipholis--Res. Pap. FPL 327
Achrouteria--Res. Pap. FPL 328
Calocarpum--Res. Pap. FPL 329
Chloroluma--Res. Pap. FPL 330
Chrysophyllum--Res. Pap. FPL 331
Diploon--Res. Pap. FPL 349
Pseudoxythece--Res. Pap. FPL 350
Micropholis--Res. Pap. FPL 351
Prieurella--Res. Pap. FPL 352
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XX.
XXI.
Neoxythece--Res. Pap. FPL 353
Podoluma--Res. Pap. FPL 354
Elaeoluma--Res. Pap. FPL 358
Sandwithiodoxa--Res. Pap. FPL 359
Paralabatia--Res. Pap. FPL 360
Gambeya--Res. Pap. FPL 361
Gomphiluma--Res. Pap. FPL 362
Chromolucuma--Res. Pap. 363
Manilkara--Res. Pap. 371
Barylucuma--Res. Pap. 372
Publication in this manner will afford interested anatomists and taxonomists
the time to make known their opinions and all such information is hereby
solicited. At the termination of this series the data will be assembled into
a single comprehensive unit.
WOOD ANATOMY OF THE NEOTROPICAL SAPOTACEAE
XXII.
PRADOSIA
By
B. F. Kukachka, Botanist1/
Forest Products Laboratory,2/ Forest Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
----
Introduction
Much has been written regarding the three genera Pradosia Liais 1872, Glycoxylon
Ducke, 1922, and Neopometia (Vell.) Aubr. 1961 by recent students of the family:
3/
Aubrville (1), Baehni (4), Ducke (5), and Eyma (7). Confusion has prevailed since Pradosia was founded, and it appears that the end is not yet in
sight.
Eyma (7) considered all the species attributed to the above genera as belonging to the genus Pouteria. Aubrville (1, 2, 3) recognized the three genera as
distinct, but Baehni (4) recognized Neopometia with two species (lactescens
and ptychandra) and assigned all the other species to the genus Chrysophyllum.
Ducke had originally founded the genus Glycoxylon but later (5) reconsidered
and submerged Glycoxylon in Pradosia together with the two species assigned to
Neopometia by Aubrville and Baehni.
Record (10) briefly described the wood anatomy of Pradosia but did not mention
the occurrence of silica and microcrystals, features which would have easily
separated Pradosia from the other genera he had described. His statement that
the "wood sometimes with rather vague streaks of yellowish to purplish brown"
was not confirmed in this study. The wood samples and slides used by Record
in his study were available to the author. The slides were heavily stained
which would have made detection of silica and microcrystals rather difficult.
Moreover, it is apparent that the sectioning blocks were treated with hydrofluoric acid which effectively removed the silica, particularly at the lower
concentrations, and all evidence of microcrystals.
1/ Pioneer Research Unit, Forest Products Laboratory.
2/ Maintained at Madison, Wis., in cooperation with the University of
Wisconsin.
3/ Underlined numbers in parentheses refer to literature cited at the
end of this report.
The name Pradosia has been adopted here, since it is the oldest and most
distinctive. Anatomically, the members of this group constitute a very
homogeneous unit readily separable from the other American Sapotaceae. If
Neopometia is maintained, its two (or more?) species would be separated from
Pradosia only on the basis of pore arrangement. Glycoxylon and Pradosia are
not separable anatomically.
During the course of this study, specimens backed by herbarium material and
designated as Neoxythece, Prieurella, Pouteria, Ecclinusa, Sideroxylon, or
unassigned were found to be members of the Pradosia complex and conversely,
wood specimens named Pradosia were in a number of instances assigned to other
genera.
The range of Pradosia includes northern Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana,
Guyana, Surinam, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador.
Description
Based on 25 named specimens representing 9 species and 32 unassigned specimens
from all parts of the range (table 1).
General: Wood grayish-brown to light brown with no distinction between sapwood and heartwood; very fine textured; without luster. Growth rings indistinct but generally present; appearing under the microscope as very narrow
zones of flattened wood fibers with or without associated parenchyma. Specific
gravity of individual specimens ranging from 0.62 to 1.08 with an overall
average of 0.89 for 43 specimens.
Anatomical:
Pores in radial-echelon arrangement in specimens of lactescens from Bahia
(fig. 1) but not so distinct in specimens from Espirito Santo as
also in ptychandra (fig. 3). According to Aubrville (1) and
Baehni (4), these species belong to the genus Neopometia. In all
the other specimens examined, the pore arrangement would be classified as typically diffuse (figs. 5, 6, 7). Solitary pores present
in all specimens, but more commonly in radial multiples of 2 to 4
or infrequently to 6. Pores very small to small with a maximum
tangential diameter of different specimens ranging from 63 m to
134 m with an overall average of 92 m. The largest pores were
observed in the two Cuatrecasas collections from Colombia.
Vessel-member length ranges from 450 m to 1,010 m with an average of
660 m for the 57 specimens examined. Intervessel pitting 4 to
6 m in the majority of the specimens; commonly 6 to 8 m in the
Colombian specimens. Perforation plates predominantly simple, but
-2-
scalariform plates with a few bars were observed in Froes 323 D
and Krukoff 5410 (fig. 8). In this respect these two collections
(unassigned) are unique among the neotropical Sapotaceae. Tyloses,
when present, thin-walled.
Axial parenchyma closely banded; the individual bands irregularly
1 to 2 (3) seriate in the majority of the specimens;
irregularly 1 to 4 (5) seriate in most of the specimens from
Colombia and Venezuela (fig. 7). Under a hand lens appearing
conspicuously lighter in color than the background; frequently very conspicuous because of the microcrystalline
content. Microcrystals frequent to sparse and typically
observed only in the axial parenchyma. Silica occasional;
rhombic crystals lacking.
Wood rays 1 to 2 (3 to 4) seriate; heterocellular; vertical fusions
common. Maximum body height of the multiseriate portion
extremely variable and ranging from 80 m to 1,025 m; most
commonly 200 to 600 m; of no diagnostic value. Vessel-ray
and vessel-parenchyma pitting variable in shape and size;
frequently linear. Silica present in all specimens;
generally spheroidal and ranging in size from 4 m to 22 m.
Lateral walls of the square and erect marginals inconspicuously pitted.
Wood fibers thick-walled; average length of different specimens
ranging from 1.16 mm to 2.08 mm with an overall average of
1.61 mm. Vascular tracheids generally present but may be
sparse or lacking from individual macerations (identifition is difficult from prepared sections).
Silica content analyses performed on 56 wood specimens provided a
range of 0.01 percent to 1.49 percent based on the ovendry
weight of the wood. It is of interest to note that the
range of values in lactescens (table 2) was equal to the
entire range for the genus and immediately poses the question of identification accuracy. More than one-half of the
specimens (32) contained less than 0.10 percent silica and
only four specimens exceeded the 1.00 percent level. It
should be noted that silica particles are best observed in
unstained radial sections derived from blocks which have
not been treated with hydrofluoric acid. Silica is readily
detectable in macerated material in which case the extraneous cell contents have been bleached or removed leaving
only the silica.
Diagnostic features: Readily separable from other American Sapotaceae
by the combination of silica in the wood rays and microcrystals in the
axial parenchyma. These features are shared with Podoluma but here the
pores are in clustered-echelon arrangement and attain a diameter of
181 m.
-3-
Table 1 .--Specimens of Pradosia examined in this study
Collector
Wood collection
Source
and number
and number1/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Species
decipiens Ducke
Ducke 385 (Type)
Brazil
SJR 44303
glycyphloea (Casar.) Kuhlm.
Curran s.n.
Brazil
SJR
Curran 24
Filho s.n.
Brazil
Brazil
Rio Bot. Gard.
Brazil
SJR 4694
IPT 12968
2/ --- -----
inophylla (Mart. ex Miq.) Ducke
Ducke 264
Brazil
SJR 32640
lactescens (Vell.) Kuhlm.
Barreto 75
Filho s.n.
Filho-Magnani s.n.
Filho-Magnani 42
Filho-Netto 506
Filho-Rizzini s.n.
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
RB
IPT
RB
RB
RB
RB
maguirei (Aubr.) Comb novo
Maguire-Politi 27865 (Type)
Maguire-Adderley 43268
Venezuela
Venezuela
SJR 52105
SJR 54406
praealta Ducke
Pires 4094
Pires et al. 51774
Ducke 825 (type)
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
RB 2809
MAD 21467
SJR 32652
ptychandra (Eyma) Comb novo
BAFOG 55
Schulz 7319
French Guiana
Surinam
MAD 32953
MAD 32942
schomburgkiana (A. DC.) Cronq.
Forest Department 937
Forest Department 2759
Maguire 24309
Guyana
Guyana
Surinam
SJR 32885
SJR 43655
SJR 44116
surinamensis (Eyma) Comb novo
Lindeman 6298
Oliveira 2465
Stahel 256
Surinam
Brazil
Surinam
MAD 32937
--- ----MAD 19769
praealta subsessilis Ducke
-4-
610
1683
8660
2962
2972
5975
5542
Table l.--Specimens of Pradosia examined in this study--con.
Collector
Wood collection
Source
and number
and number1/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------Species
Unassigned specimens
Acosta Solis 11711
Bertin 3009
Cuatrecasas 13988
Cuatrecasas 16560
Curran s.n.
Curran-Haman 623
Dugand 236
Dugand 556
Dugand 703
Dugand 1043
Espina-Giacometto 70
Field Museum 12140
Froes 85
Froes 98
Froes 323 D
Irmay 60
Krukoff 5410
Little 6606
Little 6629
Little 6715
Merida Laboratory 87
Ecuador
French Guiana
Colombia
Colombia
Brazil
Curacao
Colombia
Colombia
Colombia
Colombia
Colombia
Ecuador
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Bolivia
Brazil
Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador
Venezuela
Oliveira 2439
Brazil
Oliveria 5801 C
Brazil
Pires 13038
Pittier TS 490
Record 81
Brazil
Venezuela
Colombia
Rosa 652
Rosa 1847
Smith, A. C. 3112
Turner 105
Turner 123
Turner 143
Brazil
Brazil
Guyana
Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela
SJR
SJR
SJR
SJR
SJR
SJR
SJR
SJR
SJR
SJR
SJR
MAD
A
A
A
MAD
MAD
MAD
MAD
SJR
MAD
45424
5371
42695
43056
595
2860
22525
27091
28526
33782
20519
32911
27366
27371
27477
6108
19054
10426
10433
40990
21248
2/ --- ----2/ --- ----2/--SJR
SJR
2/ --MG
SJR
SJR
SJR
SJR
----6839
16480
----1166
35808
45650
45651
45681
1/ A = Harvard Univ., Cambridge, Mass.; MAD = Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wis.;
RB = Jardin Botanico do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; SJR = Samuel J. Record Memorial Collection,
formerly at Yale Univ., but now housed at Madison, Wis.; IPT = Instituto Pesquisas
Tecnologicas, Sao Paulo, Brazil; MG = Museo Goeldi; Belem, Brazil.
2/ No wood specimen number.
-5-
Table 2. --Silica content of named species of Pradosia1/
Species
Collector
Silica
content
Source
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pct
decipiens
Ducke 385
1.12
Amazonas
glycypholea
Curran s.n.
Curran 24
Filho s.n.
Rio Bot Gard.
0.16
.33
.08
.22
Bahia
Bahia
Bahia
Rio de Janeiro
inophylla
Ducke 264
0.02
Amazonas
lactescens
Barreto 75
Filho s.n.
Filho-Magnani s.n.
Filho-Magnani 42
Filho-Netto 506
Filho-Rizzini s.n.
0.19
.76
.34
1.49
.02
.03
Minas Gerais
Espirito Santo
Espirito Santo
Espirito Santo
Bahia
Bahia
maguirei
Maguire-Adderley 43268
Maguire-Politi 27865
0.04
.02
Venezuela
Venezuela
praealta
Pires 4094
Pires et al. 51774
Ducke 825
0.09
.19
0.67
Para
Para
Amazonas
ptychandra
BAFOG 55
Schulz 7319
0.01
.02
French Guiana
Surinam
schomburgkiana
Forest Department 937
Forest Department 2759
Maguire 24309
0.04
.07
.46
Guyana
Guyana
Surinam
surinamensis
Lindeman 6298
Oliveira 2465
Stahel 256
0.04
.05
.07
Surinam
Para
Surinam
praealta subsessilis
1/ The author is indebted to Martin F. Wesolowski, Chemist, Forest
Products Laboratory, for the silica determinations.
Notes
1. Standley (11) described Sideroxylon colombianum from Colombia citing
Record 81 (SJRw 16480) and characterizing the wood as orange.
2. Espina and Giacometto (6) cited their number 70 (SJRw 20519) as
Sideroxylon colombianum Standl.
3. Kribs (9) briefly described the properties and anatomy of
Pouteria carabobensis Pittier, illustrated by his figure 463. It is apparent
that this description was based on specimens collected in Venezuela for the
Navy-Yale Project (8) by Turner (his numbers 105, 123, and 143) represented
by SJRw 45650, 45651, and 45681.
4. Ecclinusa cuatrecasasii described by Aubrville in Adansonia 7:2:144
belongs in Pradosia. The two specimens cited, Cuatrecasas 13988 (SJRw 42695)
and Cuatrecasas 16560 (SJRw 43056) were available for this study. This is
apparently a new species and readily distinguished from the other Colombian
specimens by its large pores.
5. Ecclinusa aff. cuatrecasasii Aubr. is cited (3) from the Bolivar Department of Venezuela but wood specimens from the cited specimens were not available for this study.
6. Pradosia schomburgkiana (A. DC.) Cronq. is reduced to synonomy under
Glycoxylon pedicellatum Ducke by Aubrville (3).
Figure 1. --Pradosia lactescens, pore
and parenchyma arrangement
(RBw5975, Bahia) X 30.
Figure 2. --Same as figure 1,
parenchyma detail X 110.
Figure 3.--P. ptychandra, pore and
parenchyma arrangement (BAFOG 55,
French Guiana) X 30.
Figure 4. --Same as figure 3,
parenchyma detail X 110.
Figure 5.--P. glycyphloea, pore and
parenchyma arrangement (IPTw 12968,
Bahia) X 30.
Figure 6. --P. inophylla, pore and
parenchyma arrangement (Ducke 264,
Amazonas) X 30.
Figure 7.--P. sp. , pore and parenchyma
arrangement (Cuatrecasas 13988,
Colombia) X 30.
Figure 8.--P. sp., scalariform plates
(Froes 323 D, Maranhao) X 110.
Literature Cited
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Aubrville, A.
1961. Notes sur des Chrysophyles Amricaines III.
1:1:24-26.
Aubrville, A.
1964. Sapotaces.
Adansonia
Adansonia, Mmoire No. 1:1-157.
Aubrville, A.
1972. Sapotaceae in Botany of the Guyana Highland.
Memoirs New York Bot. Gard. 23:199-227.
Baehni, Charles.
1965. Mmoires sur les Sapotaces.
Boissiera 11:72.
III.
Part IX.
Inventaire des genres.
Ducke, Adolpho.
1942. New and Noteworthy Sapotaceae of Brazilian Amazonia.
Woods 71:7-25.
Espina, Ramn and Juan Giacometto.
1932. Trees of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Eyma, P. J.
1936. Notes on Guyana Sapotaceae.
Trop.
Trop. Woods 30:29.
Rec. Trav. Bot. Nied. 33:156-210.
8.
Hess, Robert W., Frederick F. Wangaard, and Fred E. Dickinson.
1950. Properties and Uses of Tropical Woods. II. Trop. Woods
97:84-87.
9.
Kribs, David A.
1968. Commercial Foreign Woods on the American Market.
Dover Publ. Inc.
10.
11.
Record, Samuel J.
1939. American Woods of the Family Sapotaceae.
New York:
Trop. Woods 59:46-49.
Standley, Paul C.
1930. A new tree from Colombia (Sideroxylon colombianum).
Woods 22:13-14.
Trop.
U.S. Forest Products Laboratory
Wood Anatomy of the Neotropical Sapotaceae:
Pradosia, by B. F. Kukachka, Madison, Wis., FPL,
11 p. (USDA For. Serv. Res. Pap.). FPL 373).
XXII.
As constituted here, the genus Pradosia consists of
a group of closely related species including the species
attributed to Glycoxylon and Neopometia. The members of
Pradosia are readily separable anatomically from other
American Sapotaceae by the presence of silica in the wood
rays and of microcrystals (crystal sand) in the axial
parenchyma.
Although Podoluma does share these features
with Pradosia, it has much larger pores arranged in a
clustered-echelon arrangement.
U .S. G O VER N M EN T
PR IN TIN G
O FFIC E: 1981-752-162
