q Gymnosperm Wood2.02.0 GYMNOSPERM WOOD IDENTIFICATION A component of MIAMI UNIVERSITY DENDROLOGY EXPERT SYSTEM CREATED BY DR. ROGER D. MEICENHEIMERq CXAttdataWood Reflects Light Luster1.jpg;Wood Appears Dull Luster2.jpg; Bitter ,Having a sharp, acrid, and unpleasant taste. Taste1.jpg; Spicy  3Having an agreeably highly flavoured pungent taste. Taste4.jpg;Thin epithelial cell wallsNThin epithelial cell walls are thinner than the cell walls of axial tracheids. Gwh7_3.jpg;End walls nodular25eAbundant simple pits in end walls of ray parenchyma give them a nodular appearance in radial section.RayParen4.jpg; Sweet Taste2.jpg;Golden  colorGolden.jpg; Orangish  ColorOrange.jpg; Distinctive  Wood has some odor to it that you may or may not associate with something. Be sure that what you are smelling is associated with the wood, rather than decay organisms. Smell_4.jpg; Intermediate  Texture2.jpg; Salty Taste3.jpg;Smell Resembles Raw Potatoes Smell_5.jpg;Dimpled on Tangential Face Texture5.jpg; Hard Wood600 to 699 poundsHardness4.jpg;Very Hard WoodGreater than 700 poundsHardness5.jpg; Very Light Weight Wood"Less than 30 pounds per cubic footGGreenWoodWeight1.jpg; Light Weight Wood31 to 40 pounds per cubic footGGreenWoodWeight2.jpg; Heavy Weight Wood41 to 50 pounds per cubic footGGreenWoodWeight3.jpg; Very Heavy Weight Wood%Greater than 50 pounds per cubic footGGreenWoodWeight4.jpg;WhitishcolorWhite.jpg; YellowishcolorYellow.jpg;GoldencolorGolden.jpg;OrangishColorOrange.jpg;PinkishcolorPink.jpg;GreenishcolorGreen.jpg;Reddish colorRed.jpg;BrownishcolorBrown.jpg;PurplishcolorPurple.jpg;GrayishColorGray.jpg;BlackishColorBlack.jpg;Pinaceae CuppresaceaeWhitish  colorWhite.jpg;Greyish  ColorGray.jpg; Yellowish colorYellow.jpg;Reddish  colorRed.jpg;Pinkish colorPink.jpg; Brownish  colorBrown.jpg; Blackish  ColorBlack.jpg;Smooth  Texture1.jpg;Rough  Texture3.jpg;Even Figured Wood Wood has a uniform appearance.GWoodFigure_1.jpg;Uneven Figured Wood &Wood exhibits variation in appearance.GWoodFigure_2.jpg;Rays Obscure to Unaided Eye GRayVisible2.jpg;Rays Distinct to Unaided Eye GRayVisible1.jpg;Very Soft Wood Less than 400 poundsHardness1.jpg; Soft Wood 400 to 499 poundsHardness2.jpg; Medium Wood 500 to 599 poundsHardness3.jpg;Very Light Weight Wood "Less than 25 pounds per cubic footGDryWoodWeight1.jpg;Light Weight Wood 26 to 30 pounds per cubic footGDryWoodWeight2.jpg;Heavy Weight Wood 31 to 34 pounds per cubic footGDryWoodWeight3.jpg;Very Heavy Weight Wood %Greater than 35 pounds per cubic footGDryWoodWeight4.jpg;Greasy or Oily  Texture4.jpg; Unpleasant  Makes you pull away or wrinkle your nose. Wood smelling this way should be examined for freshness since some wood decaying bacteria/fungi produce disagreeable odors & are nondiagnostic! Smell_1.jpg;Resinous xResembles "Pine Trees". Caused by volatile compounds associated with liquid resins in canals - so look for resin canals. Smell_2.jpg; Aromatic  Resembles "Pencils" or " Cedar Chests" Caused by volatile compounds sequestered in individual cells and cell walls - so look for presence of axial parenchyma. Smell_3.jpg; Purplish  colorPurple.jpg; $Abrupt Spring-Summer Wood transition3Very distinct boundary between thinner cell walls of spring wood tracheids and thicker cell walls of summer wood tracheids within one annual growth ring. GHW1_1.JPG; %Gradual Spring-Summer Wood transition mGradual change in cell wall thickness between spring and summer wood tracheids within one annual growth ring. GHW1_2.JPG;Uniseriate pits :Single pit at any given horizontal level along a tracheid. GHW2_1.JPG;>1-seriate, opposite pits9gTwo or more complete pits occupy a given horizontal level along a tracheid in the opposite arrangement. GHW2_2.JPG;Smooth16#No obvious uneveness in cell walls. GWH4A.jpg;!Spiral thickenings in spring wood11Periodic regions of thicker cell wall material, normally inclined at ca. 90 degrees to longitudinal axis of tracheid. Don't confuse with checking artifact oriented at 10-45 degrees. GHW2_5.JPG; Present13Axial parenchyma can be observed in transverse, radial, and tangential sections. Do not include parenchyma associated with resin canals or wound healing in this character. Ghw3_1.jpg; => 5 cells/mm^2 in cross section14Assess the density of axial parenchyma in the transverse section of region in the wood that contains it. Most often axial parenchyma occurs in spring wood. Ghw3_2.jpg; Nodular end walls15Abundant simple pit pairs give the short end walls of axial parenchyma a nodular or beaded appearance as viewed in tangential longitudinal section. Ghw3_3.jpg;Notched borders50VIndividual pit borders appear flattened or notched instead of circular in radial view. GHW2_4.JPG;Tori extensions51 30 cells high26aWood has more than two rays per mm that are higher than 30 cells as viewed in tangential section.RayParen6.jpg;Crystals27Cuboidal, octahedral, or rectangular crystals can be present in ray cells. Use of polarizing microscopy can help in locating these crystals.RayParen7.jpg;1-3 large windowlike, Pinoid28sLarge square or rectangular pits with little or no apparent borders. One to three pits nearly fill the cross field. GWH6A.jpg;1-6 large Pinoid32Large square or elliptical pits with slight to obvious borders. At least some of the cross fields have more than three pits per field. Pits nearly fill the cross field. GWH6B.jpg; Taxodioid31Widest part of pit aperture is about equal to diameter of pit chamber. Narrowest part of pit aperture is about equal to border width in the center of the pit. GWH6D.jpg; Cupressoid30Widest part of pit aperture less than diameter of pit chamber. Narrowest part of pit aperture less than width of pit border in the center of pit. GWH6C.jpg;Piceoid29Extremely small pits with narrowly elliptical apertures. Widest part of aperture extends slightly beyond pit chamber. Narrowest part of aperture less 1/3 size of the border at center. GWH6E.jpg;Vertical33Resin ducts running vertically within wood can be most easily observed end-on in transverse section, but can also be seen occasionally in longitudinal sections. Gwh7_1.jpg; Horizontal35Resin ducts running horizontally within the rays can be most easily seen in tangential section, but can be occasionally observed in transverse and radial longitudinal section as well. Gwh7_2.jpg;Thick epithelial cell walls36[Thick epithelial cell walls are similar in thickness to the cell walls of axial tracheids. Gwh7_4.jpg;$5-6 epithelial cells/horizontal duct37Count the number of epithelial cell walls associated with resin ducts as viewed in tangential section. For accuracy in counting, make sure all epithelial cells are intact. Gwh7_5.jpg;&7-12 epithelial cells/ horizontal duct38Count the number of epithelial cells lining the horizontal resin ducts as viewed in tangential section. For accuracy in counting make sure all epithelial cells are intact. Gwh7_6.jpg; Greenish  colorGreen.jpg;L CXMenudataGymnosperm WoodsFAMILY}If you are SURE that you know the family to which your specimen belongs, coding this feature can greatly expedite identification. Otherwise, let the expert engine identify the family, genus, and species, based on your empirical observations. ANOTHER USE OF THIS FEATURE IS FOR THE REVIEW AND/OR EXPLORATION OF PLANT FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS ! To accomplish this: 1. Select a Family you want to review/explore. 2. Decide what feature you want to review/explore and set those character states as being present. 3. You now have a genera list that fits your review/explore criteria that you can further refine by reiteration of steps 2 and 3  s MICROSCOPIC WOOD CHARACTERISTICSkAssess using a light microscope to examine transverse (X), radial (R), and tangential (T) sections of wood. GWHSECT.jpg;  sCOLOR OF FRESH HEARTWOODPertains to Heartwood (older, usually darker, central region of stem). Reflects differences in chemical composition. Air may darken the color. Nondiagnostic color may result from bacteria or fungi.HeartwoodWoodColor.jpg; :;?X@><{=s MACROSCOPIC WOOD CHARACTERISTICSAssess these characters visually with the unaided eye, and by using the feel, smell, and taste of FRESH wood. Many of these characteristics are best learned through comparative experience. Caveat: Many of the Macroscopic Characters pertain to FRESH samples! Wood (FRESH or OTHERWISE) is most reliably identified using microscopic features, given the extreme variations present in wood macroscopic characteristics and human perception of these variations! AGHWOODs.jpg;   s WOOD TEXTURENAssess by touch. Reflects size and distribution of various cells in the wood. Texture0.jpg;A BN s WOOD FIGUREVisually assess the uniformity of wood appearance. Produced by relative arrangement of different cells and/or color in the wood. Sometimes confused with grain (orientation of tracheids).GWoodFigure_0.jpg;CDsDRY WOOD WEIGHTRelative weight of kiln dry wood. Reflects Sap/Heart and Spring/Summer Wood Ratios and Moisture Content. Increasing moisture increases weight. Weigh and measure your sample, then calculate the weight per cubic foot.GDryWoodWeight0.jpg;JKLMs WOOD LUSTERTilt radial surface of split wood to reflect light. Luster is proportional to size and density of ray and axial parenchyma in general. Care should be used if examining planed or sanded wood Luster0.jpg;sTASTE OF FRESH HEARTWOODSince the human tongue's sensory organs are spatially segregated, taste wood by pressing a piece large enough to cover all sensory areas. Avoid splinters. Taste0.jpg; sRAY CHARACTERISTICSRays run radially within the stem and are typically lighter than surrounding axial tracheids. Assess cell types and pit details in radial sections containing complete rays. GWHSECT.jpg;sAXIAL PARENCHYMA FEATURESAxial parenchyma cells are vertically elongated cells that contain cytoplasm, have simple pits, and appear rectangular in radial and tangential longitudinal section. Ghw3_0.jpg;`abs GROWTH RINGStAssess relative cell wall thickness of tracheids in spring (early) and summer (late) wood in transverse (X) section. GHW1.jpg;YZsGREEN WOOD WEIGHTRelative weight of green wood. Reflects Sap/Heart and Spring/Summer Wood Ratios and Moisture Content. Increasing moisture increases weight. Weigh and measure your sample, then calculate the weight per cubic foot.GGreenWoodWeight0.jpg;sCOLOR OF FRESH SAPWOODPertains to Sapwood (younger, usually lighter, peripheral region of stem). Reflects differences in chemical composition. Air may darken the color. Nondiagnostic color may result from bacteria or fungi.SapwoodWoodColor.jpg; sssssssssRAY VISIBILITY TO UNAIDED EYEDistinct rays are visible with the unaided eye. Rays extend radially from center toward the outside and are typically lighter than the surrounding wood. Use transverse or tangential planeGRayVisible000.gif;EFs WOOD HARDNESSAssess by pressing surface with fingernail. Closely related to weight, but increasing moisture decreases hardness. Varies in transverse, radial, and tangential surfaces.Hardness0.jpg;GHIsSMELL OF FRESH HEARTWOODBest assessed by odor of freshly exposed heartwood. Distinct odors are due to volatile extraneous substances in the wood. Odors fade upon exposure to air. Smell_0.jpg;PRT sAXIAL TRACHEID FEATURESAxial tracheids are elongate parallel to stem axis. Assess the details of pit features and variations in cell wall thickness within axial tracheids viewed in radial section. Ghw2_0.jpg;\]dc_s RAY TRACHEID FEATURESRay tracheids occur along the margins of rays, have circular bordered pits, slanted end walls, and no cytoplasm. Assess details of cell wall thickening. GHW4.jpg;^efgs RAY PARENCHYMA FEATURESRay parenchyma contain cytoplasm, have simple pits, and are rectangularly elongated in the radial plane. Assess details of cell walls and presence of cystals.RayParen0.jpg;hijlnos TYPE OF CROSS-FIELD PITSAssess the number and shape of cross field pits, or pits occurring between individual axial tracheids and individual ray parenchyma cells. Use radial sections of spring wood. GWH6.jpg;pqrstsRESIN DUCT CHARACTERISTICSWell defined canals or ducts that are lined with parenchymatous epithelial cells. Assess orientation of ducts; number and cell wall thickness of epithelial cells. Gwh7_0.jpg;uwxyzsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss1Science and Technology of Wood. 1991. G. Tsoumis.