Wood density 2

INTRODUCTION

The density of wood varies to a remarkable degree among various kinds of trees. However, the overall patterns remain rather obscure.

AIMS and METHODS

In this Post, I scrutinise one particular data-set with a view to comparing the floras at the extremes of the range of densities of wood. The data refer to specific gravity (https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_gravity) on an air-dry basis (water-content about 12%, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_drying).

Values >1 indicate that the air-dry wood sinks in water.

My reference is https://www.fao.org/4/w4095e/w4095e0c.htm, covering tropical trees in Asia, the Americas, and Africa. I report only those spp. of trees with extremely dense wood (>0.9) and those spp. of trees with extremely light wood (<0.3). This means a threefold or more difference in wood-density.

RESULTS

Extremely dense wood (>0.9), in alphabetical order:

Caesalpinia spp. 1.05 https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?subview=map&taxon_id=1065446&view=species
Mora excelsa 0.99 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/460897-Mora-excelsa
Gonopterodendron arboreum 1.00 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1104092-Gonopterodendron-arboreum
Handroanthus serratifolius 0.92, 0.95, 0.99 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/479408-Handroanthus-serratifolius
Handroanthus chrysanthus 1.07 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/291423-Handroanthus-chrysanthus
Licania alba 0.91 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1550799-Licania-alba
Licania cayennensis 0.99 (this species is obscure to me)
Peltogyne floribunda 0.92 https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Peltogyne+floribunda
Pouteria eugeniifolia 1.08 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pouteria
Premna tomentosa 0.96 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/464597-Premna-tomentosa
Schinopsis spp. 1.00 https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?subview=map&taxon_id=181398&view=species
Schleichera oleosa 0.96 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/348734-Schleichera-oleosa
Soymida febrifuga 0.97 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/541110-Soymida-febrifuga
Swartzia spp. 0.95 https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?subview=map&taxon_id=83837&view=species
Tabebuia spp. (lapacho group) 0.91
Teijsmanniodendron ahernianum 0.90
Terminalia buceras 0.93 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/867073-Terminalia-buceras
Terminalia chebula 0.96 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/68671-Terminalia-chebula
Tristaniopsis decorticata 0.91 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/880067-Tristaniopsis-decorticata
Vatica obscura 1.04 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatica_obscura
Vitex peduncularis 0.96 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1377843-Vitex-peduncularis
Xanthostemon verdugonianus 1.04 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/345613-Xanthostemon-verdugonianus

Extremely light wood (<0.3), in alphabetical order:

Aleurites moluccanus 0.25 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/370011-Aleurites-moluccanus
Anonidium mannii 0.29 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1094242-Anonidium-mannii
Apeiba glabra 0.23 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1038826-Apeiba-glabra
Apeiba tibourbou 0.12 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/209867-Apeiba-tibourbou
Apeiba spp. 0.20, 0.24 https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?subview=map&taxon_id=184140&view=species
Cananga odorata 0.29 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/154842-Cananga-odorata
Ceiba pentandra 0.23, 0.23, 0.24, 0.25, 0.29. 0.26 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/62809-Ceiba-pentandra
Ceodes umbellifera 0.21 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1416645-Ceodes-umbellifera
Cochlospermum religiosum 0.27 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/343832-Cochlospermum-religiosum
Cochlospermum orinocense 0.26 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/548389-Cochlospermum-orinocense
Erythrina fusca 0.25 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/119672-Erythrina-fusca
Erythrina subumbrans 0.24 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/82770-Erythrina-subumbrans
Erythrina sp. 0.23
Falcataria falcata 0.25 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1230463-Falcataria-falcata
Ficus variegata 0.28 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/343952-Ficus-variegata
Hannoa klaineana 0.28 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/185574-Hannoa-klaineana
Hernandia sonora 0.29 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/278899-Hernandia-sonora
Macaranga bicolor 0.29 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/439871-Macaranga-bicolor
Meliosma pinnata 0.27 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/362783-Meliosma-pinnata
Melochia umbellata 0.25 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/157725-Melochia-umbellata
Musanga cecropioides 0.23 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/341036-Musanga-cecropioides
Parkia nitida 0.24 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1243636-Parkia-nitida
Pourouma bicolor 0.28 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/184913-Pourouma-bicolor
Pterocymbium tinctorium 0.28 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/709632-Pterocymbium-tinctorium
Ricinodendron heudelotii 0.20 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/338839-Ricinodendron-heudelotii
Spathodea campanulata 0.25 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/126566-Spathodea-campanulata
Sterculia ceramica 0.27 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/426707-Sterculia-ceramica
Toona calantas 0.29 https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/444363-Toona-calantas

DISCUSSION

My perusal of this compendium shows that genera tend to be rather heterogeneous in the density of wood. I.e. knowing the genus of a tree allows only an approximate prediction of the quality of its wood.

In this data-set, the species with the densest wood (1.08) belongs to Sapotaceae (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapotaceae).

An extremely light wood (0.12) occurs in Apeiba tibourbou, which belongs to Malvaceae.

Light wood, but not extremely so (0.3-0.4):
Alcornea spp. 0.34
Alnus ferruginea 0.38
Alnus jorrulensis 0.38
Alstonia congensis 0.33
Anthostemma aubryanum 0.32
Antiaris africana 0.37
Antiaris spp. 0.38
Apeiba echinata 0.36
Aucoumea klaineana 0.37
Bixa arborea 0.32
Bombacopsis sepium 0.39
Bombax buonopozense 0.32
Bombax ceiba 0.33
Bombax rhodognaphalon 0.36
Bursera simaruba 0.29, 0.34
Cecropia peltata 0.29, 0.30, 0.36
Cecropia spp. 0.36
Cedrela angustifolia 0.36
Cedrela huberi 0.38
Cedrela odorata 0.38
Cleistopholis patens 0.36
Colona serratifolia 0.33
Cordia fallax 0.36
Cordia millenii 0.34
Cordia platythyrsa 0.36
Dyera costulata 0.36
Endlicheria cocvirey 0.39
Endospermum peltatum 0.31
Endospermum sp. 0.38
Enterolobium cyclocarpum 0.35
Erythrina suberosa 0.32
Eucalyptus deglupta 0.34
Ficus mucuso 0.39
Ficus spp. 0.39, 0.32
Guatteria spp. 0.36
Homalanthus populneus 0.38
Hura crepitans 0.36, 0.37, 0.38
Jacaranda copaia 0.35
Jacaranda hesperia 0.35
Joannesia heveoides 0.39
Kleinhovia hospita 0.36
Litsea garciae 0.34
Litsea leytensis 0.35
Melicope triphylla 0.37
Monopetalanthus heitzii 0.39
Neopoutonia macrocalyx 0.32
Ochroma pyramidale 0.30
Octomeles sumatrana 0.27, 0.32
Odyendea gabonensis 0.32
Odyendea spp. 0.32
Oroxylon indicum 0.32
Parkia bicolor 0.36
Parkia multijuga 0.38
Parkia roxburghii 0.34
Parkia spp. 0.39
Poga oleosa 0.36
Polyscias nodosa 0.38
Pouruma aff. guianensis 0.33
Pouruma aff. melinonii 0.32
Pterocarpus officinalis 0.32, 0.50
Rollinia exsucca 0.32
Rollinia spp. 0.34, 0.36, 0.36
Salmalia malabarica 0.32, 0.33
Sapium laurocerasus 0.38
Sclerolobium paniculatum 0.34
Shorea agsaboensis 0.35
Shorea palosapis 0.39
Simarouba amara 0.32, 0.34, 0.38
Stemonurus luzoniensis 0.37
Sterculia apetala 0.33, 0.36
Sterculia vitiensis 0.31
Tetrameles nudiflora 0.30
Trattinickia rhoifolia 0.37
Trattinickia sp. 0.38
Trema orientalis 0.31
Trichospermum richii 0.32
Triplochiton scleroxylon 0.32
Vochysia hondurensis 0.33
Vochysia tomentosa 0.36
Xylopia staudtii 0.36
Zanthoxylum rhetsa 0.33

Posted on October 26, 2024 11:28 PM by milewski