wood anatomy exam II (wood species)

main features used in softwood ID

resin canals, EW/LW transition, crossfield pitting type, ray tracheids, spiral thickenings, longitudinal trachied pittings, odor

Pinaceae

resinous and nonresinous

resinous pinaceae

soft pines (eastern white and sugar pine); hard pines (southern yellow pine, western yellow pines -- ponderosa, lodgepole--, red pine)

Pinus Strobus

heartwood: cream colored to light or dark reddish brown; darkens with age

grain: fairly even

odor: piney

resin canals: large, numerous

EW/LW transition: gradual

ray tracheids: smooth

crossfield pitting: fenestriform

- resin streaks sometimes present

Pinus lambertiana

heartwood: light to pale reddish brown, never dark reddish brown; does not darken with age

grain: fairly even

odor: resinous

resin canals: large, numerous

EW/LW transition: gradual

ray tracheids: smooth

crossfield pitting: fenestriform

- resin streaks typically present and prominent

Pinus spp.

heartwood: yellowish, orangish, or light brown

grain: uneven grain

odor: sharp 'pitchy' pine odor

resin canals: large, numerous

EW/LW transition: abrupt

ray tracheids: dentate

crossfield pitting: pinoid

- growth rings tend to be fairly wide

Pinus ponderosa

heartwood: yellowish to light reddish to orangish brown

grain: fairly uneven

odor: mild piney odor

resin canals: large, numerous

EW/LW transition: fairly abrupt

ray tracheids: dentate

crossfield pitting: pinoid

- narrower growth rings than SYP

- dimples can occur

Pinus resinosa

combination of dentate ray tracheids and fenestriform pits

Pinus contorta

smaller diameter logs than Pinus ponderosa

large resinous pinaceae

hard pines and soft pines

small resinous pinaceae

douglas-fir, larch, spruce

non resinous pinaceae

eastern hemlock, true-firs

cupressaceae

baldcypress, redwood, cedars

Pseudotsuga menziesii

heartwood: reddish brown

grain: uneven

odor: like plywood

resin canals: small, sparse

EW/LW transition: abrupt

ray tracheids: smooth

crossfield pitting: piceoid

- wavy growth rings sometimes occur

- spiral thickenings

Larix occidentalis

heartwood: russet to reddish brown

grain: uneven

resin canals: small, sparse

EW/LW transition: abrupt

ray tracheids: smooth

crossfield pitting: piceoid

- can be waxy or greasy

- paired pits

Picea spp.

heartwood: light colored (not distinct from sapwood)

grain: moderately even to uneven

resin canals: small, sparse

EW/LW transition: gradual

ray tracheids: smooth

crossfield pitting: piceoid

- can be lustrous

Tsuga canadensis

heartwood: light colored (not distinct from sapwood)

grain: uneven

resin canals: absent

EW/LW transition: abrupt-to-gradual

ray tracheids: smooth

crossfield pitting: piceoid/cupressoid

- will crumble when cut on transverse

Abies spp.

heartwood: light colored (not distinct from sapwood)

grain: moderatley even to uneven

resin canals: absent

EW/LW transition: gradual

crossfield pitting: taxodioid

- no ray tracheids

Sequoia sempervirens

heartwood: medium to deep reddish brown

grain: fairly uneven

resin canals: absent

EW/LW transition: abrupt

crossfield pitting: taxodioid

- coarse texture

- occasionally 3+ pits on longitudinal tracheids

Taxodium distichum

heartwood: from yellowish to light, reddish or dark brown

grain: uneven

odor: rancid

resin canals: absent

EW/LW transition: abrupt

crossfield pitting: taxodioid and cupressoid

- greasy feel

- coarse texture

- false rings common

- occasionally 3+ pits on longitudinal tracheids

Callitropsis nootkatensis

heartwood: yellow

grain: even

odor: raw potatoes

EW/LW transition: gradual

crossfield pitting: cupressoid

- fine texture

- exhibit entirely ray parenchyma and entirely ray tracheid homocellular rays

Calocedrus decurrens

heartwood: medium reddish to purplish brown

grain: moderately even

odor: pencil-like

EW/LW transition: gradual

crossfield pitting: cupressoid

- medium texture

Chamaecyparis lawsonia

heartwood: yellowish to pinkish brown

grain: fairly uneven

odor: ginger-like (vicks vaporub)

EW/LW transition: gradual

crossfield pitting: cupressoid

- medium texture

Chamaecyparis thyoides

heartwood: light brown with pinkish tone

grain: moderately even

odor: sweet and pleasant

EW/LW transition: gradual

crossfield pitting: cupressoid

- fine texture

- abundant zoneate parenchyma resembling false rings

Juniperus virginiana

heartwood: purplish red to reddish brown

grain: moderately uneven to fairly even

odor: cedar chest

EW/LW transition: gradual

crossfield pitting: cupressoid

- fine texture

- longitudinal parenchyma abundant and zoneate

Thuja plicata

heartwood: medium to dark brown or reddish brown

grain: moderately uneven

odor: sharp and sweet (chocolate-like?)

EW/LW transition: abrupt

crossfield pitting: taxodioid

- medium texture

Thuja occidentalis

heartwood: light to medium straw brown

grain: fairly even

odor: sharp but mild (balloon-like?)

EW/LW transition: gradual

crossfield pitting: taxodiod

- fine texture

taxodioid crossfield pitting

western redcedar and northern white-cedar; true firs

cupressoid crossfield pitting

eastern redcedar, alaska-cedar, port-orford-cedar, incense-cedar, and atlantic white-cedar; eastern hemlock

piceoid crossfield pitting

douglas-fir, western larch, eastern spruce, eastern hemlock

pinoid crossfield pitting

southern yellow pines, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine

fenestriform crossfield pitting

red pine, sugar pine, eastern white pine