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Semi-Ring Porous and Diffuse Semi-Ring Porous and Diffuse Porous SpeciesPorous Species

Semi-ring porous hardwoodsSemi-ring porous hardwoods• ButternutButternut• Black walnutBlack walnut

Diffuse porous hardwoods (some)Diffuse porous hardwoods (some)• Cottonwood/aspenCottonwood/aspen• Black cherryBlack cherry• BirchBirch

FW1035Lab Lecture 2

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Butternut - Butternut - Juglans cinereaJuglans cinerea (Juglandaceae)(Juglandaceae)

Lives to around 75 years. It’s nuts are highly sought after, moreso than its lumber.

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Butternut - Butternut - Juglans cinereaJuglans cinerea (Juglandaceae)(Juglandaceae)

ID features:ID features:• Low to moderate density Low to moderate density

(SG=0.38)(SG=0.38)• Light brown color - often streakyLight brown color - often streaky• Pores: solitary or short radial Pores: solitary or short radial

multiplesmultiples• Longitudinal parenchyma: Longitudinal parenchyma:

apotracheal banded or diffuse in apotracheal banded or diffuse in aggregateaggregate

• Rays: indistinct (1-4 seriate)Rays: indistinct (1-4 seriate)• Miscellaneous: fluted growth Miscellaneous: fluted growth

ringsrings

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Fluted Growth Rings in Fluted Growth Rings in ButternutButternut

UsesUses• high-grade exposed high-grade exposed

architectural wood architectural wood work (church altars, work (church altars, boat interiors, boat interiors, elevators)elevators)

• low grades used for low grades used for boxes and cratesboxes and crates

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Black Walnut - Black Walnut - Juglans Juglans nigranigra (Juglandaceae) (Juglandaceae)

Nuts commonly picked for food. Wood highly prized for its straight grain. Because of heavy logging, this tree is now scarce in the US. Gunstocks are a specialty use of walnut wood.

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Black Walnut - Black Walnut - Juglans Juglans nigranigra (Juglandaceae) (Juglandaceae)

ID features:ID features:• Moderate-high density (SG=0.55)Moderate-high density (SG=0.55)• Color: chocolate to purplish brown Color: chocolate to purplish brown

(heartwood) - very distinctive!(heartwood) - very distinctive!• Pores: solitary or short radial Pores: solitary or short radial

multiplesmultiples• Longitudinal parenchyma: Longitudinal parenchyma:

apotracheal banded or diffuse in apotracheal banded or diffuse in aggregateaggregate

• Rays : indistinct (1-4 seriate)Rays : indistinct (1-4 seriate) Uses:Uses:

• High grade furniture, high grade High grade furniture, high grade architectural woodwork, gun stocks architectural woodwork, gun stocks (easy to carve, smooth finish) (easy to carve, smooth finish)

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Diffuse Porous Diffuse Porous HardwoodsHardwoods

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Black Cherry – Black Cherry – Prunus serotina Prunus serotina (Rosaceae)(Rosaceae)

High quality, large trees are used for furniture and veneer. Common on the east coast. The fruit can be used to flavor drinks and other foods.

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Black Cherry – Black Cherry – Prunus serotina Prunus serotina (Rosaceae)(Rosaceae)

Moderate density (SG=0.50)Moderate density (SG=0.50) Distinct, rich reddish-brown color is very Distinct, rich reddish-brown color is very

characteristiccharacteristic Pores are indistinct – except for an initial Pores are indistinct – except for an initial

row of larger earlywood pores row of larger earlywood pores Rays are distinct on the cross section and Rays are distinct on the cross section and

on the radial planes due to relatively large on the radial planes due to relatively large number and the color contrastnumber and the color contrast

• Ray fleck is quite obvious (light on Ray fleck is quite obvious (light on dark)dark)

• Ray ends in sapwood may look like Ray ends in sapwood may look like hard maplehard maple

Gum ducts may be present as dark Gum ducts may be present as dark streaks on longitudinal surfaces or as streaks on longitudinal surfaces or as tangential rows of dark spots on the tangential rows of dark spots on the cross-sectioncross-section

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Uses for black cherry woodUses for black cherry wood

High grade furniture High grade furniture and cabinetryand cabinetry• Often one of the most Often one of the most

expensive domestic expensive domestic wood specieswood species

Architectural Architectural woodworkwoodwork

Pallets and packagingPallets and packaging

Gum Ducts

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Cottonwood/Aspen - Cottonwood/Aspen - Populus Populus spp. (Salicaceae)spp. (Salicaceae)

Native ranges vary greatly by species.

Bigtooth Aspen range.

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Cottonwood/Aspen - Cottonwood/Aspen - Populus Populus spp. (Salicaceae)spp. (Salicaceae)

Sometimes classified as semi-ring Sometimes classified as semi-ring porousporous

Common Common PopulusPopulus species: species:• Eastern cottonwood Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoidesPopulus deltoides• Quaking aspen Quaking aspen Populus tremuloidesPopulus tremuloides• Balsam polpar Balsam polpar Populus balsamiferaPopulus balsamifera• Bigtooth poplar Bigtooth poplar Populus grandidentataPopulus grandidentata

Woods of these species can’t be Woods of these species can’t be reliably separated by hand lens reliably separated by hand lens featuresfeatures

The willows have similar The willows have similar macroanatomy (but, heterocellular macroanatomy (but, heterocellular rays in rays in SalixSalix spp., homocellular in spp., homocellular in PopulusPopulus spp.) spp.)

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Cottonwood/Aspen - Cottonwood/Aspen - Populus Populus spp. (Salicaceae)spp. (Salicaceae)

ID features:ID features:• Low to moderate density Low to moderate density

(SG=0.33-0.40)(SG=0.33-0.40)• Color: creamy yellow (aspens) to Color: creamy yellow (aspens) to

light gray-brown (cottonwoods)light gray-brown (cottonwoods)• Pores: small, largest barely Pores: small, largest barely

visible to the naked eyevisible to the naked eye• Rays: indistinct - barely visible Rays: indistinct - barely visible

with hand lens (uniseriate)with hand lens (uniseriate)• Miscellaneous: marginal Miscellaneous: marginal

parenchyma, but not as distinct parenchyma, but not as distinct as in yellow-poplar. Growth rings as in yellow-poplar. Growth rings often distinguished by band of often distinguished by band of dense latewooddense latewood

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Uses for Aspen/CottonwoodUses for Aspen/Cottonwood

Wafer-based Wafer-based compositescomposites

Inexpensive furniture Inexpensive furniture Pallets and cratesPallets and crates Pulp and paperPulp and paper

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Birch - Birch - Betula Betula spp. spp. (Betulaceae)(Betulaceae)

Yellow BirchPaper Birch

Range of yellow birch

Inner bark smells and tastes like wintergreen.

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Birch - Birch - Betula Betula spp. spp. (Betulaceae)(Betulaceae)

All birch species have similar All birch species have similar anatomy anatomy Betula alleghaniensis Betula alleghaniensis (yellow (yellow birch)birch)Betula papyrifera Betula papyrifera (paper birch)(paper birch)

ID features:ID features:• Moderate to high density (SG=0.55-0.62)Moderate to high density (SG=0.55-0.62)• Color: light brown to dark reddish-brownColor: light brown to dark reddish-brown• Pores: often appear as white dots, diameter is Pores: often appear as white dots, diameter is

clearlyclearly larger than the largest rays larger than the largest rays• Rays: relatively narrow, indistinct with the Rays: relatively narrow, indistinct with the

naked eye (1-5 seriate)naked eye (1-5 seriate)• Ray ends: indistinctRay ends: indistinct• Often confused with maples!Often confused with maples!• ““Pith flecks” common in paper birchPith flecks” common in paper birch

Uses: high-grade plywood, flooring, furniture, door Uses: high-grade plywood, flooring, furniture, door skins, pallets/packagingskins, pallets/packaging