Casimirella
Description
Shrubs, lianas or climbing shrubs, often with large tuberous rhizomes. Leaves entire, pubescent to glabrous. Inflorescences large terminal or supra-axillary panicles; pedicels bracteolate, articulate below calyx. Flowers minute, perfect; calyx deeply 5(-6)-lobed; petals 5(-6), free; filaments glabrous, thickened at base, attenuate upwards and inflexed, anthers triangularwith subglobose to ovate thecae, introrse, dorsi-basifixed, connective conspicuously prolonged above thecae; ovary ovoid, hirsute, unilocular, style usually 1, short, glabrous, stigma capitate. Fruits peach-like drupes, pericarp densely pubescent, endocarp woody, pubescent inside; seed 1, pendulous, testa thin.
Distribution
French Guiana, tropical S. America present
7 species in tropical S. America. One species to be expected in French Guiana.
Wood
Vessels "diffuse", solitary and some irregular clusters of2-3, round to slightly oval, 4-5 per sq. mm, diameter 285(230-345) μm. Vessel- member length: 902(230-1205) μm. Perforations simple. Intervascular pits alternate, round, 7-10 μm. Vessel-ray and vessel-parenchyma pits similar to the intervascular pits.
Rays in two types, 5-6 per mm, uni-biseriate, up to 1250 μm (= 21 cells) high, heterogeneous, composed of square and upright cells; and multi- seriate, 9-11 cells wide, over 12000 μm high, heterogeneous, compo- sed of square, upright and some procumbent cells. These multiseriate rays are almost completely unlignified. Rhombic and otherwise shaped crystals abundant.
Parenchyma paratracheal scanty to vasicentric-aliform, apotracheal diffuse and some as one cell wide wavy and short tangential bands.
Fibres non-septate, lumen up to 17 μm, walls up to 4 μm. Pits bordered, on radial and tangential walls, 5-6 μm, often with crossed apertures. Length: 1692(1264-2146) μm. FN ratio: 1.87.
Included phloem present as concentric bands.
Rays in two types, 5-6 per mm, uni-biseriate, up to 1250 μm (= 21 cells) high, heterogeneous, composed of square and upright cells; and multi- seriate, 9-11 cells wide, over 12000 μm high, heterogeneous, compo- sed of square, upright and some procumbent cells. These multiseriate rays are almost completely unlignified. Rhombic and otherwise shaped crystals abundant.
Parenchyma paratracheal scanty to vasicentric-aliform, apotracheal diffuse and some as one cell wide wavy and short tangential bands.
Fibres non-septate, lumen up to 17 μm, walls up to 4 μm. Pits bordered, on radial and tangential walls, 5-6 μm, often with crossed apertures. Length: 1692(1264-2146) μm. FN ratio: 1.87.
Included phloem present as concentric bands.