Some Anatomical Characteristics in Tension and Opposite Woods of Quercus mongolica Fischer

신갈나무의 인장응력재와 대응재의 해부학적 특성

The lengths of fibers and vessel elements, vessel diameters, and ray spacings of tension and opposite woods in Quercus mongolica Fischer and their radial variations were examined. Crystallinity indices and crystallites orientations of tension, opposite and lateral woods were also investigated. The lengths of fibers and vessel elements, and ray spacings of tension wood were longer and denser than those of opposite wood, respectively. In the latewood, the vessels of tension wood had a little larger diameters than those of opposite wood. whereas the vessel diameters of earlywood were similar in both woods. With the exception of vessel diameters of earlywood, there were differences between tension and opposite woods in all anatomical characteristics examined. In the radial variation pattern, the fiber lengths of both woods increased markedly to about 15th annual ring and thereafter remained virtually constant. The vessel element lengths of earlywood in tension wood increased to certain annual ring and thereafter were stabilized, but opposite wood had a relatively constant trend from pith to bark. Those of late wood in both woods increased to certain annual ring and thereafter showed constant patterns. Vessel diameters appeared to show similar trend in both woods. Ray spacings decreased to about 15 annual ring and thereafter were stabilized in both woods. In the fine structures, tension wood had higher crystallinity index and better crystallites orientation than opposite and lateral woods.