Micro Structural Changes in Juvenile and Matured Wood of Populus tomentiglandulosa T. Lee

Juvenile and matured wood of Populus tomentiglandulosa species of Salicaceae native grown in Korea was observed by FE-SEM and optical microscope. Species is characterized by mostly diffuse-porous, simple perforation plates, polygonal alternate non-vestured intervessel pit, medium length of vessel elements and fibres, non-septate very thin walled libriform fibres and exclusively uniseriate procumbent rays. Axial parenchyma was absent or extremely rare. Vessel and fibre length were longer in both matured and juvenile latewood than those of earlywood. Ray cell lumen diameter, ray length, number and diameter of endwall pit in ray cell, endwall pit, number and diameter of pit in lateral wall of one ray parenchyma cell, vessel ray pit number and diameter vary from juvenile early and latewood to matured wood.