• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.369-381
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• 2017

The objective of this study was to compare the wood anatomical characteristics of local tree species in Moluccas, Indonesia i.e., Moluccan ironwood (Intsia bijuga), linggua (Pterocarpus indicus), red meranti (Shorea parvifolia), and gofasa (Vitex cofassus). Qualitative evaluation was conducted by observing the anatomical structure in cross, radial, and tangential sections of each sample. For the quantitative evaluation, the dimensions of vessels, rays, and fibers were measured. Qualitative evaluation showed that crystals were observed in Moluccan ironwood, linggua, and gofasa, while resin canals were only observed in red meranti. Tyloses were frequently observed in gofasa but infrequently observed in linggua and red meranti. Quantitative evaluation showed that Moluccan ironwood with the higher density had thicker fiber wall, higher quantity of ray number, and wider rays than the other species. Red meranti had higher values of ray height and fiber length than the other three species. The results also revealed that linggua showed the highest values of relative crystallinity and crystallite width. Red meranti and gofasa showed similar values of relative crystallinity and crystallite width, while Moluccan ironwood showed the lowest values. The basic qualitative and quantitative anatomical characteristics discussed could provide useful information for further utilizations of such wood species.