Dodonaea

Voucher:   Dodonaea viscosa ssp. angustissima (DC.)J.G.West  JAB119, JAB184

Family:  Sapindaceae  Common name(s):  Sticky hop-bush, akeake

Habit:  Shrub to 4m tall.  Distribution:  Widespread in southern and central Australia.

General features: Density 1100 kg/m3 .   Heartwood red and darker than sapwood.

Microscopic features:

Vessels  Tangential vessel diameter: range 23-83 µm; mean 46 µm; SD 10 µm; average maximum 49-62 µm; n =   225 vessels.  Vessels per square millimetre: range 35-83 vessels per mm2;  n =    6 sampled areas.  Vessels arranged in radial multiples usually of 2-3.  Vessel to vessel pits vestured.   Perforation plates simple with prominent rim.

Axial parenchyma   Axial parenchyma paratracheal and vasicentric. 

Rays Rays 1-3 (4) cells wide with uniseriate rays present (n = 208 rays).  Rays of uniform width and not wider than vessels.  Rays 9-21 per tangential mm (n =   12 sampled areas).  Ray height: range 78-478 µm; mean 204 µm; SD 87 µm; n =   88 rays.   Rays homocellular or heterocellular?  

Helical thickenings  Absent.

Physical and chemical tests:  Chrome azurol-s test negative.   Heartwood fluorescence absent.    Froth test positive.   Ethanol extract fluorescence absent.  Ethanol extract colourless.  Water extract discoloured.  Water extract fluorescence absent.

Uses:  

Aboriginal  Shelters (Latz 1995)

Notes:  Heartwood-dependent characters are not assessed for wood where heartwood is absent or visually indiscernible from sapwood until such time it can be reliably determined that heartwood is present.