Owenia

Voucher:   Owenia acidula F.Muell.  JAB125

Family:  Meliaceae  Common name(s):  Emu plum, sour plum, sour apple, gooya, gruie, colane

Habit:  Tree 4-8 m tall.  Distribution: Northern New South Wales, southern Queensland, north-east South Australia and central Northern Territory; disjunct population in Hamersley region of Western Australia.

General features: Density 900-1000 kg/m3 .   Heartwood reddish-brown and darker than sapwood.   

Microscopic features:

Vessels  Tangential vessel diameter: range 25-99 µm; mean 62 µm; SD 19 µm; average maximum 74-99 µm; n =  86 vessels.  Vessels per square millimetre: range 36-53 vessels per mm2;  n =  3 sampled areas.  Vessels arranged in radial multiples usually of 2-3.  Perforation plates simple without prominent rim. 

Axial parenchyma   Axial parenchyma paratracheal and aliform to confluent.  Marginal bands present. 

Rays  Rays 1-3(4) cells wide with uniseriate rays present (n = 76 rays).  Rays of uniform width and not wider than vessels.  Rays 8-10 per tangential mm (n =   3 sampled areas).  Ray height: range 121-406 µm; mean 225 µm; SD 70 µm; n =   35 rays.   Rays homocellular or heterocellular?  

Helical thickenings  Absent.

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

Uses:  

Aboriginal  Shelters and windbreaks (Latz 1995)