Proteaceae (Grevillea & Hakea)

Genera: Grevillea, Hakea

Vouchers:   G. striata JAB124, G. juncifolia JAB147, H. leucoptera ssp. leucoptera JAB112, H. eyreana JAB139, JAB142

Family:  Proteaceae

General features:  Density 800-1100 kg/m3 .   Where present or discernible, heartwood red and darker than sapwood.    Longitudinal surface characterised by ray fleck visible to the naked eye; ray fleck is particularly evident if wood is roughly sawn to expose the radial surface.  Rays distinctly visible on cross-section with naked eye.

Microscopic features:

Vessels  Tangential vessel diameter: range 10-157 µm; mean 24 µm; SD 14 µm; average maximum 21-111 µm; n =  3420 vessels.  Vessels per square millimetre not recorded for species with vessels arranged in tangential bands (IAWA 1989: 259).  Vessels arranged in tangential bands; clusters present.  Perforation plates simple with prominent rim. 

Axial parenchyma  Axial parenchyma banded.  Banded axial parenchyma unbroken and with a radial bandwidth not larger than tangential ray width.  Banded axial parenchyma not further apart than rays. 

Rays Rays 3-26 cells wide with uniseriate rays absent (n =   131 rays).  Rays of two distinct widths with largest multiseriate rays usually wider than vessels.  Rays 1-6 per tangential mm (n =   73 sampled areas).  Ray height not recorded but can measure greater than 1 mm.  Rays heterocellular or homocellular?  Check for silica presence in ray cells of Grevillea sp.  Abundant rod-shaped crystals present in multiseriate ray cells of H. eyreana.       

Helical thickenings  Present and absent.

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