Caracterização anatômica de 4 espécies do gênero hymenaea l. (leg. caesalpinioideae)

Abstract

The Brazilian Amazon is home to thousands of tree species, of which 350 species are already being extracted for timber. Despite all the facilities, the similarity of anatomical characters facilitates the exchange of species affecting their commercialization. The objective of this study is to anatomically characterize 4 species of the genus Hymenaea, with the purpose of assembling a dichotomous key for the separation of species to feed the database of the Project "Amazonian Timbers: Research in Anatomy and Identification at the Service of Environmental Preservation and Brazilian Export Trade". We used IBAMA (1992) recommendations and the IAWA (1989) list for macro- and microscopic descriptions, respectively. From the qualitative data, the species were separated into two groups. In one of them, the species H. courbaril L. and H. parvifolia Huber present the ray body constituted by all procumbent cells. In the other group, the species H. oblongifolia Huber and H. reticulata Ducke have ray bodies consisting of procumbent cells with a row of square and/or erect marginal cells. All species analyzed, among other qualitative aspects in common, presented prismatic crystals in chambers in the parenchyma cells, but the species H. courbaril L., H. parvifolia Huber. and H. reticulata Ducke also have crystals present in the fibers. It is hoped to get more parameters that separate the species when we obtain the quantitative data that is being performed.