Anatomical characteristics and wood properties of Melaleuca leucadendron naturally growing in secondary forest in Indonesia

Summary

Dynamic Young’s modulus of elasticity (DMOE) of logs, anatomical characteristics and wood properties were determined for naturally regenerated Melaleuca leucadendron trees grown in secondary forest in an area of peat swamp, South Kalimantan, Indonesia. The mean value of DMOE of logs was 7.99 GPa. Mean basic density (BD) and compressive strength (CS) ranged from 0.43 to 0.60 g cm⁻³ and 34.5 to 52.4 MPa, respectively. Vessel diameter and wood fibre length increased along the first 2 cm of the radius from the pith and then showed almost constant values between that point and the bark, suggesting that xylem maturation starts at about 2 cm from the pith. The wall thickness of wood fibres gradually increased from pith to bark, and the radial profile of this property was very similar to that of BD. There were significant differences in BD, CS and cell wall thickness of wood fibres among 10 selected logs, suggesting that BD and mechanical properties can be genetically improved by selecting mother trees.

Keywords:

• wood properties
• density
• compressive strength
• Young’s modulus
• anatomy
• vessels
• fibres
• morphology
• Melaleuca leucadendron

Acknowledgements

Part of this research was financially supported by Strategic Funds for the Promotion of Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.