COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATION ON THE ANATOMICAL, PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ZIZIPHUS LOTUS (L.) LAM. FROM TWO REGION IN IRAN

Abstract

Ziziphus lotus of the family Rhamnaceae is distributed in the southern region of Iran and considered as one of drought - resistant tree species of the country. This investigation is the first attempt to study wood properties of this species, in order to contribute to a better understanding of it. The results of this study revealed that Ziziphus lotus is a diffuse – porous with basic specific gravity medium and medium - textured wood. The length of vessel elements are medium, the diameter of vessel elements is small, porous with pores round to oval, intervessel pilting, opposite and intermediate, 20 vessels per square millimeter, simple perforation plates, vessel - ray pits similar to intervessel pits in size and shape and half bordered; Vascular tracheids present, there are rarely tyloses and Gums in vessels. Fibers with simple to minutely bordered pits, thin - to thick – walled and fiber lengths short; Parenchyma scanty paratracheal, vasicentric and rarely aliform; Ray uniseriate and sometimes biseriate, ray height is short, rays with procumbent, Square and upright cells mixed throughout the ray and one Prismatic crystals in chambered upright and square ray cells, rays 12 per mm, silica bodies in ray cells; There are 7-10 Schizogenous canals in pith.In this species also percentages of cellulose are high but ash and extractive soluble in acetone content was found to be low.

Keywords

• ZIZIPHUS LOTUS(L.) LAM
• WOOD ANATOMY
• BORDERED PIT
• PARENCHYMA
• VESSEL
• SCHIZOGENOUS CANAL
• UNISERIATE RAY