diffuse porous page

DIFFUSE POROUS FRUITWOODS

NOTE: unless otherwise specifically stated, all of the images shown on this
page are of 1/4" square end grain cross sections shown at 12X with the top
of the image towards the bark and the bottom towards the pith so that
earlywood is towards the bottom of the growth rings and latewood is towards the top

to see all species with links to their anatomy page go here: species links

general characteristics of fruitwoods (NOTE: "fruitwoods" is not a homogeneous grouping in terms of anatomical characteristics. There are fruitwoods that are diffuse porous, others that are semi diffuse/ring porous, and even ones that are fully ring porous (such as some pieces of almond / Prunus dulcis)

• pores: for most species they are tiny (often "uncountable") and not usually distinguishable even with a 10x loupe and definitely not with the naked eye. A few species have noticeable pores at 10X.
• parenchyma: absent or rare and in any case not helpful for wood ID with just a 10X loupe
• rays: always present but sometimes not visible even with a 10X loupe
• growth rings: typically fairly fast growth so there are usually about 5 to 8 rings/inch but the boundaries are sometimes hard to see although they are usually discernible due to either a light colored band as the demarcation between latewood and earlywood and/or an area of darker tissue at the end of the latewood

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MALUS species

Classic diffuse porous, distinct growth ring boundaries
pores tiny to uncountable, rays barely visible at 10X



     

• apple / Malus spp.
• apple / Malus spp.
• apple / Malus spp.

   

   

• apple / Malus spp.
• apple / Malus spp. --- this is a 1/3" x 1/3" section shown here at 9X


• apple / Malus spp. --- heartwood
• apple / Malus spp. --- sapwood from the same piece

     

• apple / Malus domestica
• apple / Malus domestica
• yellow transparent apple / Malus domestica

     

• Japanese crab apple / Malus floribunda
• Northern spy apple / Malus sylvestris
• common apple / Malus sylvestris --- this sample has heavy blue stain and white rot, thus the odd colors

     

     

• Oregon crab apple / Malus spp.
• Oregon crab apple / Malus fusca --- heartwood of a piece
• Oregon crab apple / Malus fusca --- sapwood of the same piece


• Oregon crab apple / Malus fusca --- heartwood of a piece
• Oregon crab apple / Malus fusca --- sapwood of the same piece
• Oregon crab apple / Malus fusca --- sapwood of a different sample

   

• flowering crab apple / Malus spp.
• hupei crab apple / Malus hupenhensis

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PYRUS species

Classic diffuse porous, pores tiny to uncountable, rays barely visible at 10X
growth ring boundaries vague to distinct but generally discerable to the naked eye

   

   

• pear / Pyrus communis
• pear / Pyrus communis


• domestic pear / Pyrus communis
• common pear / Pyrus communis

 

• French pear / Pryus spp. (probably Pyrus communis)

 

• Chinese pear / Pyrus ussuriensis

     

     

• Bradford pear / Pyrus calleryana --- a 5/12" x 5/8" cross section shown here at 5X
• Bradford pear / Pyrus calleryana
• Bradford pear / Pyrus calleryana --- a 1/3" x 1/3" cross section shown here at 9X



• Bradford pear / Pyrus calleryana --- a 1/3" x 1/3" cross section shown here at 9X
• Bradford pear / Pyrus calleryana
• Bradford pear / Pyrus calleryana

       

• pear / Pryus spp.
• pear / Pyrus spp. --- a 1/2" x 3/4" cross section shown here at 6X, this has about 1.5 rings/inch which is low even for a fruitwood. This is either Bradford pear or Bartlett pear but there was/is confusion about which.
• pear / Pryus spp.
• pear / Pryus spp. --- a 1/3" x 5/12" cross section shown here at 7X

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PRUNUS species

most have stronger rays and larger/sparser pores than Malus and Pyrus species
growth ring boundaries range from clear to vague


       
almond --- often more semi diffuse porous than diffuse porous

• almond / Prunus dulcis --- a 5/12" x 5/12" cross section shown here at 7X
• almond / Prunus dulcis --- semi ring porous to fully ring porous (which does happen with this species)
• almond / Prunus dulcis
• almond / Prunus spp. --- 1/4" x 1/2" cross section shown here at 6X

     

     

• Siberian apricot / Prunus sibirica
• Siberian apricot / Prunus sibirica
• Siberian apricot / Prunus sibirica


• apricot / Prunus armeniaca
• apricot / Prunus spp.
• apricot / Prunus spp.

   

• African cherry (aka red stinkwood) / Prunus africana --- heartwood
• African cherry (aka red stinkwood) / Prunus africana --- sapwood

     

     

     

     

     

• American black cherry / Prunus serotina
• American black cherry / Prunus serotina
• American black cherry / Prunus serotina


• American black cherry / Prunus serotina
• American black cherry / Prunus serotina
• American black cherry / Prunus serotina


• American black cherry / Prunus serotina
• American black cherry / Prunus serotina
• American black cherry / Prunus serotina


• American black cherry / Prunus serotina
• American black cherry / Prunus serotina
• American black cherry root / Prunus serotina --- note how the rays in this root piece are thick but short/discontinuous, unlike the wood's normal rays; this is common in roots and crotches


• American black cherry / Prunus serotina with bear claw figure
• American black cherry / Prunus serotina with bear claw figure
• American black cherry / Prunus serotina with bear claw figure

   

     

• black cherry / Prunus serotina
• black cherry / Prunus serotina


• black cherry / Prunus serotina
• black cherry / Prunus serotina
• black cherry / Prunus serotina

   

• American black cherry / Prunus serotina --- this is from a piece of gummy cherry which may explain why the earlywood pores are larger than usual and filled with white gunk
• American black cherry / Prunus serotina --- this is also from gummy cherry and there is no gunk in the earlywood pores nor are they unusually large

     

 

• Carolina laurel cherry / Prunus caroliniana
• Carolina laurel cherry / Prunus caroliniana
• Carolina laurel cherry / Prunus caroliniana


• Carolina laurel cherry / Prunus caroliniana --- a 1/3" x 5/12" cross section shown here at 7X

     

• Carolina laurel cherry / Prunus caroliniana --- this sample was all sapwood and I note that its characteristics are noticibly different than those of the heartwood samples directly above; the rays are present but very weak and the pores appear to be in groups similar to dendritic parenchyma and I have noticed this in the sapwood of other Prunus species
• sweet cherry / Prunus avium
• mazzard cherry / Prunus avium

     

• Japanese flowering cherry / Prunus serrulata
• Japanese flowering cherry / Prunus serrulata
• Japanese cherry / Prunus serrulata

     

• Japanese cherry / Prunus subhirtella --- really more like semi diffuse porous than diffuse porous, and note the very weakly visible rays at 10X
• Japanese flowering cherry / Prunus yedoensis --- this actually looks semi ring porous, rays not discerable at 10X
• Japanese flowering cherry / Prunus yedoensis

       

• bitter cherry / Prunus emarginata --- rays not visible at 10X
• bitter cherry / Prunus emarginata --- rays very hard to distinguish at 10X
• bitter cherry / Prunus emarginata --- a 1/4" x 1/3" cross section shown here 9x, at which magnification the rays are not visible. Also, this sample was sanded to 400 grit, unlike the normal 1200 grit, so the pores are not as clear as on most samples on this page
• bitter cherry / Prunus emarginata

     

• English laurel cherry / Prunus laurocerasus --- heartwood of a sample
• English laurel cherry / Prunus laurocerasus --- sapwood of the same sample
• mahaleb cherry / Prunus mahaleb

     

• pin cherry / Prunus pensylvanica
• pin cherry / Prunus pensylvanica
• pin cherry / Prunus pensylvanica

   

• fire cherry / Prunus pensylvanica --- a 1/3" x 5/12" cross section shown here at 7X
• English blackheart cherry / Prunus spp.

     

• choke cherry / Prunus virginiana
• choke cherry / Prunus virginiana
• choke cherry / Prunus virginiana

     

• escarpment cherry / Prunus serotina x eximia
• escarpment cherry / Prunus serotina x eximia
• escarpment cherry / Prunus serotina x eximia

     

     

• sour cherry / Prunus cerasus
• sour cherry / Prunus cerasus
• sour cherry / Prunus cerasus


• sour cherry / Prunus cerasus
• sour cherry / Prunus cerasus
• sour cherry / Prunus cerasus

   

• Portugese laurel cherry / Prunus lusitanica
• Portugese laurel cherry / Prunus lusitanica

     

• myrtle leaf cherry / Prunus myrtifolia
• sand cherry / Prunus cistena --- these two are from nearby areas of the same piece
• sand cherry / Prunus cistena --- these two are from nearby areas of the same piece

     

• cherry / Prunus spp.
• cherry / Prunus spp.
• cherry / Prunus spp.

     

• American plum / Prunus americana
• American plum / Prunus americana
• American plum / Prunus americana

     

• Canadian plum / Prunus nigra
• Canadian plum / Prunus nigra
• plum / Prunus spp.

   

• Klamath plum / Prunus subcordata (presumably) --- pores are uncountable, rays not visible --- pores are not just uncountable, there do not actually appear to BE any pores and this looks nothing like any of my other plum samples, of any Prunus species, so I am dubious about this being a Prunus species.
• cherry plum / Prunus cerasifera

   

• purple leaf plum / Prunus cerasifera --- a 1/4" x 1/2" cross section shown here at 6X
• purple leaf plum / Prunus spp.

     

• flatwoods plum / Prunus umbellata
• flatwoods plum / Prunus umbellata
• domestic plum / Prunus domestica

   
thorny plum; these seem more semi diffuse porous than diffuse porous but they are fruitwoods and so are left on this page.

• thorny plum / Prunus spinosa
• thorny plum / Prunus spinosa

     

• common peach / Prunus persica --- as much semi diffuse porous as diffuse porous
• common peach / Prunus persica --- as much semi diffuse porous as diffuse porous, this pic only shows about half of a growth ring, so the ring count on this sample was about 2/inch
• peach / Prunus persica

   

   

• peach / Prunus spp. --- a 1/2" x 1/2" cross section shown here at 6X
• peach / Prunus spp.


• peach / Prunus spp. --- less diffuse porous than semi ring porous or semi diffuse porous
• peach / Prunus spp. --- less diffuse porous than semi ring porous or semi diffuse porous

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CITRUS species

Much larger/sparser poses than most fruitwoods and with vasicentric parenchyma
plentiful lines of what appear to be banded parenchyma
rays weak but clearly visible at 10X

     

   
Valencia orange / Citrus sinensis --- pores relatively sparse (for a fruitwood) and with vasicentric parenchyma and banded parenchyma (unlike Prunus species), rays barely visible at 10X; very similar for sour orange / Citrus aurantium except that the pore distribution is even sparser

• orange / Citrus sinensis
• Valencia orange / Citrus sinensis
• Valencia orange / Citrus sinensis


• sweet orange / Citrus sinensis
• sour orange / Citrus aurantium

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PERSIA species

Much larger/sparser poses than most fruitwoods and with vasicentric parenchyma
rays weak but clearly visible at 10X, vague growth ring boundaries

   

• avocado / Persea americana
• avocado / Persea americana