PRIMARY IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS IN FOSSIL WOOD FAMILIES FOUND ON THE GULF COAST
by Scott Singleton

MAIN ANATOMICAL FEATURES TO LOOK FOR:

    1.    Growth Rings
    2.    Rays
    3.    Pores (or Vessels)
    4.    Parenchyma

1.   FAMILIES FROM TEMPERATE CLIMATES

        Oak (red or white):
        Primary identifying feature:
            Very large rays, visible without hand lens.
        Other features:
            Growth rings very visible due to mass of large pores in earlywood.

        Oak (live):
        Primary identifying feature:
            Very large rays, visible without hand lens.
       Other features:
            Pores medium to small, arranged in radial streams (or flares).

        Conifers:
        Primary identifying feature:
            Consists only of rectangular cells stacked radially from center.
        Other features:
            If contains solitary vessels (actually resin canals), then it is a Pine.
            If contains groups of resin canals, then it is Spruce or Douglas Fir.
            If does not contain resin canals, but has large cells, it is Sequoia
                or Cypress.
            If does not contain resin canals and has small to medium-sized cells,
                 it is Cedar or Fir

        Elm:
        Primary identifying feature:
            Latewood pores in wavy bands surrounded by parenchyma.\
            Earlywood pores large and arranged on growth ring (ring porous)
        Other features:
            Rays can be of different widths (narrow and medium) and are straight.
            Type of elm determined by thickness of large, earlywood pore band.

        Honey Locust:
        Primary identifying feature:
            Latewood pores in nested clusters connected by bands of
                confluent parenchyma.
        Other features:
            Ring porous. Earlywood pores large and distinctive.
            Rays may be of different widths (narrow and medium). Medium rays
                 are straight,
            fine rays bend around large earlywood pores.

2.    FAMILIES FROM TROPICAL CLIMATES

        Note: Some Conifers are in this group. See description above.

        Legume:
        Primary identifying feature:
            Light or dark-colored parenchyma surround pores.
        Other features:
            Rays bend around pores (in most species).
            Pores are medium to large, sometimes in radial chains of 2 or 3.

        Walnut (Engelhardia group):
        Primary identifying feature:
            Long, continuous tangential lines of banded parenchyma.
        Other features:
        Uniform size and spacing of pores. Pores sometimes in doublets.
            Rays straight.

        Alangium (Alangiaceae):

        Couma or Hunteria (Apocynaceae):
        Primary identifying feature:
            Short tangential lines of banded parenchyma, usually discontinuous
                 at each ray.
        Other features:
            Rays may or may not bend around pores.
            Pores medium sized, sometimes decreasing in size from earlywood
                   to latewood (semi-ring porous). Usually singular but may be
                   in radial groups of 2 or 3.

        Scottellia (Flacourtiaceae):
        Primary identifying feature:
            Rays of two distinct thicknesses (narrow and medium) and are straight.
        Other features:
            Uniform size and spacing of pores. Sometimes occur in radial multiples.