{"id":8857,"date":"2012-11-15T11:13:56","date_gmt":"2012-11-15T17:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/?page_id=8857"},"modified":"2021-03-03T21:55:15","modified_gmt":"2021-03-04T02:55:15","slug":"softwood-anatomy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wood-articles\/softwood-anatomy\/","title":{"rendered":"Softwood Anatomy"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"8857\" class=\"elementor elementor-8857\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-73e00b2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"73e00b2\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d255625\" data-id=\"d255625\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1bb5e17 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1bb5e17\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>by Eric Meier<\/strong><\/p><blockquote><p><strong>Outline<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"#resin_canals\"><strong>Resin canals<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#tracheids\"><strong>Tracheids<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#transition\"><strong>Earlywood to latewood transition<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#grain\"><strong>Grain contrast<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#parenchyma\"><strong>Parenchyma<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#rays\"><strong>Rays<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/blockquote><p>Amidst the daunting jungle of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wood-articles\/hardwood-anatomy\/\">hardwood species<\/a>, (where there are several hundred commercial species used worldwide, with many thousands more that are intermittently seen in woodworking applications), the world of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wood-articles\/what-is-wood\/#hard-soft\">conifers<\/a>\u00a0is much more limited. With perhaps only a few dozen chief species worldwide, and only a few hundred species (rather than thousands) that are ever harvested for wood, softwoods represent a comparatively smaller percentage of the diversity seen in wood.<\/p><p>However, softwoods are also much simpler than hardwoods in their anatomical features, so there are far fewer clues to help identify them. Consequently, macroscopic softwood identification is usually less conclusive, and many times will only result in more broad or generic identifications, such as,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wood-articles\/pine-wood-an-overall-guide\/\">pine\u00a0<em>(Pinus spp.)\u00a0<\/em><\/a>or spruce\u00a0<em>(Picea spp.)<\/em>, rather than determining an exact species.<\/p><p>The primary distinguishing feature between softwoods and hardwoods is that\u00a0<em>softwood species lack pores.<\/em>\u00a0So upon initial examination of an unknown wood sample, the most immediate detail to note is whether or not the endgrain section has numerous circular openings\u2014commonly referred to as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wood-articles\/hardwood-anatomy\/#pores\">vessels or pores<\/a>.<\/p><p>With hardwoods, the most conspicuous anatomical feature is the pores, which serves to initially separate hardwoods based upon the various distributions of their pores. However, because softwoods are poreless, another conspicuous and easily recognizable anatomical feature is used instead to quickly make broad distinctions between conifers.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-afbcd8e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"afbcd8e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b81c3ea\" data-id=\"b81c3ea\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-acc6dd7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"acc6dd7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<!-- 2019-inline-article-elementor -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3550840598661096\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"6514411072\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4a03972 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4a03972\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c0add95\" data-id=\"c0add95\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-661771d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"661771d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1><a name=\"resin_canals\"><\/a>Resin canals<\/h1>\n<strong>Resin canals,<\/strong>\u00a0sometimes referred to as\u00a0<strong>resin ducts,\u00a0<\/strong>are unique to conifers; they are technically not individual cells, but are actually open, tube-like spaces bordered by special cells that have the ability to secrete pitch or resin into the neighboring opening (canal). One of the apparent purposes of these ducts is to protect and seal up a wound by exuding resin to cover the damaged area of the tree. (Accordingly, in rare instances, some softwood species that don\u2019t normally have resin ducts will develop them as a result of trauma.)\n\nWhen initially sorting between softwoods, three primary groups emerge when considering their resin canals:\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c45114a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c45114a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-99a7e81\" data-id=\"99a7e81\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b64692 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1b64692\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Large, numerous, evenly spaced, solitary resin canals<\/h3><figure id=\"attachment_8868\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8868\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ponderosa-pine-endgrain-zoom1.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8868\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ponderosa-pine-endgrain-zoom1-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ponderosa-pine-endgrain-zoom1-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ponderosa-pine-endgrain-zoom1-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ponderosa-pine-endgrain-zoom1-45x60.jpg 45w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ponderosa-pine-endgrain-zoom1.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8868\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ponderosa pine (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>This group includes all of the true pines in the\u00a0<em>Pinus<\/em>\u00a0genus.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-df326c2\" data-id=\"df326c2\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-623c151 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"623c151\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Small, infrequent, sporadically spaced, tangentially-grouped resin canals<\/h3><figure id=\"attachment_8869\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8869\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sitka-spruce-endgrain-zoom.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8869\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sitka-spruce-endgrain-zoom-300x400.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sitka-spruce-endgrain-zoom-300x400.png 300w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sitka-spruce-endgrain-zoom-150x200.png 150w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sitka-spruce-endgrain-zoom-45x60.png 45w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sitka-spruce-endgrain-zoom.png 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8869\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sitka spruce (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Some genera in the\u00a0<em>Pinaceae<\/em>\u00a0family, such as: spruce\u00a0<em>(Picea spp.),<\/em>\u00a0larch\u00a0<em>(Larix spp.),\u00a0<\/em>and Douglas-Fir\u00a0<em>(Pseudotsuga spp.)<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-483e621\" data-id=\"483e621\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cb103ff elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cb103ff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>No resin canals<\/h3><figure id=\"attachment_8870\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8870\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cedar-of-lebanon-endgrain-zoom-s1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8870\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cedar-of-lebanon-endgrain-zoom-s1-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cedar-of-lebanon-endgrain-zoom-s1-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cedar-of-lebanon-endgrain-zoom-s1-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cedar-of-lebanon-endgrain-zoom-s1-45x60.jpg 45w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cedar-of-lebanon-endgrain-zoom-s1.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8870\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cedar of Lebanon (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Numerous species of cedar, as well as: fir\u00a0<em>(Abies spp.),<\/em>\u00a0hemlock\u00a0<em>(Tsuga spp.),<\/em>\u00a0juniper\u00a0<em>(Juniperus spp.),<\/em>\u00a0and yew\u00a0<em>(Taxus spp.)<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-799fea6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"799fea6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-dcf123d\" data-id=\"dcf123d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca7c48d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ca7c48d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Resin canals can be very infrequent in some softwood species, so care must be taken to observe an adequately large area of the endgrain to ensure their absence. One way to confirm the presence of resin canals is to look for a type of horizontal resin canal, called a\u00a0<strong>fusiform ray.<\/strong>\u00a0When viewed from the endgrain, fusiform rays are seen as unusually wide rays, and can be thought of as a hybrid between a resin canal and a ray. (See the picture of\u00a0Sitka\u00a0Spruce above for an example of fusiform rays.)<\/p><p>Once a softwood sample has been sorted into one of the three initial categories based upon the resin canals, further refinements are used to obtain a more specific and positive identification. The following is an overview of the remaining features that are used to describe and identify conifers; each softwood species\u2019 profile page also lists these characteristics to help in identification.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-27cfbde elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"27cfbde\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7eaf263\" data-id=\"7eaf263\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5143de1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5143de1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1><a name=\"tracheids\"><\/a>Tracheids<\/h1>\nWithin a conifer\u2019s trunk, the majority of the wood is comprised of long, thin cells called\u00a0<strong>tracheids<\/strong>. In addition to giving the tree most of its strength, tracheids also double as \u201cpores\u201d in a sense\u2014since conifers lack true pores, they rely on tracheids for sap conduction.\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Tracheids are arranged in orderly, neat rows within the trunk, and are\u00a0<em>longitudinal<\/em>\u00a0(they run lengthwise with the trunk). Tracheids can vary in diameter depending on the species, and because they account for over 90% of the cells, their diameter greatly influences the overall texture and feel of the wood\u2014the larger the diameter, the coarser the texture.<\/p>\n\n<table class=\"aligncenter\" border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"3\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Tracheid diameter and texture<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Relative Size<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Microns (\u00b5m)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Texture<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Very Small<\/td>\n<td>&lt; 25<\/td>\n<td>Very Fine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Small<\/td>\n<td>25-35<\/td>\n<td>Fine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Medium<\/td>\n<td>35-50<\/td>\n<td>Medium<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Large<\/td>\n<td>50-60<\/td>\n<td>Coarse<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Very Large<\/td>\n<td>&gt; 60<\/td>\n<td>Very Coarse<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Because anatomical features such as tracheids are very difficult to accurately measure without specialized tools, their diameter will instead be referred to in comparative terms, such as small, medium, and large. When viewing the endgrain under 10x magnification, softwood species with the largest tracheids generally have cells that can each be seen individually. Single cells become harder to discern in the mid-range, while the smallest tracheids tend to appear only as a collective mass with no clear cell borders.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-636a257 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"636a257\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7369fb3\" data-id=\"7369fb3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3eb239e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3eb239e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_8874\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8874\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cypress-endgrain-zoom1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8874\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cypress-endgrain-zoom1-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cypress-endgrain-zoom1-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cypress-endgrain-zoom1-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cypress-endgrain-zoom1-45x60.jpg 45w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cypress-endgrain-zoom1.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8874\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cypress (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5f403ac\" data-id=\"5f403ac\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45ee46f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"45ee46f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_8875\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8875\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/balsam-fir-endgrain-zoom1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8875\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/balsam-fir-endgrain-zoom1-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/balsam-fir-endgrain-zoom1-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/balsam-fir-endgrain-zoom1-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/balsam-fir-endgrain-zoom1-45x60.jpg 45w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/balsam-fir-endgrain-zoom1.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8875\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Balsam fir (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8216415\" data-id=\"8216415\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dfcb45c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dfcb45c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_8876\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8876\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/northern-white-cedar-endgrain1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8876\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/northern-white-cedar-endgrain1-300x400.jpg\" alt=\"Northern White Cedar (endgrain 10x)\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/northern-white-cedar-endgrain1-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/northern-white-cedar-endgrain1-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/northern-white-cedar-endgrain1-45x60.jpg 45w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/northern-white-cedar-endgrain1.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8876\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Northern white cedar (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2a8fe87 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2a8fe87\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7bcf3ce\" data-id=\"7bcf3ce\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-42645a1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"42645a1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>[Click each picture to get an enlargement with a clearer view of the tracheids] At left is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/cypress\/\">cypress <em>(Taxodium distichum)<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>with very large tracheids, especially among its earlywood. In the center is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/balsam-fir\/\">balsam fir <em>(Abies balsamea)<\/em><\/a> with an intermediate texture. At right is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/northern-white-cedar\/\">northern white cedar <em>(Thuja occidentalis)<\/em><\/a>\u00a0with very small diameter tracheids that generally can\u2019t be discerned individually.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-14c0525 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"14c0525\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6124ebc\" data-id=\"6124ebc\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-668b482 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"668b482\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<!-- 2019-inline-article-elementor -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3550840598661096\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"6514411072\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1b5ed9e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1b5ed9e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e3c2936\" data-id=\"e3c2936\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b171bff elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b171bff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1><a name=\"transition\"><\/a>Earlywood to latewood transition<\/h1>\nThe\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wood-articles\/what-is-wood\/#tree-growth\">earlywood<\/a>\u00a0of a tree consists of faster-growing material, while the latewood is comprised of denser, slower-growing material. In softwoods, this translates into larger diameter tracheids in the earlywood, and smaller diameter tracheids in the latewood.\n\nIn addition to simply noting the overall average size of the tracheids, it can also be helpful to note the\u00a0<em>rate of transition<\/em>\u00a0from the earlywood to the latewood. This transition can be described as being either\u00a0<em>very gradual,<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0<em>very abrupt,<\/em>\u00a0or somewhere in between, such as\u00a0<em>moderately abrupt.<\/em>\u00a0Although this visual description is somewhat subjective, such observations can help give clues and point an otherwise ambiguous identification into one direction or another.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-172b1bd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"172b1bd\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5819300\" data-id=\"5819300\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-83eeac6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"83eeac6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_8886\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8886\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/southern-yellow-pine-endgrain-zoom.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8886\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/southern-yellow-pine-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/southern-yellow-pine-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/southern-yellow-pine-endgrain-zoom-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/southern-yellow-pine-endgrain-zoom-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/southern-yellow-pine-endgrain-zoom.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8886\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southern yellow pine (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a22ab80\" data-id=\"a22ab80\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10ab7d3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"10ab7d3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_8379\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8379\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sugar-pine-endgrain-zoom.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8379\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sugar-pine-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"Sugar Pine (endgrain 10x)\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8379\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sugar pine (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-97bad0e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"97bad0e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ef42d10\" data-id=\"ef42d10\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9fb569c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9fb569c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>First is southern yellow pine <em>(Pinus spp.),\u00a0<\/em>which has a rather abrupt transition from earlywood to latewood. Next is sugar pine <em>(Pinus lambertiana),<\/em>\u00a0which has a much more gradual transition in its tracheid sizes.<\/p><p>One caveat in examining the transition rate of the tracheids is that growth rates should also be considered. For instance, if a wood sample has an abnormally fast growth rate, the earlywood and latewood zones will be elongated, giving an artificially lower impression of a more gradual transition. Likewise, if a wood sample is encountered that is suspected to have an unusually slow growth rate, then the growth zones will be compressed, and the transition between earlywood and latewood will seem more abrupt.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4447bcb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4447bcb\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-52b4e33\" data-id=\"52b4e33\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e382abf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e382abf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1><a name=\"grain\"><\/a>Grain contrast<\/h1>\nIn conifers, grain contrast is basically a description of the contrast of color between the earlywood and latewood. If the color of the wood is somewhat monotone and uninterrupted between growth ring zones, it has low grain contrast.\u00a0If the color of the wood has a striped appearance with high contrast between the earlywood and latewood, it has high grain contrast.\n\nMuch like earlywood to latewood transitions, grain contrast is a somewhat subjective measure\u2014though grain contrast tends to be an easier characteristic to gauge, and can be observed from the face grain as well as the endgrain. Grain contrast can be described as being very high, very low, or anywhere in between.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8b456c3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8b456c3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-86a2462\" data-id=\"86a2462\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3b1cbfd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3b1cbfd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_7909\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7909\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/western-larch-endgrain-zoom.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-7909\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/western-larch-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"Western Larch (endgrain 10x)\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/western-larch-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/western-larch-endgrain-zoom-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/western-larch-endgrain-zoom-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/western-larch-endgrain-zoom.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7909\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Western larch (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-17d9120\" data-id=\"17d9120\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-81a04d5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"81a04d5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_8389\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8389\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/eastern-white-pine-endgrain-zoom.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8389\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/eastern-white-pine-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"Eastern White Pine (endgrain 10x)\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/eastern-white-pine-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/eastern-white-pine-endgrain-zoom-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/eastern-white-pine-endgrain-zoom-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/eastern-white-pine-endgrain-zoom.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8389\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eastern white pine (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7a03103 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7a03103\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e8a848e\" data-id=\"e8a848e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e24329d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e24329d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>First is a sample of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/western-larch\/\">western larch<\/a>\u00a0<em>(Larix occidentalis)<\/em> that has high grain contrast. Next is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/eastern-white-pine\/\">eastern white pine<\/a>\u00a0<em>(Pinus strobus),<\/em> which has a much lower grain contrast. On the facegrain surface of the wood, eastern white pine has a very uniform and monotone appearance, with grain lines that can hardly be seen.<\/p><p>It should be noted that grain contrast and earlywood to latewood transitions ought to be considered each separately. Although it would seem apparent that wood with an abrupt transition from earlywood to latewood would also have an uneven grain appearance, it\u2019s important to remember that just because the change in tracheid diameter is abrupt doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that there will be an accompanying change in color\u2014some woods have abrupt transitions, and relatively even grain colors.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bd1910d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bd1910d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2c80726\" data-id=\"2c80726\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21a74b6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"21a74b6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<!-- 2019-inline-article-elementor -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3550840598661096\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"6514411072\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-88b372e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"88b372e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-87ddea2\" data-id=\"87ddea2\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cd2d7e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cd2d7e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1><a name=\"parenchyma\"><\/a>Parenchyma<\/h1><p>Parenchyma cells are an example of an anatomical element that is of much greater use in macroscopic\u00a0<em>hardwood<\/em>\u00a0identification than it is in\u00a0<em>softwood<\/em>\u00a0identification. Nonetheless, even though hardwood parenchyma cells can form much more complex (and telling) arrangements, softwood parenchyma still have a limited use in identification.<\/p><p>Much like tracheids, parenchyma are oriented along the length of the tree-trunk, and are sometimes referred to as\u00a0<strong>longitudinal<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<strong>axial parenchyma.\u00a0<\/strong>In softwoods, these parenchyma cells are roughly the same diameter as tracheids when viewed from the endgrain.<\/p><p>Because tracheids account for over 90% of a softwood\u2019s cells, parenchyma cells are comparatively sparse\u2014(many softwoods don\u2019t have any parenchyma at all, such as: pine, spruce, and yew).<\/p><p>Commonly, single cells that are scattered throughout the cell structure of the wood can\u2019t be individually discerned, but since parenchyma are often filled with darker-colored contents (usually amber or reddish-brown), these special cells can sometimes be spotted with just 10x magnification.<\/p><p>In macroscopic examination of a conifer\u2019s parenchyma, two different formations are typically encountered. The first is when parenchyma is simply scattered throughout the cell structure of the wood in little to no apparent order, which is called\u00a0<strong>diffuse parenchyma.\u00a0<\/strong>The second is when the cells are arranged in a ring or line that runs parallel to the growth rings, which is frequently called\u00a0<strong>zonate parenchyma.<\/strong><\/p><figure id=\"attachment_8135\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8135\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/redwood-endgrain-zoom.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8135\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/redwood-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"Redwood (endgrain 10x)\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/redwood-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/redwood-endgrain-zoom-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/redwood-endgrain-zoom-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/redwood-endgrain-zoom.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8135\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Redwood (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Redwood\u00a0<em>(Sequoia sempervirens)<\/em> has numerous parenchyma cells scattered throughout the wood.<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_8888\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8888\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/aromatic-red-cedar-endgrain-zoom.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8888\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/aromatic-red-cedar-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"Aromatic Red Cedar (endgrain 10x)\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/aromatic-red-cedar-endgrain-zoom-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/aromatic-red-cedar-endgrain-zoom-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/aromatic-red-cedar-endgrain-zoom-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/aromatic-red-cedar-endgrain-zoom.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8888\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aromatic red cedar (endgrain 10x)<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Eastern red cedar <em>(Juniperus virginiana)\u00a0<\/em>has zonate parenchyma which forms broken lines of reddish cells between the growth ring boundaries. Also note a peculiarity found in this species: the zonate parenchyma also has a tendency to form double-rings between some growth rings.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9380b8f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9380b8f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-00a0a8d\" data-id=\"00a0a8d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca7584b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ca7584b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1><a name=\"rays\"><\/a>Rays<\/h1>\nWith the exception of special\u00a0<em>fusiform rays,<\/em>\u00a0which occur in conjunction with resin canals, regular softwood rays are usually only one to two cells wide (called\u00a0<strong>uniseriate<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>biseriate,<\/strong>\u00a0respectively). Because these normal rays are much narrower, and lack unique characteristics that are observable with a 10x hand lens, their usefulness in identification is essentially limited to microscopic examination.\n\nIn hardwood identification, rays can offer helpful clues in determining a wood species at only 10x magnification. However, with the scope of this website being limited to macroscopic identification up to only 10x, the minute differences encountered in the narrower rays of the softwood species will not be considered.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2bc159e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2bc159e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2485783\" data-id=\"2485783\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ef288 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"96ef288\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1>Get the hard copy<\/h1><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/book\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-20824\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wood-book-standup.jpg\" alt=\"wood-book-standup\" width=\"300\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wood-book-standup.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wood-book-standup-225x299.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>If you\u2019re interested in getting all that makes\u00a0<em>The Wood Database<\/em>\u00a0unique distilled into a single, real-world resource, there\u2019s the book that\u2019s based on the website\u2014the Amazon.com best-seller,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/book\/\">WOOD! Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide<\/a><\/strong>. It contains many of the most popular articles found on this website, as well as hundreds of wood profiles\u2014laid out with the same clarity and convenience of the website\u2014packaged in a shop-friendly hardcover book.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Eric Meier Outline Resin canals Tracheids Earlywood to latewood transition Grain contrast Parenchyma Rays Amidst the daunting jungle of&nbsp;hardwood species, (where there are several hundred commercial species used worldwide, with many thousands more that are intermittently seen in woodworking applications), the world of&nbsp;conifers&nbsp;is much more limited. With perhaps only a few dozen chief species [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28578,"parent":9,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8857","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8857"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28633,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8857\/revisions\/28633"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wood-database.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}