2 - Wood Anatomy CIE5124 - 4-May-2018 - Version 2

Timber Structures 2 CIE 5124
Anatomy of wood and bamboo
To explain:
• Degradation phenomena
• Mechanical properties
• Physical properties
• Biological properties
Objective of the lecture

Describe and explain the microstructure of
wood and bamboo and their function in a tree.
w.f.gard@tudelft.nl 1
Wolfgang F. Gard
Delft University of Technology
Bio based structures and materials
Delft / The Netherlands
An overview of land plant evolution
Land plants
Vascular plants
Bryophytes
(nonvascular plants) Seedless vascular plants Seed plants
Gymnosperms
(400 mya)
(ferns, horsetails, whisk fern)

(club mosses, spike mosses, quillworts)
Gymnosperms
Hornworts
Mosses
Angiosperms
Liverworts
Charophyceans
e.g.
softwoods
Origin of seed plants Angiosperms
Pterophyte
(about 400 mya)
Dicots:
Lycophytes
Origin of vascular
e.g. hardwoods
plants (about 420 mya)
(320 mya)
Monocots:
e.g. bamboo, palm
Origin of land plants
(about 475 mya) (30 mya)
Ancestral
green alga
Softwood (conifer) Hardwood
deciduous, evergreen
The World’s Forests Biological Diversity
Wood Species
280
4000
3000
5000 2100
7800
source FAO 2006 Paper 147

Number of Commercial exploited Wood Species: ca. 1000

Overview of bamboo resources
About 1,250 species Study by FAO, Rom, 2007
1,142 m ha forest Harvesting

36 m ha bamboo Bamboo after 4-7 years
About 3% bamboo area Wood trees after 40 years
FAO 2007 World Bamboo Resources

Classification
How to classify wood/bamboo
species ?
All plants are assigned to a
botanical system which is
build up by morphological
characteristics.
• roots, trunk, branches,
twigs, leaves
• flowers, seeds, bud, cone
Elm tree
Classification of wood and bamboo species
Botanical name
Family Fagaceae Pinaceae Poaceae
Genus Fagus Picea Phyllostachys
Species Fagus sylvatica L. Picea abies Phyllostachys edulis
(L.) Karst. (Carrière) J.Houz.,
1906.
Trade name Beech Spruce
Bamboo
Beuken Vuren
Buche Fichte (Moso)
Hêtre Épicéa
Growth of bamboo
TERMS
• Culm
• Node
• Internode Rhizome
• Rhizome
http://www.bamboobotanicals.ca/html/about-bamboo/bamboo-growth-habits.html
Growth of bamboo
Rhizome
Ligno Biomass
Bamboo tree:
12 m - 25 m height
15 cm - 30 cm diameter
0.5 cm – 2.5 cm wall thickness
Bamboo Wood
Age (years) 5-7 30 - 40
Diameter (m) 0,20 0,35
Height (m) 25 25
Wall thickness (m) 0,02 solid
Wood volume (m3) 0,28 2,50
9 bamboo trees is
about 1 spruce tree
If the production rate of biomass of bamboo is higher per hectare
then of wood and time period depends on the tree density of a hectare.
FAO 2007 World Bamboo Resources

Bamboo
Cross section of a
bamboo column/stem
Vascular bundles (spots)
Bamboo tissue
Parenchyma
(storage tissue)
Fibres
Phloem = Bark
Vessels
(Xylem = Wood)
Vascular bundle
http://www.guaduabamboo.com/guadua/comparing-mechanical-properties-of-bamboo-guadua-vs-moso
Bamboo
Telescopic growth
Vascular bundles
Fibres in a vascular bundle
Vessels in a vascular bundle
Cross section of bamboo Parenchyma matrix
Phloem (bark)
Vascular bundle
Cambium (dividable cells)
Phloem (bark)
Xylem (wood)
Wood vascular bundle

Differences of bamboo and wood
Monocot plants Dicot plants
Vascular bundles in stem are Vascular bundles in stem are

numerous and scattered. fewer and arranged in circles or
rings.
No cambium, no secondary Cambium is present, secondary

growth in stem (no growth in growth occurs (growth in
thickness). thickness).
Stem usually hollow. Stem usually solid.
Bamboo node area
Cross section
(blue = high density)
Macro structure Xylem
Growth ring Juvenile wood heartwood sapwood
Bark
(Phloem)
Larch (softwood) Black locust (hardwood)

Microscopic wood structure
Late wood
Early wood resin channel fibres vessels
ray
100 µm
Wood species: Pine (softwood) Wood species: Poplar (hardwood)

rays
100 µm
Wood species: Robinia (hardwood) Wood species: White oak (hardwood)

Cross section
pits
ray
Radial plane of softwood
vessel
tracheid/fibre
ray
tangential
pits

pits

pits

Cell deviation
SOFTWOOD HARDWOOD
1, 2 tracheid's
3,11,10 parenchyma
Cambium cell 5-8 tracheid’s
9 vessel
4,12 resin
parenchyma
Wood anatomical features for determination of the
wood species
Softwood
• Resin canals (horizontal, vertical)
• Distribution of tracheid's (cross-section)
• Pit types between ray - and tracheid cells
• Inter-tracheide pitting
• Formation of rays
Hardwood
• Resin canals (horizontal, vertical)
• Distribution of tracheid's & vessels (cross-section)
• Pit types between ray - and tracheid cells
• Inter-tracheide pitting
• Formation of rays
• Parenchyma distribution (cross-section)
Softwood
Distribution of tracheids (cross-section)
Tracheids
(early wood)
Tracheids
(late wood)
Resin canal
(vertical)
Hardwood
Distribution of vessels (cross-section)
Ring porous Diffuse porous Semi-ring porous
vessels
European Ash Afzelia (Afzelia spp.) Butternut (Juglans cinerea)

(Fraxinus
excelsior)
http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/hardwood-anatomy/
Hardwood Formation of rays ()
tangential section
storied rays rays diffused rays
close up
cross-section
Hardwood
Distribution of vertical parenchyma (cross-section)
Vessels
Parenchyma
small white spots
http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/hardwood-anatomy/
Chemical constituents
Softwood Hardwood Bamboo

Cellulose 42-49% 42-51% 40 – 55%
Hemicellulose 24-30% 27-40% 18 – 30%
Lignin 25-30% 18-24% 20 – 25%
Extractives 0.1-30% 0.1-20% 2 – 23%
Wood Extractives
Pine 9%
Pitch Pine 38 %
Birch 3.5 %
Oak 12 %
Teak 11 %
Beech 1.3 %
Chemical components responsible for the
strength and physical properties of wood
viewed from three distinct levels:
 macroscopic (cellular) level

 microscopic (cell wall) level
 molecular (polymeric) level
Macroscopic (cellular) level
Inherent strength is a
product of growing trees.
Conductive tissue
Thin-walled early wood
Supporting tissue
Thick-walled late wood
Fibres comprise large

composite bands
bonded together by
lignin.
fiber length, earlywood, latewood, reaction wood, sapwood,

heartwood, mineral content, extractive chemicals, resin content, etc
Microscopic (cell wall) level
Microfibrils
Bundles of cellulose chains (diameter 10nm-25nm)
Matrix material is lignin
Orientation of the cell wall polymers.
Handbook of Wood Chemistry and Wood Composites
Chemical Structure
Cellulose element:
H C1 O
H C2 OH
HO C3 H Poly-hydroxy aldehyde (ketone)
H C4 OH
H C5 OH
H C6 OH
H
Chemical Structure
C6 H2OH
H C1 O
HC5H O
H C2 OH
HOC4H C1HOH
HO C3 H
C3HOH C2HOH
H C4 OH
H C5 OH
H C6 OH
β-Glucose
H basic component
Chemical Structure
C6 H2OH C6 H2OH
HC5H O HC5H O
HOC4H C1HOH O
HC HOC4H C1HOH
C3HOH C2HOH C3HOH C2HOH
H2O
β-Glucose β-1,4 Glucose molecule
basic component
Chemical Structure
Cellulose:
high degree of polymerisation and linear orientation
amorphous crystalline (70% in ‘s’ wall)

up to 15.000 glucose molecules)
Chemical Structure
Hemicellulose:
Acts as a matix for the cellulose; increases packing density of the cell
wall and is a link between fibrous cellulose and amorphous lignin.
Highly branched structure, up to 3.000 sugar units
sugar monomers: e.g. xylose, mannose, galactose, arabinose

Chemical Structure
Lignin:
Holds the fibres together, acts as stiffening agent for the cellulose
molecules in the cell wall.
cumarylalcohol coniferylalcohol synapylalcohol

Phenolic compounds
Part of Lignin 3-dimentional network
Wood lignin
Wood Extractives (non-cell wall components) Inorganics
Silicates
Carbonates
Fatty acids
Waxes Stilbenes
Terpenes
Pinene
Limonene Alkaloid
Cytisine
Tannins
Gallic acid Flavone toxic
Bamboo
Epidermis has a high

silicate content.
www.nature.com/nmat/journal/v14/n1/fig_tab/nmat4089_F2.html
Chain of wood structure Cell wall
ML,S1,S2,S3
Fibrils 10-6m
Micro fibrils
10-9m – 10-7m
Fibre
Vessels
10-5m - 10-4m
Molecule
Cellulose
Hemicelluloses
Lignin
10-10m -10-9m
Clear wood Structural wood

Board Board
Up to 1 m 1m - 7m
Source: according to University of Canterbury, 1996. Mark Harrington

Tensile strength (indication)
8000
Tensile strength [MPa]
7000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
1000 450 150 70
0
Cellulose Micro Cells Clear wood Sturctural
chain fibrils (fibres) timber
Chemical Composition of Wood: Hardwoods
* Data for Cellulose, Hemicellulose & Lignin on extractive free wood basis
Chemical Composition of Wood: Softwoods
* Data for Cellulose, Hemicellulose & Lignin on extractive free wood basis

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Timber Structures 2 CIE 5124

Anatomy of wood and bamboo

Objective of the lecture

(ferns, horsetails, whisk fern)

source FAO 2006 Paper 147

Number of Commercial exploited Wood Species: ca. 1000

1,142 m ha forest Harvesting

FAO 2007 World Bamboo Resources

FAO 2007 World Bamboo Resources

Vascular bundles (spots)

Cambium (dividable cells)

Wood vascular bundle

Vascular bundles in stem are Vascular bundles in stem are

No cambium, no secondary Cambium is present, secondary

Stem usually hollow. Stem usually solid.

Growth ring Juvenile wood heartwood sapwood

Larch (softwood) Black locust (hardwood)

Wood species: Pine (softwood) Wood species: Poplar (hardwood)

Wood species: Robinia (hardwood) Wood species: White oak (hardwood)

Radial plane of softwood

Radial plane of softwood

Radial plane of softwood

Radial plane of softwood

Ring porous Diffuse porous Semi-ring porous

European Ash Afzelia (Afzelia spp.) Butternut (Juglans cinerea)

storied rays rays diffused rays

Softwood Hardwood Bamboo

viewed from three distinct levels:

 macroscopic (cellular) level

Fibres comprise large

fiber length, earlywood, latewood, reaction wood, sapwood,

HO C3 H Poly-hydroxy aldehyde (ketone)

C3HOH C2HOH C3HOH C2HOH

amorphous crystalline (70% in ‘s’ wall)

Highly branched structure, up to 3.000 sugar units

sugar monomers: e.g. xylose, mannose, galactose, arabinose

cumarylalcohol coniferylalcohol synapylalcohol

Epidermis has a high

Clear wood Structural wood

Source: according to University of Canterbury, 1996. Mark Harrington

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