Agathis is one of the typical conifers in tropical zones. It is used for many purposes because of its good quality. Compression wood is, however, sometimes present in Agathis wood and it has become a big problem for utilization.
Fundamental information on the characteristics of the anatomy of compression wood of Agathis was gathered and compared to information on compression wood in Japanese cedar.
Agathis sp. from Borneo in Malaysia was investigated. The features of the distribution of compression wood was observed first. Cell shape, cell wall structure, microfibril angle, lignification also were investigated. The characteristics of compression wood of Agathis will be discussed and compared to features of opposite wood and side (or lateral) wood.
Key words: anatomy, compression wood, Agathis sp.
Correspondence: Tadashi Nobuchi, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-01, Japan