WOOD COLORIMETRY FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF AMAZONIAN TREE SPECIES: A SUBSIDY FOR A MORE EFFICIENT CLASSIFICATION

ABSTRACT The wood of different species may present macroscopic similarities, which hinders a reliable differentiation between the specie. This can be a problem, especially in the tropics, given the high species diversity in this region. To overcome this problem of wood identification, colorimetric criteria can be applied, aiming at a better and more objective classification, as opposed to the traditional anatomic criteria. Therefore, the aim of this research was to analyze the variability of the wood color considering the cutting planes (tangential and radial) and to determine its correlation with the wood basic density of ten Amazonian tree species. The following species were studied: Apuleia leiocarpa (amarelão), Hymenolobium modestum (angelim-pedra), Anadenanthera columbrina (angico), Dipteryx odorata (cumaru), Pouteria pachycarpa (goiabão), Mezilaurus itauba (itaubá), Hymenaea courbaril (jatobá), Simarouba amara (marupá), Astronium leicontei (muiracatiara) and, Bowdichia nitida (sucupira). The CIEL*a*b* system was used to determine the colorimetric parameters (L*, a*, b*, C*, and h*), which were obtained through a portable colorimeter. The species were classified in six color specific groups: light yellow, olive brown, yellowish olive, olive light, grayish white and reddish brown. We observed statistical effect of the cut planes only for luminosity, with higher mean for radial face. The correlation analyses between color and basic density showed that the denser woods are darker and have more red pigment (a*). There is negative correlation between luminosity (L*) and wood basic density (-0.78). The colorimetric parameter a* presented positive correlation with the basic density (r = 0.80).