Bordered pitting arrangement with age of Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii) and Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi)

Abstract

The bordered pitting arrangements in the tracheids of Dahurian larch (DL) and Japanese larch (JL) growing in Korea were studied using optical microscopy to gain insights into the wood identification of both species. Differences were noted in the tracheid pitting patterns between the species. In juvenile wood, DL dominantly exhibited uniseriate pitting along the earlywood within a growth ring, whereas JL displayed biseriate pitting at the start of the earlywood, transitioning to uniseriate pitting. In the transition wood, DL predominantly showed biseriate pitting at the beginning, with uniseriate pitting at the end, while JL exhibited uniseriate pitting initially and at the end, with biseriate pitting in the middle. The mature wood of both species predominantly exhibited a biseriate pitting arrangement with a few uniseriate pitting at the end of the earlywood. JL exhibited a higher proportion of biseriate pitting than DL. The proportion of biseriate pitting and radial tracheid width in both species increased with increasing growth ring number, showing a positive correlation. While some differences were found between DL and JL, further investigation is needed to evaluate the consistency and practical applicability of pit patterns for wood identification in diverse field conditions.