Further studies on the structure and composition of variably degraded ancient woody tissues

Abstract

Ancient wood of Heritiera fomes, Bischofia javanica and Picea excelsa has been studied with reference to chemistry of these woods and of their normal representatives in relation to anatomical degradation; structure and texture of the walls of tracheids and fibres and their chemical degradation; microscopic architecture of the cell-wall in terms of its submicroscopic organization, and of its composition. The cellulose in ancient wood is degraded and disappears relatively gllickly, whereas lignin is largely retained. When cellulose is destroyed, its original trend of orientation is left in the form of texture in lignin. In some cases the original submicroscopic structure of cellulose is, however, well preserved. Probably the mineralization of the decaying cell-wall is mainly controlled by the surviving cellulose or the pattern it leaves in the texture of lignin.