Wood Macroscopic and Fiber Dimensions of Pasak Bumi Root (Eurycoma longifolia)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to characterize the macroscopic feature and fiber dimension of root wood of pasak bumi (Eurycoma longifolia). Macroscopic structures of the root wood were observed using stereoscopic microscope NIKON SMZ645 with magnification of 20-50x. Fiber cells were obtained from the maceration process using immersion in a solution of HNO3, KCLO3, alcohol 50% and distilled water. Fiber dimension measurements using the Olympus BH-2 microscope equipped with a micrometer at oculer lens. Categorization of fiber dimension follow the IAWA (International Association of Wood Anatomist) method. In macrocopically, the root wood of pasak bumi has a distinctive features, i.e. yellowish brown color with unobvious border of sapwood and heartwood, unobvious growthring, a distinctive wood odor, moderately fine and even in texture, and straight to occasionally wavy grain. Fiber dimensions with length 57.5 ± 12.7 μm, diameter 7.75 ± 2.22 μm, lumen diameter 2.26 ± 5025 μm, and fiber wall thickness 5.24 ± 1.25. Such indications can be used to recognize and distinguish the root wood of pasak bumi from other plant roots.