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The identification of the wooden samples from the 1998 excavation on a church and a surrounded graveyard at the abandoned farm called Thorarinsstadir, located in Seydisfjordur, S-Mulasysla, Iceland, has been performed by means of observation through a Scanning Electron Microscope (S.E.M -XL20 Philips.). |
The samples were found at the excavation area according to the following list.
| Number of the sample | Location of the sample in the excavation area |
|---|---|
| MA 98/37 | in a hearth in the graveyard. |
| MA 98/63 | in posthole 2. |
| MA 98/64 | outside posthole 2. |
| MA 98/80 | in grave 6. |
| MA 98/136 | outside the church. |
| MA 98/146 | in grave 11. |
| MA 98/166 | outside the church. |
| MA 98/175 | inside the church. |
| MA 98/176 | inside the church. |
| MA 98/216 | in posthole 3. |
| MA 98/222 | in posthole 1. |
| MA 98/230 | in a hearth in the graveyard. |
The sample preparation has been obtained along the three anatomical directions, on the two still woody samples (Ma98/176, Ma98/222), trough manual cut with a common razor. Being charcoal the other samples, their compactness allowed to obtain through a simple manual fracture, clean and readable surfaces.
The sample Ma 98/80 was too decayed to be identified.
The data obtained from the observation, compared to dichotomy keys and comparative microphotographs, allowed the identification of the following species:
The following table reports the reference numbers of the samples and the pertinent identified species.
| Wood Species | Sample reference number | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 63 | 64 | 136 | 146 | 166 | 175 | 176 | 216 | 222 | 230 | T | |
| Alnus sp. | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Larix sp. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
| Pinus cembra L. | -x -t -r | 1 | ||||||||||
| Pinus sylvestris L. | x | t | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||
| Salix sp. | x -t -r | 1 | ||||||||||
| Tilia sp | x -t | 1 | ||||||||||
| Total | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Diffuse – porous ring with vessels solitary or in radial chains of 2 to 7 elements, scalariform perforation plates. Mono or biseriate homocellular rays, presence of aggregate rays. Considering that the origin of the sample should be indigenous, the species of the Alnus genus living in Iceland actually are (not distinguishable through anatomical analysis): A.viridis D.C. widely distributed throughout in the Mountains of C. Europe, Corse and Balkan peninsula; N.E Russia. A. incana (L.) . widely distribued throughout the Moench N.E. Europe and Fennoscandia; C. Europe; locally in the mountains of. S. Europe.( Fig. 1 -2 -3 (Radial)).
Earlywood – latewood generally abrupt transition, presence of resin canals, parenchyma absent. Longitudinal tracheids often with biseriate pits. Presence of heterogeneous rays due to the presence of ray tracheids, rays with resin canals. In earlywood piceoid ray pits. The presence of wood of this genus in Iceland should be due to drift wood coming from Europe. In this case most probable species could be (not distinguishable trough anatomical analysis): L. decidua Miller: widely distributed throughout the Alps of Central Europe, Carpathia, in the valleys of Selicia and Moravia, and also in the South ranges of forests in Czechoslovakia. L. sibirica Ledeb.: widely distributed throughout the N.E. Russia and W. Siberia, where it has a vary wide distribution.(Fig. 4 -5 -6).
Graduate earlywood – latewood transition, latewood zone always narrow, frequent resin canals with thin walled epithelial cells. Rays heterocellular for the presence of thin and smooth radial tracheids. In earlywood cross-fields with one to two, rarely three, fenestriform (pinoids) pits.
The wood of this species cannot be distinguished from that of Pinus peuce Griseb and Pinus strobus L., but considering that the presence in Iceland must be related to the drift wood, only Pinus cembra, widely distributed throughout the Alps of Central Europe and in Siberia.(Fig. 7 -8 -9) could have been drift to Iceland.
Earlywood – latewood generally abrupt transition, frequent resin canals with thin walled epithelial cells. Rays heterocellular for the presence of dentate radial tracheids. Parenchyma cells generally with one , rarely two large fenestriform pits per cross-field. As for the previous species, also this one is indistinguishable from Pinus mugo Turra, but the ecology of Pinus sylvestris, widely distributed throughout the Europe and Asia, from Norway and Scotland to Spain, W. Asia and N.E. Siberia.( Fig.10 -11 -12 ), seems more plausible with its presence as drift wood in Iceland.
Diffuse to semi ring porous. Vessels solitary, in groups or in short radial three to five elements rows. Rays uniseriate, average height 10 to 15 cells; rays heterogenous with one to two rows of square and upright marginal cells. Perforation plates simple. As for alder, the presence of willow wood should be considered indigenous the species of the Salix genus living in Iceland actually are (not distinguishable trough anatomical analysis): S. glauca L. widely distribued throughout the Iceland, Faeröer, N.& W. Fennoscandia, arctic Russia. S. lanata L widely distribued throughout theArctic and subarctic Europe, extending southwards to C. Scotland. ( Fig. 13 -14 -15).
Diffuse to semi ring porous, vessels often in two to three cells radial files and groups. Vessels with conspicuous spiral thickenings, perforation plates simple; Rays generally bi to four seriate, heterocellular; height of cells very variable from 10 up to 70 cells. ( Fig. 16 -17). Lime tree is not present in the Icelandic flora and seems also difficult to imagine this kind of wood as drift. The most diffuse European Lime tree can be considered Tilia cordata, but other species, not distinguishable one from each other on the basis of their wood anatomy, are not negligible.(Fig. 16-17).
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