2013 Volume 59 Issue 4 Pages 203-210
Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa), a Japanese native conifer is an important tree as timber for temples and shrines. Taiwan hinoki (C. obtusa var. formosana), a Formosan native, is a close relative of hinoki, and had been used as its substitute before Taiwan's ban on harvesting in 1992. Since Taiwan hinoki was used for restoration of many old wooden buildings, identification of the two species as timber is important in historic studies. Distinction of the two species, however, is known to be difficult by mere anatomical examination. Here we attempted chemical identification of a wood specimen from a university gate weathered for over 70 years. While neither GC/MS of volatile components nor qualitative analysis of hinokitiol could determine the species, thin-layer chromatography (TLC) of the dichloromethane extract by silica gel plate combined with fluorescence fingerprinting was found effective for distinguishing the two species. The results showed that the wood of the old gate is C. obtusa var. formosana. This technique of TLC fingerprinting is potentially useful in chemotaxonomical identification of wood species in general.
