IAWA Feature List
Definition
A standardized set of coded anatomical characters published by the International Association of Wood Anatomists for hardwoods (1989) and softwoods (2004), used to build interactive identification keys like InsideWood.
- Publisher
- International Association of Wood Anatomists
- Hardwood list
- Published 1989
- Softwood list
- Published 2004
- Use
- Builds interactive keys such as InsideWood
Common questions
How does the feature list get used in a forensic timber case?+
An examiner scores a wood sample against the standardised anatomical characters, such as vessel arrangement or ray width, then matches the resulting code combination against a reference key to narrow the sample to a genus or species.
Why does forensic wood identification need a standardised list at all?+
Without shared terminology, two examiners could describe the same anatomical feature differently, so the coded list lets results from different laboratories and databases be compared directly.
Related terms
- InsideWood
- A peer-reviewed online database at North Carolina State University containing anatomical descriptions and photomicrographs for over 10,000 hardwood species, used as a...
- Parenchyma
- Thin-walled, roughly spherical or elongated cells that form the bulk of soft plant tissues, including the leaf mesophyll. They are the most...
- Ray
- A ribbon of cells running radially (outward from the centre) through wood, carrying materials horizontally and storing starch. Ray width (in cell...
- Ring-Porous vs Diffuse-Porous
- In ring-porous woods, large vessels form a distinct band in early wood and smaller vessels in late wood. In diffuse-porous woods, vessel...
- Vessel
- A conducting cell in hardwood (angiosperm) xylem, visible on a cross-section as a pore. Vessel arrangement, diameter, grouping, and wall features are...