Synchrotron radiation phase-contrast X-ray tomographic microscopy (srPCXTM) was applied to observation and identification of the features of spruce anatomy at the cellular lengthscale. The pilot experiments presented in the paper clearly revealed the features of the heartwood of Spruce (Picea abies [L] Karst.), such as lumina and pits connecting the lumina, with a theoretical voxel size of 0.7 x 0.7 x 0.7 mu m(3). The experiments were carried out on microspecimens of heartwood, measuring approximately 200 by 200 micrometers in cross-section. The technique for production and preparation of wood microsamples was developed within the framework of this investigation. The total porosity of the samples was derived and the values of the microstructural parameters, such as the diameters of tracheid, cell wall thicknesses and pit diameters were assessed non-invasively. Microstructural features as thin/small as approximately 1.5 mu m were revealed and reconstructed in 3D. It is suggested that the position of sub-voxel-sized features (such as position of tori in the bordered pit pairs) can be determined indirectly using watershed segmentation. Moreover, the paper discusses the practical issues connected with a pipelined phase-contrast synchrotron-based microtomography experiment and the possible future potentials of this technique in the domain of wood science. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.