First Bignoniaceae liana from the Miocene of South America and its evolutionary significance.

Perforated ray cells are reported for the first time for 16 species of seven genera of Pachycereeae. The perforated ray cells are shorter than vessel elements and have simple perforation plates and small alternate intervascular pits. Among Cactaceae these specialised cells seem to be related with splitting of the tall rays.

Summary The tribe Diosmeae (Rutaceae) encompasses circa 278 species classified in 11 genera: ten of them are shrubs endemic to the Cape Floristic Region (South Africa), while the only arborescent genus (two species) extends from South Africa to Tanzania. We examined the wood structure of 21 species representing nine genera of Diosmeae and analysed it with respect to their life form and climatic niches. Studied taxa share a suite of traits typical for the whole family: radial vessel multiples, simple perforation plates, minute alternate intervessel pits, distinctly bordered vessel-ray pits, non-septate libriform fibres, and — except for Empleurum — marginal axial parenchyma. However, unlike most Rutaceae, they also occasionally feature vessel-ray pits with reduced borders. Most of the studied species are very similar to each other in their wood structure and habit. The two exceptions are Calodendrum capense (the only canopy tree under study) and Empleurum unicapsulare (a large riparian shrub). The first differs from other species in having wider vessels, longer libriform fibres, prismatic crystals in ray cells and winged-aliform axial parenchyma (which may be plesiomorphic for the tribe); the latter is distinctive because it lacks growth rings and banded axial parenchyma. Analysing anatomy–climate relationship, we found that wood anatomy among shrubby Diosmeae relates to their size and environmental factors, rather than taxonomy. Particularly, the vessel grouping weakly increases with stricter water limitation along the gradient from a semi-arid winter-dry climate to a Mediterranean winter-wet climate.

In Ipomoea hederifolia Linn., stems increase in thickness by forming successive rings of cambia. With the increase in stem diameter, the first ring of cambium also gives rise to thin-walled parenchymatous islands along with thick-walled xylem derivatives to its inner side. The size of these islands increases (both radially and tangentially) gradually with the increase in stem diameter. In pencil-thick stems, that is, before the differentiation of a second ring of cambium, some of the parenchyma cells within these islands differentiate into interxylary phloem. Although all successive cambia forms secondary phloem continuously, simultaneous development of interxylary phloem was observed in the innermost successive ring of xylem. In the mature stems, thick-walled parenchyma cells formed at the beginning of secondary growth underwent dedifferentiation and led to the formation of phloem derivatives. Structurally, sieve tube elements showed both simple sieve plates on transverse to slightly oblique end walls and compound sieve plates on the oblique end walls with poorly developed lateral sieve areas. Isolated or groups of two to three sieve elements were noticed in the rays of secondary phloem. They possessed simple sieve plates with distinct companion cells at their corners. The length of these elements was more or less similar to that of ray parenchyma cells but their diameter was slightly less. Similarly, in the secondary xylem, perforated ray cells were noticed in the innermost xylem ring. They were larger than the adjacent ray cells and possessed oval to circular simple perforation plates. The structures of interxylary phloem, perforated ray cells, and ray sieve elements are described in detail.

Perforated ray cells are recorded for the first time in species of Lonicera, Sambucus, Viburnum, and Weigela (Caprifoliaceae) that grow in Korea, These ray cells have simple perforations in Lonicera and Sambucus which have vessel elements with simple perforations, and have scalariform perforation s or variant types of scalariform perforations in Viburnum and Weigela which have vessel elements with scalariform perforations. In Korean Caprifoliaceae the perforations of ray cells are similar to the types of perforation plates in the vessel elements of the same wood.

Perforated ray cells (PRCs) are recorded here for the first time in the roots and branches of Schefflera vinosa, Caryocar brasiliense, Acosmium subelegans, Byrsonima basiloba, B. coccolobifolia, B. verbascifolia and Alibertia concolor which occur in Pratâniaʼs cerrado (SP, Brazil). PRCs are larger than normal ray cells, occurring isolated or in groups of two or more in the same ray, and are present predominantly in the uniseriate portion of multiseriate rays in all species studied. In the roots and branches, the types of perforation plates (PP) of the PRCs are similar to those of the vessel elements (VE) in most species, with the exception of the branches of Schefflera vinosa and the branches and roots of Caryocar brasiliense. The diameter of the PRC plates was greater in the roots than in the branches, but the differences were only statistically significant in Schefflera vinosa, Byrsonima basiloba and B. verbascifolia. In a general way the PRC plates were greater in diameter than the VE plates in both roots and branches of most species.

Jambi Province is known as an area with abundant source of geological diversity (Geodeversity), including fossil woods. Specimen of Fossil wood from Merangin District-Jambi was observation its anatomical structures on thin slices of cross, radial and tangential-section using Carl Zeiss-Axio Imager A1m microscope. The description of wood anatomical structures referred to the International Association of Wood Anatomists (IAWA) list of microscopic features for hardwood identification. The age estimate of fossil wood is based on geological map (scale 1: 100.000) of Sarolangun sheet, Sumatra. The anatomical structures of the fossil wood are as follow: vessel exclusively solitary, simple perforation plates, intervessel pits alternate, very thick fibre wall, apotracheal parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates, paratracheal parenchyma vasicentric, axial canals in long tangential lines, prismatic crystal in chambered axial parenchyma cells, and silica bodies present in ray cells and axial parenchyma cells. The anatomical structures mentioned are similar to Kamper/Kapur wood species ( Dryobalanops sp.) which it is member of Dipterocarpaceae family, with the result that this fossil is Kamper wood ( Dryobalanoxylon sp.). Based on age analysis through the geological map, it is estimated that this fossil wood was formed between 3.60 and 2.58 million BP (Before Present), which was between the late Pliocene and the early Plistocene era.

Via LM and SEM, we studied wood structure of 51 genera representing 19 tribes of Acalyphoideae, the largest subfamily of Euphorbiaceae. Many acalyphoid woods possess the following features: growth rings indistinct or weakly defined; pores evenly distributed; simple perforation plates (but admixture of irregular scalariform plates common); alternate intervessel pits; vessel-ray pits larger than intervessel pits, circular to elongate and alternate to irregular; thin to moderately thick-walled non-septate fibre-tracheids or libriform wood fibres; parenchyma distribution diffuse, diffuse-in-aggregates, and scanty paratracheal, sometimes in thin-tangential bands; heterocellular rays seldom more than 3 cells wide; and prismatic crystals in parenchyma and /or ray cells. Within this syndrome, a number of other wood characters also occur but at lower frequency. For the most part, the unusual features have not proven systematically informative at the tribal level. Presence of lysigenous radial canals, however, supports recognition of tribe Alchorneae. Wood data do not support the segregation of Peraceae and Pandaceae from subfamily Acalyphoideae.

Key anatomical attributes for occurrence of Psychotria schlechtendaliana (Müll.Arg.) Müll.Arg. (Rubiaceae) in different successional stages of a tropical moist forest

Sebastiania commersoniana é uma espécie arbórea bastante comum em ambientes aluviais, em diversas condições pedológicas, graças a sua plasticidade e capacidade de tolerar períodos de inundação. Foram amostrados 21 indivíduos adultos dessa espécie, na planície do rio Iguaçu, visando à caracterização anatômica da madeira e sua interpretação em termos funcionais. S. commersoniana possui porosidade difusa, vasos solitários e múltiplos de dois a seis, com arranjo radial e placas de perfuração simples. Os vasos são pouco freqüentes (12-16-20/mm²), com diâmetro de 54-88-117 µm e elementos de vaso com comprimento 164-602-1025 µm. As fibras libriformes têm 656-1222-2050 µm de comprimento, 10-26-42 µm de largura, e paredes delgadas a espessas (1,0-2,8-5,1 µm). Fibras gelatinosas são freqüentes. Ocorre parênquima apotraqueal difuso em agregados, e paratraqueal escasso. Os raios, unisseriados, têm 164-805-2787 µm de altura e 12-22-35 µm de largura. Células perfuradas de raio são freqüentes, bem como máculas contendo grãos de amido. Estes também ocorrem no parênquima radial e no axial. A espécie desenvolve lenho de tensão em árvores inclinadas. A maioria dos caracteres observados coincide com descrições disponíveis para o gênero e a família a que a espécie pertence. Algumas características qualitativas são discutidas quanto às suas possíveis funções e implicações para a auto-ecologia da espécie.

The Entiminae are broad-nosed weevils constituting the most diverse subfamily of Curculionidae, with over 50 tribes. We performed Bayesian and Maximum Parsimony combined phylogenetic analyses with the main objective of testing higher-level relationships and the naturalness of the major Neotropical and Southern South American (Patagonia and Andes) tribes, including some members from other regions. We compiled a data matrix of 67 terminal units with 63 Entiminae species, as well as four outgroup taxa from Cyclominae, by 3522 molecular (from nuclear 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA, and mitochondrial 16S rDNA and COI gene sequences) and 70 morphological characters. The resulting trees recover a clade Entiminae with a monophyletic Cylydrorhinini and Premnotrypes branching off early. The tree resulting from parsimony analysis shows a clade of Leptopiini from the Australian region and another clade including taxa mainly distributed in the Palaearctic and Neotropical regions, but in the Bayesian tree the South American and Australian Leptopiini are grouped together. The mainly Palaearctic Entiminae (e.g., Brachyderini, Laparocerini, Otiorhynchini, Peritelini, Polydrusini, Phyllobiini and Sciaphylini) form a subclade separated from Southern Hemisphere taxa. Among the latter, the well-supported Naupactini are the sister group of the South American Tanymecini, excluding Platyaspistes, herein transferred to Leptopiini (new placement). Another well-justified clade is Eustylini–Geonemini, which also includes the enigmatic Galapagonotus, and the genus Artipus, thus corroborating its recent exclusion from Naupactini.

In certain woods, whose rays have extensive uniseriate margins, an individual marginal cell may sometimes be modified, by the perforation of its side walls, to connect two vessel segments on opposite sides of the ray. This feature does not appear to have been previously described though it is by no means uncommon; it has been observed by the authors in woods of many widely separated families. It is limited to woods with particular types of ray and vessel structure, but its occurrence seems to be primarily determined by the manner in which the vessels develop. Large ray cells which appeared to have scalariform perforations in the side walls were first observed by the authors in the wood of Lacistema aggregatum (Berg). Rusby. (Lacistemaceæ); examination of macerated material, fig. 1, has shown that the side walls of these cells are exactly similar to the end walls of the vessel segments, and though it has not been possible to demonstrate the absence of a membrane, the authors are convinced from a careful study of the sections, that these walls are actually perforated, and that each forms a link between two vertical series of vessel segments. The course of the vessel is unusual; instead of continuing up and down between the rays, it periodically passes obliquely through a ray, and continues on the other side. The ray is usually uniseriate at the point at which it is crossed, and the ray cell involved becomes slightly swollen, rather in the manner of an oil or mucilage cell but without visible contents. The lateral walls are perforated, so that the cell resembles a very short vessel segment, and presumably functions as such. From the position and shape of these cells, however, it is clear that they have been derived from ray initials and not from fusiform initials. Attention was first drawn to this phenomenon by the presence of scalariform bars in the walls of cells which, from their shape, appeared at first sight to be oil or mucilage cells; simple perforations in such cells are obviously more easily overlooked, and it was not until a special search was made that they were found to be by no means uncommon, and to occur in woods of several different families.

Se describe la anatomía de la madera de Salvia pubescens , S. regla y S. sessei , especies pertenecientes a la sección Erythrostachys, subgénero Calosphace del género Salvia. Para la realización del trabajo se recolectaron dos muestras de la madera del fuste de cada una de las especies para obtener preparaciones permanentes. Los cortes transversal, radial y tangencial fueron utilizados para elaborar la descripción anatómica de cada uno de los taxa. La madera presenta porosidad anular, el diámetro tangencial de los vasos es pequeño (34-85 ?m), los elementos de vaso son cortos (94-257 ?m), con punteaduras areoladas alternas, engrosamientos en espiral y placa de perforación simple. Se presentan traqueidas vasicéntricas. El parénquima axial es paratraqueal escaso, apotraqueal difuso y marginal. Los radios son uniseriados y multiseriados heterogéneos, agregados y no agregados. Las fibras son libriformes con y sin septo. Se presentan gomas, tílides, granos de almidón y cristales prismáticos. Las características observadas coinciden con las reportadas para el género.

This paper describes the morphology and size of perforated ray cells in Bathysa meridionalis Smith & Downs and compares its features with the adjacent ray cells and vessel elements. The perforated ray cells are much bigger and more voluminous than normal ray cells. Their shapes vary from ellipsoid to polygonal. The perforation plates may be solitary to tree per wall, round to reniform. The dimensions of perforated ray cells suggest that they are at least as effective for water flow as axial vessel elements.

Ontogeny, structure and occurrence of interxylary cambia in Malpighiaceae

Wood anatomy of the recently described Degeneria roseiflora differs from that of D. vitiensis by possessing narrower vessels, much thicker-walled vessels and fiber-tracheids, abundant uniseriate rays, and greater numbers of ethereal oil cells in rays. Because both large and smaller wood samples of D. vitiensis were studied, ontogenetic changes in the wood are presented and separated from those features that probably vary with the species. Tyloses and perforated ray cells are newly reported for Degeneria. Anatomy of mature bark of D. roseiflora is described. Wood anatomy of Degeneria is moderately primitive. Although Degeneria is often compared to Himantandraceae and Magnoliaceae, Eupomatiaceae also seem very close, if not closer.