Taxonomic relevance of leaf anatomy in Banisteriopsis C.B. Rob. (Malpighiaceae)

Josiane Silva Araújo,Renata Maria Strozi Alves Meira,Rafael Felipe De Almeida

doi:10.1590/0102-33062019abb0276

Josiane Silva Araújo, Renata Maria Strozi Alves Meira + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-33062019abb0276

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Abstract

ABSTRACT We describe the leaf anatomy of 42 of the 60 species of the genus Banisteriopsis, one of the largest and most diverse genera of Malpighiaceae in the Cerrado domain. Our aim was to identify anatomical leaf characters useful for the taxonomy and systematics of this morphological diverse genus. Expanded leaves from herbarium specimens were rehydrated and processed according to usual anatomical methods for analysis under light microscopy. All characters were compared using the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean algorithm and expressed in dendrograms. The most useful leaf anatomical characters were petiole contour, presence/absence of vascular bundles in the petiole, the position of the vascular bundles in the petiole, shape of the midrib, presence/absence of sheath extension, mesophyll type, and both the presence/absence and shape of leaf glands. Our study indicates that the morphological groups proposed in the literature for Banisteriopsis are natural groups.

Highlights

Banisteriopsis is one of the most diversified genera of Malpighiaceae in Neotropical savannas, comprising ca. 60 species of shrubs and vines confined to the Americas (Gates 1982; Davis & Anderson 2010)
In order to search for additional leaf characters that might contribute to specific and generic delimitation in Banisteriopsis, we present a thorough survey of the leaf anatomy of 42 species of this genus
Two types of configurations of vascular bundles were observed in petioles: an open arch with convolute extremities, found in B. gardneriana and B. martiniana (Fig. 2E), and an open arch in the remaining species (Fig. 2A-D, F)

Summary

Introduction

Banisteriopsis is one of the most diversified genera of Malpighiaceae in Neotropical savannas, comprising ca. 60 species of shrubs and vines confined to the Americas (Gates 1982; Davis & Anderson 2010). 60 species of shrubs and vines confined to the Americas (Gates 1982; Davis & Anderson 2010). Even though Banisteriopsis was taxonomically revised in the early 1980’s (Gates 1982), it was evidenced to be polyphyletic in the first phylogenetic studies for Malpighiaceae (Cameron et al 2001; Davis et al 2001; Davis & Anderson 2010), leading to the segregation of some species to Diplopterys or to the newly described Bronwenia (Anderson & Davis 2006). The morphological characters currently used to distinguish the species of Banisteriopsis are mostly restricted to inflorescence architecture, flower, and fruit morphology (Gates 1982; Anderson & Davis 2006). As several floral characters are not retained in fruiting specimens (e.g., color and floral display), correctly assigning newly collected specimens of Malpighiaceae to Banisteriopsis became one of the main challenges for general botanists

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