Wood Anatomy of Trees and Shrubs from China. VI. Magnoliaceae

Abstract

The wood anatomy offive genera of Magnoliaceae (59 native species, 2 introduced species) of China is described. Although the wood anatomy of this family is rather homogeneous, it is possible to identify most specimens to genus. Magnoliaceae wood from China is characterised by diffuse-porosity, scalariform to opposite vessel wall pitting, scalariform perforations with few bars or in some Magnolia species simple perforations, ground tissue fibres with distinctly to minutely bordered pits, marginal parenchyma and heterocellular rays mostly with one marginal row of square/upright cells. Intervessel and vessel-parenchyma pits are almost exclusively opposite in the Liriodendroideae; they are almost exclusively scalariform in the Magnolioideae, except for Magnolia section Rhytidospermum in which pits are predominantly opposite. Although the wood anatomical characters more or less overlap between Magnolia and Manglietia, these genera are wood anatomically distinguishable. Wood anatomy is similar in the evergreen species of Magnolia and Michelia. Kmeria is the only genus in which crystals were observed. Taxa from the tropics to subtropics tend to have longer and wider vessel elements, and a lower vessel frequency than those from temperate provenances; oil cells in rays mostly occur in the taxa from tropical and subtropical provenances. Simple perforation plates are mostly present in the temperate taxa. Counter to trends for the dicotyledons at large, helical thickenings are more common in tropical species than in temperate species, and, when present, are usually not distinct in deciduous species.