Wood and Leaf Anatomy in Sessea Corymbiflora from an Ecological Perspective

Abstract

The wood and leaf structure of Sessea corymbiflora, a new species for the Venezuelan solanaceous flora, are described and compared from an ecological perspective. In accordance with the humid environment where the plant grows and its position in an intermediate layer of the forest, a predominantly mesomorphic wood and a mesomorphic leaf structure with intermediate features between sun and shade types (medium leaf type) are developed. Xeromorphic traits are also found, however: vasicentric tracheids and vessel grouping in the wood; thick cuticle and cutinized outer epidermal wall in the leaf. The existence of these adaptations is discussed in relation to microclimate and the effect of seasonal dry periods. The possible influence of altitude is also considered.