Studies on the stem anatomical characteristics of Taiwanese species from the Clematis genus (Ranunculaceae) are scarce. This study aimed to investigate and compare the patterns of secondary growth in stems of 22 Clematis species.
The rhytidome is composed of periderm and non-conducting phloem and formed either cogwheel-like or continuous segment bark. Key features of the genus were stem with an irregular conformation, wedge-like phloem and rays, indentations in the axial parenchyma, ray dilatation, and narrow rays. Approximately eight Clematis species formed bark arc shape, which developed the cogwheel- like rhytidome. There were with approximately 27% of the Clematis species in Taiwan having 12 vascular bundles. The vessels dispersed throughout the stem were semi-ring-porous in most species but were ring-porous in others. No species had diffuse-porous vessels. The vessel restriction pattern was only found in the two shrubs, C. psilandra and C. tsugetorum. The primary xylem ring was located around the pith in C. uncinata var. uncinata, making its pith cavity hexagon in shape. Four species had the pith cavity feature. Narrow rays that occurred in the secondary xylem increased with increasing stem diameter.
The cambial variants described in this study provide a foundation for further morphological studies of the Clematis genus.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7
Loading...
Posted 02 Apr, 2021
Posted 02 Apr, 2021
Studies on the stem anatomical characteristics of Taiwanese species from the Clematis genus (Ranunculaceae) are scarce. This study aimed to investigate and compare the patterns of secondary growth in stems of 22 Clematis species.
The rhytidome is composed of periderm and non-conducting phloem and formed either cogwheel-like or continuous segment bark. Key features of the genus were stem with an irregular conformation, wedge-like phloem and rays, indentations in the axial parenchyma, ray dilatation, and narrow rays. Approximately eight Clematis species formed bark arc shape, which developed the cogwheel- like rhytidome. There were with approximately 27% of the Clematis species in Taiwan having 12 vascular bundles. The vessels dispersed throughout the stem were semi-ring-porous in most species but were ring-porous in others. No species had diffuse-porous vessels. The vessel restriction pattern was only found in the two shrubs, C. psilandra and C. tsugetorum. The primary xylem ring was located around the pith in C. uncinata var. uncinata, making its pith cavity hexagon in shape. Four species had the pith cavity feature. Narrow rays that occurred in the secondary xylem increased with increasing stem diameter.
The cambial variants described in this study provide a foundation for further morphological studies of the Clematis genus.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7
Loading...