Ferulic acid, in the form of feruloyl CoA, occupies a central position as an intermediate in the phenylpropanoid pathway. Due to the allelopathic function, its effects were tested on root growth, H(2)O(2) and lignin contents, and activities of cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD, EC 1.1.1.195) and peroxidase (POD, EC 1.11.1.7) from soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) root seedlings. Three-day-old seedlings were cultivated in half-strength Hoagland's solution (pH 6.0), with or without 1.0 mM ferulic acid in a growth chamber (25 degrees C, 12/12 hr light/dark photoperiod, irradiance of 280 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) for 24 or 48 hr. Exogenously supplied ferulic acid induced premature cessation of root growth, with disintegration of the root cap, compression of cells in the quiescent center, increase of the vascular cylinder diameter, and earlier lignification of the metaxylem. Moreover, the allelochemical decreased CAD activity and H(2)O(2) level and increased the anionic isoform PODa5 activity and lignin content. The lignin monomer composition of ferulic acid-exposed roots revealed a significant increase of guaiacyl (G) units. When applied jointly with piperonylic acid (an inhibitor of the cinnamate 4-hydroxylase, C4H), ferulic acid increased lignin content. By contrast, the application of 3,4-(methylenedioxy) cinnamic acid (an inhibitor of the 4-coumarate:CoA ligase, 4CL) with ferulic acid did not. Taken together, these results suggest that ferulic acid may be channeled into the phenylpropanoid pathway (by the 4CL reaction) and, further, may increase the lignin monomer amount solidifying the cell wall and restricting the root growth.

Objetivando auxiliar trabalhos taxonômicos e farmacobotânicos, foram realizados estudos morfoanatômicos dos órgãos vegetativos de Piper crassinervium H.B. & K. (jaborandi). O material foi analisado seguindo-se técnicas usuais de corte e coloração. P. crassinervium é um arbusto de caule ereto, de folhas estipuladas e alternas. Dentre as características anatômicas importantes para a sua identificação destacam-se: parênquima cortical radical com esclereídes; córtex caulinar com faixas descontínuas de colênquima e tecido vascular organizado em dois círculos descontínuos de feixes colaterais, delimitados por endoderme com estrias de Caspary; folha dorsiventral, hipoestomática, com estômatos ciclocíticos e tetracíticos e hipoderme unisseriada, porém, com 1-3 camadas de células na região da nervura principal; parênquima clorofiliano com idioblastos oleíferos; tricomas glandulares na epiderme unisseriada e idioblastos com pequenos cristais aciculares no parênquima em todos os órgãos.

RESUMO:O presente trabalho teve por objetivo o estudo morfoanatômico dos órgãos vegetativos de Piper hispidum, visando a estabelecer características marcantes para a sua identifi cação e auxiliar estudos taxonômicos e farmacobotânicos. O material vegetal fresco e fi xado foi estudado segundo as técnicas usuais de corte e coloração, incluindo análise em MEV. Piper hispidum é um arbusto com caule cilíndrico, nodoso, verde claro, com folhas alternas, ovadas, de cor verde-escura na face adaxial e verde claro na abaxial. Dentre as características anatômicas importantes para sua identifi cação destacam-se: parênquima cortical da raiz apresentando grupos de esclereídes. Córtex caulinar com faixas descontínuas de colênquima do tipo angular e tecido vascular organizado em dois círculos descontínuos de feixes colaterais. A folha é dorsiventral, hipoestomática, com estômatos tetracíticos. Hipoderme adaxial descontínua e abaxial frouxa com número variável de camadas; tricomas tectores e glandulares ocorrem nas duas faces. Epiderme uniestratifi cada e idioblastos oleíferos ocorrem em todos os órgãos. Unitermos:Piper hispidum, Piperaceae, morfo-anatomia, farmacobotânica. ABSTRACT: "Morphology and anatomy of the vegetative organs of Piper hispidum Sw.(Piperaceae)". The morphology and anatomy of the vegetative organs of Piper hispidum are described, detaching remarkable strutural aspects and contributing to taxonomical and pharmacobotanical studies. The material was studied according to the usual techniques, including SEM (Scaning Eletron Microscopy). Piper hispidum is a shrub with cylindrical and green stem, which has alternate leaves. The main anatomical characteristics that can be used in its identifi cation are: root with sclereids on cortical parenchyma, stem cortex with discontinuous strands of angular collenchyma, and vascular tissue constituted by two discontinous circles of collateral vascular bundles. The leaf is dorsiventral and hypostomatic with tetracytic stomata. The hypodermis is discontinuous in adaxial face, loose in abaxial one and presents a variable number of layers. Uniseriate epidermis and oil idioblasts occur in all organs.

Morphological, structural and developmental features of fruits and seeds of Mammea americana L. are here studied, with the purpose to give a proper classification of their fruit and embryo type and to contribute to future taxonomical and ecological studies. The fruit is a berry and the "rind" consists of the exocarp, represented by a periderm with lenticels, and by the parenchymatic mesocarp, with branched secretory ducts and vascular bundles. The edible pulpy is formed by the endocarp, destituted of secretory ducts, and derived from the activity of a ventral meristem, which emerges early in the fruit development. The inner endocarp cell layers undergo a radial elongation and become firmly attached to the testal outer layers. At maturation the endocarp may be released from the rest of the pericarp. The ovules are unitegmic and they turn into unitegmic and exalbuminous seeds. The multiseriate testa consists of thick-walled cells and sclerenchymatous fibers. This last features have carried out to a wrong interpretation that the fruit of this species is a drupe. The embryo is pseudo-conferruminate, with two massive foodstoring cotyledons, rich in starch, firmly attached.Key words: Clusiaceae, fruit, seed, Mammea, anatomy. RESUMO Morfologia e anatomia dos frutos e sementes em desenvolvimento de Mammea americana L. (Clusiaceae)Descreveu-se, detalhadamente, a morfologia e a anatomia dos frutos e sementes, em desenvolvimento, de Mammea americana L., de modo a identificar corretamente o tipo de fruto e de embrião desta espé-cie, bem como contribuir com futuros estudos taxonômicos e ecológicos do grupo. O fruto desta espécie é uma baga, cuja "casca" é constituída pelo exocarpo, representado por uma periderme com lenticelas, e pelo mesocarpo, percorrido longitudinalmente por dutos secretores e feixes vasculares. O endocarpo, desprovido de dutos, origina-se da atividade de um meristema ventral e da epiderme interna do ovário. Suas células posteriormente se alongam em sentido radial, transformando-se na polpa amarelada, comestível, rica em açúcares e fibras, aderida à testa fibrosa. Os óvulos anátropos, unitegumentados originam sementes unitegumentadas e exalbuminosas. A testa multisseriada, constituída por parênquima de parede espessada e fibras esclerenquimáticas alongadas acompanhando os feixes vasculares muito ramificados, confere à semente o aspecto fibroso externo. Esta característica levou à interpretação errônea de que o fruto desta espécie seria uma drupa. O embrião é pseudo-conferruminado e constituído pelos cotilédones carnosos, fusionados.Palavras-chave: Clusiaceae, fruto, semente, Mammea, anatomia.Rev. Brasil. Biol., 60(4): 701-711 702 MOURÃO, K. S. M. and BELTRATI, C. M.

Morphological, structural and developmental features of fruits and seeds of Vismia guianensis (Aubl.) Choisy. are here presented, with the purpose to elucidate their structure and to contribute to taxonomical and ecological studies of the family. The fruit is a berry and the "rind" is constituted by the exocarp and by the subepidermal layers which constitute the mesocarp. The reddish pulp, rich in starch, is constituted by the parenchymatic mesocarp, with branched secretory ducts and vascular bundles, joined with the endocarp, which arises from a ventral meristem. The bitegmic, anatropous ovules, provided by the endothelium, develop into anatropous, bitegmic and exalbuminous seeds. The reddish uniseriate testa shows phenolic contents. The tegmen becomes crushed resting only the uniseriate exotegmen with undulate, thick walled and lignified cells, which contain a number of calcium oxalate prismatic crystals. The embryo, rich in lipids, is straight and shows foliaceous cotyledons.Key words: Clusiaceae, fruit, seed, Vismia, anatomy. RESUMO