Leaf micromorphology and anatomy of Myrceugenia rufa (Myrtaceae). An endemic coastal shrub of north-central Chile

Abstract

Species of fleshy-fruited Myrtaceae are generally associated with humid environments and their vegetative anatomy is mainly mesophytic. Myrceugenia rufa is an endemic and rare species from arid zones of the coast of central Chile and there are no anatomical studies regarding its leaf anatomy and environmental adaptations. Here we describe the leaf micromorphology and anatomy of the species using standard protocols for light and scanning electron microscopy. The leaf anatomy of M. rufa matches that of other Myrtaceae, such as presence of druses, schizogenous secretory ducts and internal phloem. Leaves of M. rufa exhibit a double epidermis, thick cuticle, abundant unicellular hairs, large substomatal chambers covered by trichomes and a dense palisade parenchyma. Leaf characters of M. rufa confirm an anatomical adaptation to xerophytic environments. Keywords:Hairs, leaf anatomy, Myrceugenia rufa, Myrtaceae, SEM, xerophytic characters. RESUMENLas especies con frutos carnosos de Myrtaceae están generalmente asociadas a ambientes húmedos y su anatomía vegetativa es principalmente mesofítica. Myrceugenia rufa es una especie rara y endémica de lugares secos de la costa de Chile central y no hay estudios anatómicos de sus hojas en términos de adaptaciones ambientales. En este artículo describimos la micromorfología y anatomía foliar de la especie usando protocolos estándar para microscopia óptica y electrónica de barrido. La anatomía foliar de M. rufa es similar a otras especies de Myrtaceae, en lo que respecta a presencia de drusas, canales secretores esquizógenos y floema interno. Las hojas de M. rufa tienen una epidermis doble, cutícula gruesa, pelos unicelulares abundantes, cavidades subestomáticas amplias y cubiertas por tricomas, y un denso parénquima en empalizada. Los caracteres foliares de la especie confirman una afinidad morfoanatómica a ambientes xerofíticos.

Taxonomic value of the petiole anatomy in the genus <i>Cinnamomum</i> (Lauraceae) found in Sri Lanka

“…The first fully expanded three to five new leaf samples from three individuals of 8 species of Cinnamomum were collected from sun-exposed branches from healthy individuals of more or less similar age from the Cinnamon Research Station, Department of Export Agriculture, Palolpitiya, Matara, Sri Lanka and preserved in FAA (Huang and Yeung, 2015). After preserving them for one week, samples were transferred to 70% alcohol and the fixed samples were rehydrated in graded series (Retamales et al 2015). Hand sections of median portion of the petioles from preserved sampled were taken using a sharp blade.…”

Phenetic and Unsupervised Multivariate Analysis Syzygium Polyanthum (Wight) Walp

“…There is wide variation in shape, presence of primary, secondary and tertiary vein, shining, smooth and the tips of the leaves are less acuminate and broad (Abdulrahman et al, 2018a). From the branch lets below the leaves panicles arise which are four to six centimeters and being terminal or axillary (Retamales et al, 2015). The flower from Syzygium is in cluster oblong or round shape, greenish white and scented.…”

“…Numerous stamens about four millimeters long but differ in size and colour based on the species and enviromental factor (Gamage et al, 2003). Most members of the genus their fruits are oblong ranging from 0.5 to 3.5 centimeters long which are black or dark purple, edible and flesh and almost all species bear seed within the fruits (Gamage et al, 2003;Retamales et al, 2015). Most members their fruits are sweet, flavour and mildly sour (Retamales et al, 2015).…”

“…Most members of the genus their fruits are oblong ranging from 0.5 to 3.5 centimeters long which are black or dark purple, edible and flesh and almost all species bear seed within the fruits (Gamage et al, 2003;Retamales et al, 2015). Most members their fruits are sweet, flavour and mildly sour (Retamales et al, 2015). Syzygium polyanthum W., is a tree or shrub ranging between 22m tall with glabrous or greenish brown bark.…”

Ontogenia das cavidades secretoras de onze espécies de Myrtaceae

“…Em trabalhos presentes na literatura, relatam que as cavidades secretoras encontradas em espécies da família Myrtaceae, apresentam desenvolvimento de origem esquizógena [2,3,5,[24][25][26] . Porém, outros estudos realizados com diferentes gêneros e espécies da família Myrtaceae, identificaram o desenvolvimento esquizolisígeno para estas estruturas [5,[27][28][29] .…”