There are few investigations that analyze the xylem functional anatomy of monocotyledons, as the methods have been developed for woody plants. This study describes the root, rhizome and aerial stem xylem anatomy and functional anatomy of Canna indica, Cyperus papyrus and Phragmites communis grown on flooded substrates; and it aims to evaluate the relationship between the xylem anatomy and its cavitation resistance. To calculate the indexes of vulnerability, mesomorphy, collapse and relative hydraulic conductivity in the three organs mentioned, the diameter, number of vessels per mm2, thickness of the walls and the length of the tracheal elements were recorded. In addition, the xylem specific conductivity of the aerial stem was measured with the pipette method, and its resistance to cavitation was determined experimentally by the air injection technique. The protoxylem is xeromorphic, it has longer vessel elements, smaller diameters, thin walls and scalariform perforation plates, whereas the metaxylem is mesomorphic, with shorter vessel elements, larger diameters, thicker walls and simple perforation plates. Both present low collapse resistance but have a high relative hydraulic conductivity. P. communis recorded the highest cavitation resistance, and the number of vessels per mm2 was related to xylem cavitation resistance in Canna indica and Cyperus papyrus. The experimental results of this investigation match partially the anatomical indexes and showed that the xylem of these species has a low specific conductivity and is more vulnerable to cavitation than that of other monocots.
El transporte de agua en las plantas vasculares terrestres es pasivo y está determinado por la transpiración o pérdida de agua a través de las hojas. La teoría de la cohesión-tensión es la más aceptada para explicar este proceso, y se complementa con la analogía de la ley de Ohm, que analiza el flujo del agua como un proceso catenario. La resistencia al estrés hídrico y a la cavitación está fuertemente asociada con las características anatómicas del xilema, de las punteaduras intervasculares y de sus membranas, estas últimas se alteran en función de las propiedades químicas de la solución acuosa que fluye a través de ellas. Con base en estas premisas, esta revisión aborda el fenómeno del ascenso del agua en las plantas vasculares terrestres y analiza los conceptos, las teorías y los métodos más usados en el estudio de la arquitectura hidráulica. Además, señala las diferencias en la estructura del xilema y el transporte del agua entre dicotiledóneas y monocotiledóneas.
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