Comparative vascular anatomies of some orchid species

Abstract

In this study, we examined the vascular anatomy of leaves with different morphological features of 11 orchid species. Plant samples were collected from various localities in the Black Sea Region. Fresh leaves were dried and stocked, and their vascular structures were analyzed by clearing and staining. Significant differences were determined in the leaves of taxa in terms of characters such as total leaf perimeter and area, number of veins and nodes, total vein length, total vein area, average vein length, average vein width, average vein surface area, average vein volume, and average areolar area. According to the findings, the topological and morphometric features of the veining can reflect the systematic and phylogenetic relationships of orchids.