Wood Anatomy of the Styracaceae: Evolutionary and Ecological Considerations

Abstract

Woods of over 40 species representing nine genera of Styracaceae were studied. Features present in most taxa include growth rings, diffuse porosity, combinations of both solitaries and pore multiples, exclusively scalariform perforation plates, opposite to alternate intervessel pitting, imperforate tracheary elements with indistinctly bordered pits, both uniseriate and multiseriate heterocellular rays, and axial parenchyma distributed as a combination of diffuse, diffuse-in-aggregates, and scanty. Prismatic crystals occur in species of the genera Bruinsmia, Halesia, and Styrax, and silica is present in a few Neotropical species of Styrax. The characteristic solitary pore distribution and high scalariform perforation plate bar number of Huodendron are of potential evolutionary significance. The xylem of Lissocarpa differs from the Styracaceae in possessing more highly evolved vessel elements with both simple and scalariform perforations and prominently banded axial parenchyma. The occurrence of simple perforation plates in the wider, earlywood vessel elements, along with an increased pore frequency and decreased vessel element length, in Styrax platanifolius and S. texanus is documented. Both species inhabit seasonally dry habitats of the southwestern United States, thus supporting similar specialisations observed in other plants growing in xerophytic conditions. The apparent variation in perforation plate condition within different geographic varieties of S. officinalis is discussed. Significant correlations of wood anatomical characters and latitude of provenance are present among species of Styracaceae. Increasing latitude is strongly correlated with increased pore and multiseriate ray frequency, and decreased vessel element length and wall thickness. Increasing latitude is less strongly correlated with an occurrence of decreased pore diameter, increased bar number per perforation plate, increased fibre-tracheid and intervessel pit diameter, and increased frequency of uniseriate rays. Weak correlations are also evident between increasing latitude and shorter ray height and narrower, shorter, and thinner-walled fibre-tracheids.

Fossil angiosperm wood and its host deposits from the periphery of a dominantly effusive ancient volcano (Doupovské hory Volcanic Complex, Oligocene-Lower Miocene, Czech Republic): systematics, volcanology, geochronology and taphonomy

“…Prismatic crystals are useful for distinguishing between species within the extant Styracaceae. These are present only in Bruinsmia, Halesia and Styrax: Bruinsmia differs strongly from our wood in lacking growth rings, but a clear distinction between Halesia and Styrax is not possible based only on wood (Dickison & Phend 1985). In the David A. Kribs wood collection housed in the N.C. State University, we observed similar structure in the extant Halesia macgregorii Chun (SJRw 29811) from China, however, it lacked crystals.…”

“…We did not observe the aggregate rays described by Prakash et al (1971) so the connection to Corylus becomes questionable. Both woods have features seen in the Styracaceae: exclusively scalariform perforation plates, pores solitary or in multiples, both uniand multiseriate heterocellular rays, diffuse and diffuse-in-aggregates axial parenchyma and prismatic crystals or silica (Dickison & Phend 1985). Prismatic crystals are useful for distinguishing between species within the extant Styracaceae.…”

Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Flowering Plant Genus Styrax (Styracaceae) Based on Chloroplast DNA Restriction Sites and DNA Sequences of the Internal Transcribed Spacer Region

“…Simple perforation plates are not known to occur in any other species of Styrax, but S. officinalis has a reduced number of bars per plate (Dickison and Phend, 1985). Moreover, the vessel members of S. platanifolius and S. officinalis are shorter than those in the species of series Cyrta (Dickison and Phend, 1985).…”

“…comm.). Furthermore, S. redivivus and S. platanifolius have simple perforation plates (Carlquist, 1980;Dickison and Phend, 1985). Simple perforation plates are not known to occur in any other species of Styrax, but S. officinalis has a reduced number of bars per plate (Dickison and Phend, 1985).…”

Madeiras utilizadas na fabricação de arcos para instrumentos de corda: aspectos anatômicos

“…A relação direta da diminuição do diâmetro dos vasos em espécies ou gêneros que crescem em ambientes com condições xéricas, também está associada à presença destas espécies em maiores latitudes, como o observado por Graaff & Baas (1974), Baas et al (1983), Dickison & Phend (1985), Wilkins & Papassotiriou (1989). Tal relação quanto ao diâmetro dos vasos pode ser observada nas amostras de C. echinata de procedência conhecida.…”