Prem Prakash Jangid ¹, Sangeeta Gupta ¹

Affiliations
1 Wood Anatomy Discipline, Botany Division, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, IN

Abstract

Wood microstructure with systematic, ecological and evolutionary aspects of six species of Croton L. (Euphorbiaceae) from India is described. Wood is diffuse porous, radial multiples of 4 or more common with some short radial multiples and solitary vessels. Perforation plate simple, intervessel pits rounded and alternate. Fibre libriform, non-septate and thin to thick walled. Parenchyma apotracheal, diffuse to diffuse in aggregate and reticulate or narrow banded. Rays heterocellular, containing non-chambered prismatic or rhomboidal crystals and druses. Disjunctive ray parenchyma walls and perforated ray cell observed. C. scabiosus and C. malabaricus show distinctness in some ray and vessel characteristics. Species show adaption to highly mesic condition except C. scabiosus. Few remnants of wood anatomy are evident of both primitive and advance characters in this genus. Systematic wood anatomical survey shows its close relation to subgenus Croton and distance relation to subgenus Moacroton and sister groups of genus Croton, such as, Cubacroton, Brasiliocroton, Acidocroton and Astrea.

Keywords

Croton, Euphorbiaceae, Wood Anatomy, Crotonoideae, Systematic, Ecological, Evolutionary.

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Prem Prakash Jangid ¹, Sangeeta Gupta ¹

Affiliations
1 Wood Anatomy Discipline, Botany Division, Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, IN

Abstract

The present paper provides comprehensive wood anatomical survey of seven Indian species belonging to two genera Briedelia and Cleistanthus of the tribe Briedelieae (Euphorbiaceae s.l.). Wood microstructure of Cleistanthus found heterogeneous in certain extent within tribe. Systematic relationships between Briedelia and Cleistanthus were evaluated. The systematic wood anatomical study did not favour the recent morphological and molecular phylogenetic circumscription of classification of the tribe. Cleistanthus showed adaptation to xeric environment and Briedelia showed adaptation to mesic environment. Briedelia contain most of advance wood anatomical features while Cleistanthus had a combination of both advance and primitive wood anatomical features.

Keywords

Briedelia, Briedelieae, Cleistanthus, Euphorbiaceae, Systematic, Wood Anatomy.

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