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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 55(7)

Morphological and developmental investigations of the underground system of Erythroxylum species from Brazilian cerrado

Alexandre Antonio Alonso A and Silvia Rodrigues Machado A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A PO Box 510, 18618-000 Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.

B Corresponding author. Email: smachado@ibb.unesp.br

Australian Journal of Botany 55(7) 749-758 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT07060
Submitted: 4 April 2007  Accepted: 28 June 2007   Published: 15 November 2007

Abstract

Brazilian cerrado, a neotropical savanna, is characterised by a strongly seasonal climate with distinctive wet and dry seasons, and deep and well drained soils that are acidic and with high aluminium content. Recurrent fires in the dry season place additional stress on the survival of plants, which exhibit an array of strategies of survival. The purpose of this work was to study the underground system of Erythroxylum nanum A.St-Hil. and E. campestre A.St-Hil., two sub-shrubby species, and E. tortuosum Mart., a shrubby species, verifying the possible relationship between the morphology of the underground organs and the resprouting ability of these plants. Anatomical analyses followed the usual techniques of plant anatomy. The cotyledons of the three species were green, foliaceous and photosynthesising. The two sub-shrubby species (Erythroxylum nanum and E. campestre) showed slow development of the aerial shoot system and extensive growth of the primary root in the initial stage of development. E. tortuosum presented the most pronounced development of the aerial system and a poorly developed primary root compared with the sub-shrubby species. The sub-shrubby species occurred in clumps and had underground systems interlinked, consisting of a deep axial primary root system besides soboles in E. nanum and xylopodium in E. campestre. Plants of the E. tortuosum were isolated, highly branched and their underground system consisted of a superficial primary root system. Abundance of reserves and the bud-forming potential of the soboles, xylopodium and roots resulted in production of vigorous branches that are highly valuable in the regeneration of the aerial biomass following fire or seasonal dry in cerrado.


Acknowledgements

We thank Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP, Process 03/00957-1) for a doctoral grant awarded to the first author and for financial support (Process 00/12469-3), and to CNPq (Brazil) for a productivity grant awarded to S. R. Machado.


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Appendix 1. Glossary on terms related to underground organs commons in cerrado plants

Rhizophores. Thickened underground cauline system in plants that have bipolar cauline ramification systems; that is, both aerial (plumule origin) and subterranean systems (cotyledonary bud origin). They increase the plant rhizosphere as well as function for storage and resprouting (Rocha and Menezes 1997; Andreata and Menezes 1999; Hayashi and Appezzato-da-Glória 2005).

Soboles. Perennial subterranean interlinked horizontal branches, usually slender, which produce news horizontal shoots from their axillary buds constituting a sympodial system at the soil surface; few roots developed at the nodes. Their distal parts, including nodes, internodes and axillary buds, are covered by cataphylls. The apical buds produce orthotropic aerial branches. This system was classified as ‘diffuse system’ by Rizzini and Heringer (1966).

Tuberous root. Belowground orthotropic or horizontal swollen root; tap or adventitious root, without a definite shape or fasciculate, nodulose, moniliform or annulated roots; in some plants they produce adventitious buds spontaneously or after injuries (Dutta 2000; Appezzato-da-Glória 2003).

Xylopodium. Wooden foot (‘pé de madeira’ in Portuguese by Lindman 1906); perennial thickened woody organ with numerous buds and high resprout capacity, formed from tuberisation of the hypocotyl or the root-stem transition region and of the proximal portion of the main root (Rizzini 1965).