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Australian Journal of Botany Australian Journal of Botany Society
Southern hemisphere botanical ecosystems
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Bark anatomy of Melastomataceae species in the Brazilian Cerrado, a neotropical savanna

Camilla Rozindo Dias Milanez A , Carmen Regina Marcati https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5723-6450 B * and Silvia Rodrigues Machado C *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, UFES – Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, CEP 29075-910, Vitória, ES, Brazil.

B Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas, Departamento de Ciência Florestal, Solos e Ambiente, UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista, CP 237, CEP 18603-970, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.

C Departamento de Botânica, UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociências, CP 510, CEP 18618-970, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.


Handling Editor: Garry Cook

Australian Journal of Botany 69(8) 500-515 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT20139
Submitted: 3 November 2020  Accepted: 5 July 2021   Published: 29 September 2021

© 2021 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

The bark (all tissues outside the cambium) is a morphologically diverse and functionally important part of the stem. Outer bark (periderm) has a protective function, and inner bark (secondary phloem) is involved in the long-distance transport. In savannas, the relationship between bark structure, life form and habitat is controversial. We studied the morphology and anatomy of bark of Melastomataceae species with different habits growing at different sites in the Brazilian Cerrado (a neotropical savanna), from well-drained to temporarily or permanently waterlogged soils. Bark samples were processed by standard anatomical techniques. Regarding the outer bark, the species studied are grouped into two main categories: with a single periderm (with nonstratified or stratified phelem) and with multiple periderms, that is, with a rhytidome. Although a formal test has not been carried out in this work to assess the existence of a correlation between the microscopic structure of the periderm and the habit and growth distribution of plants, there seems to be no correlation for most of the species studied here, except for a subshrub species inhabiting waterlogged soils. Sclerified cells, calcium oxalate crystals, and phenolic content are abundant through the secondary phloem. Microscopic bark features are useful to distinguish species.

Keywords: anatomy, bark, Cerrado, inner bark, Melastomataceae, microscopic characteristics, outer bark, periderm, secondary phloem.


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