Desarrollo de la variante cambial en Serjania meridionalis (Sapindaceae, Paullinieae)

Abstract

The family Sapindaceae is one of the most important groups of neotropical climbers and it has several cambial variants, some of which are exclusive. In this contribution, we described the wood development of Serjania meridionalis , the southernmost distributed species of the genus, studied by conventional anatomical techniques and based on material from Martin Garcia island (Buenos Aires, Argentina). The primary vascular system is eustelic. Secondary growth begins with a typical cambium; however, secondary thickening supernumerary meristems dedifferentiate later. These meristems produce new vascular cylinders (secondary xylem and phloem) in the periphery of the original vascular cylinder. The presence of corded vascular cylinders in older stems of S. meridionalis is new for the species and raises the need to review the presence-absence of cambial variants dichotomy in many identification keys.