Wood Anatomy in Several Genera of Nigerian Annonaceae

The anatomical characteristic of the wood of Annona muricata, <i>A. senegalensis</i>, <i>Xylopia aethiopica</i>, <i>A. glauca</i>, <i>A. squamosa</i>, <i>Cleistopholis patens</i>, <i>Monodora tenuifolia</i> and <i>Greenwayodendron suaviolis</i> were investigated in search of their stable taxonomic attribute. Thirty-two wood samples were collected from eight species of <i>Annonnaceae</i> (four specimens each). Fixation of the most healthy and fresh wood of each species was done using 500 ml of FAA (Formalin Acetic Acid) and dehydrated in a series of ethanol while infiltration was done using tertiary-butyl-alcohol prepared in accordance with Johansen’s method. The sectioning was carried out with a rotary microtome and the slide containing the wood samples were examined using power shots s70 camera attached to computer. The results revealed several interesting wood anatomical features such as the presence of numerous fibre, ray cells, vessels, absence of axial parenchyma in some species, growth ring ranges from distinct to indistinct. Rays are composed of upright cells in <i>A. muricata</i>, fibre tracheid are also uncommon in <i>A. muricata</i> but common in <i>G. suaviolis</i>. Axial parenchyma are common in <i>A. glauca</i> and <i>A. squamosa</i> but absent in other species. The wood structure of <i>A. glauca</i> and <i>A. squamosa</i> are similar to that of <i>C. patens</i>, but the absence of axial parenchyma distinguished it from them. The results are important in understanding the relationships between and within the species.

Abstract licence: CC BY

A person counts once a day per paper. We keep no cookie and no address: a reader is a hash that changes every day. Any month under five reads shows no number.