Lianas

Bauhinia phoenicea is endemic to the Western Ghats of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is assessed as Vulnerable as per the IUCN red list criteria using primary and secondary information on trends in EOO, AOO and sub-populations. Taxonomy of the species, distribution, variability in the number of fertile stamens, and causes of rarity are discussed. Lectotypification is also made for B. benthamii, a taxonomic synonym of B. phoenicea.

Tendo em vista a necessidade de se estudar as formações florestais do Estado de São Paulo de forma mais detalhada, a fim de que sua composição florística seja definida e seu processo de dinâmica compreendido, este estudo tem como objetivos principais: levantar e identificar as espécies de lianas lenhosas ocorrentes em um trecho de Floresta Ombrófila Densa do Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho (P.E.C.B.) e outro de Floresta Estacional Semidecídua da Estação Ecológica dos Caetetus (E.E.C.) e produzir um guia ilustrado de campo incluindo fotografias e diagnoses para as espécies de lianas lenhosas encontradas nas sub-parcelas amostradas e chaves de identificação baseadas em caracteres vegetativos. Foram sorteadas, para as duas áreas, 50 sub-parcelas de 20 X 20 m das 256 pertencentes ao projeto temático "Diversidade, dinâmica e conservação de florestas no Estado de São Paulo: 40 ha de parcelas permanentes". Também foram realizadas coletas aleatórias por trilhas e na borda dos fragmentos. Foram consideradas lianas todas as plantas que necessitavam de um suporte para o seu desenvolvimento e que mantinham contato permanente com o solo. Foram encontradas 76 espécies de lianas lenhosas para a E.E.C., distribuídas por 52 gêneros e 19 famílias e, para o P.E.C.B., 49 espécies, 40 gêneros e 19 famílias. Em campo e no laboratório foram feitos os registros fotográficos para cada espécie de liana, incluindo detalhes importantes para sua identificação. Com esses dados foi elaborado um guia ilustrado de identificação para as lianas lenhosas. Quanto aos mecanismos de fixação, na E.E.C. a forma preênsil esteve presente na maioria das espécies (57%) e no P.E.C.B. a forma volúvel foi a que apresentou maior destaque, estando presente em 45% das espécies amostradas, o que reforça as indicações de que em regiões neotropicais, um dos fatores que está relacionado ao sucesso adaptativo das lianas refere-se às especializações nos mecanismos de fixação ao forófito.

Citação completa: Dias ADS, Sfair JC (2014) Associação entre árvores e lianas. In: VILLAGRA BLP, MELO MMRF, ROMANIUC NETO S, BARBOSA LM (eds) Diversidade e conservação de trepadeiras: contribuição para a restauração de ecossistemas brasileiros. Imprensa Oficial do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, pp 163–176

Mikania glomerata Sprengel and Mikania laevigata Schultz Bip. ex Baker are native Brazilian lianas, popularly known as guaco and mainly used as bronchodilators. Based on morphological and anatomical leaf features, preliminary data indicate substantial similarity between the two species, requiring further studies to increase the accuracy of their diagnosis. However, it is still unclear which of the two species is commercially sold. Therefore, in the anatomical analysis, three individuals of each species were treated according to the usual methodology for stem anatomy. Molecular analysis was performed on four specimens of M. glomerata and six of M. laevigata, using three plastid loci (matK, rbcL and trnH-psbA) and the ITS2 locus, which have been proposed as plant barcodes. Our results, including anatomical descriptions and statistically derived quantitative data, show that the anatomical structural standard is very similar between the species. Molecular data corroborate the morphological data in pointing to the total similarity between the two species observed in the loci used. Based on these results, we conclude that M. laevigata and M. glomerata could be unified in terms of nomenclature.

Successive cambia in Vitaceae have been reported solely for Tetrastigma, a diverse genus of lianas found primarily in tropical Asia, extending into Australia. However, the structure and origin of these successive cambia have never been fully studied. Here we report the presence of this cambial variant in Tetrastigma retinervum and T. voinierianum, and describe its ontogeny in detail in the latter. New cambia appear successively in stems of Tetrastigma differentiating from the innermost parenchyma cells of the primary phloem, which are located interior to the pericyclic fiber strands. This study constitutes the first report of successive cambia being derived from primary phloem parenchyma in woody plants as a whole. Both species are members of Tetrastigma clade VI, the most species-rich lineage within the genus. The examination of mature stems of additional species of Tetrastigma should determine the distribution of this unique type of cambial variant in the genus and enhance our understanding of the adaptive significance of this unusual character.

We studied the influence of geomorphological setting and soil properties on the vegetation structure, composition and diversity of five forested coastal wetlands in Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico. These swamps are located on floodplains and in dune depressions. We recorded 109 woody and herbaceous species. The most frequent species were the trees Pachira aquatica, Annona glabra, Diospyros digyna and Ficus insipida subsp. insipida, the lianas Dalbergia brownei and Hippocratea celastroides and the hemi-epiphyte Syngonium podophyllum. The Shannon-H diversity index varied from 2.659 to 3.373, density from 1750 to 2289 stems ha−1 and basal area from 32.7 to 76.42 m2 ha−1. The classification analysis defined two groups: one corresponded to forested wetlands along the floodplain (Apompal, Cienaga, Chica) and the other included Mancha and Salado, in dune depressions. PCA ordination of soil parameters during the rainy season explained 67.0% and during the dry season 69.1% of the total variance. In the rainy season Mancha and Salado samples remain close together because they have lower Mg, Na, K, % Total C and % Total N values. Apompal and Chica samples remain close to each other because of their high levels of % Total C, % Total N, Mg, Na and high soil water content. Cienaga samples are separated from the others because of high values of P, Ca and Eh as well as high water levels. In general, soil parameter ordination during the dry season showed that redox potential, P, water level and water content decreased in the forested wetlands and Na values increased in Chica. The soil textures identified were clay, sandy clay loam, sandy loam and clay loam; clay texture dominated alluvial processes in the floodplain (e.g., Cienaga). The forested wetlands in the floodplains had similar vegetation and the same happened in the dune depressions but soil characteristics were more variable in both cases. Plant diversity in floodplains tends to be relatively high, and the presence of adjacent tropical forests probably increases its richness, except in cases in which there are stressing factors, such as salinity. The forested wetlands studied showed dominant floristic elements, which extend north into Florida such as A. glabra and Ficus aurea. Other dominant elements such as P. aquatica are also found in Central and South America. The forested wetlands studied are subjected to continuous deforestation to transform the land into farming or ranching activities, this being a common practice throughout the distribution range of these forests.► Species composition of tropical forested wetlands was related to geomorphological and soil characteristics. ► The freshwater forested wetlands were found both in organic and mineral soils. ► Forested wetlands in floodplains showed higher diversity values and soil salinity decreases diversity. ► Forested wetlands of floodplains and dune depressions differ in the main water source and nutrients.

Abuta grandifolia (Mart.) Sandwith varies in habit and can be a shrub, tree or liana. Its stem shows successive cambia that produce secondary phloem and xylem. This study analyses qualitative and quantitative differences between the secondary xylem of lianas and shrubs of A. grandifolia, as well as between the successive rings within each habit category. The lianas had wider vessels, shorter vessel elements and thinner fibre-tracheid walls. In the first five successive rings, lianas showed an increase in vessel diameter and fibre-tracheid length, while fibre-tracheid wall thickness decreased. The shrubs showed an increase in the diameter and length of vessel elements and length of fiber-tracheids. In qualitative features the secondary xylem of lianas and shrubs did not differ, except in their type of parenchyma (axial parenchyma diffuse in the liana habit and diffuse to diffuse in-aggregates in the shrub habit). Since significant quantitative differences were found between the succe...

Deviations in the regular pattern of secondary growth have occurred multiple times over the history of woody plants and these have been treated under the term cambial variant. Here we present a type of cambial variant that has been studied in the 19th century, but that has never been named or had its ontogeny studied in detail. This cambial variant generates a vascular cylinder with a conspicuous crenate pattern and it is found in two lianescent lineages of Malpighiaceae; Stigmaphyllon and a clade informally called the Banisteriopsis nummifera group. Twenty species of Stigmaphyllon and two species of the Banisteriopsis nummifera group were sampled from naturally growing population to investigate ontogenic history starting from shoot apex to the thickest portion of stem by using traditional anatomical methods All species in these two clades have a regular cambium that produces bands of non-lignified axial parenchyma in the xylem by the onset of secondary growth. These xylem parenchyma cells, after a period of secondary growth, acquire meristematic activity and give rise to new, variant cambia referred here as 'interxylary cambia'. These new cambia give rise to new vascular tissues within the secondary xylem. In Stigmaphyllon the variant cambia give rise to a large quantity of variant phloem, and not much variant xylem, while in the members of the Banisteriospsis nummifera group a large quantity of both secondary xylem and phloem is formed by every new interxylary cambia. Xylem and phloem originated from both cambial types have features similar to those of other Malpighiaceae lianas, except for the absence of septate fibers and perforated ray cells, the presence of stratified phloem and prismatic crystals in the phloem of the Banisteriopsis nummifera group and a concentric ring of cortical secretory cells characteristic of Stigmaphyllon. The cambial variant interxylary cambia is here named for the first time, and this new term is proposed to unmistakably denote its origin from within the secondary xylem, which is likely a synapomorphy for these two Malpighiaceae lineages.

Les écureuils, particulièrement ceux des régions tempérées, font des provisions de graines dans des caches terrestres soit éparpillées ou dans un garde-manger. Les caches dans les arbres sont rares. Nous démontrons ici pour la première fois que l'écureuil géant de l'Inde (Ratufa indica) cache ses provisions de graines dans des nids dans les arbres, un comportement qui n'avait pas été décrit précédemment. Les graines de 6 espèces d'arbres et de lianes dans une forêt nepheliphile de l'Inde ont été cachées durant la saison de fructification. Les graines de 2 espèces ont été cachées mais jamais consommées fraîches probablement à cause de métabolites secondaires. Les espèces communes de graines possédant une envelope dure étaient les plus fréquemment cachées. Le comportement d'approvisionnement des écureuils variait entre les différents secteurs du site d'étude. Les écureuilss qui étaient à risque de se faire voler leur nid à cause de la compétition pour les s...

The wood anatomy study of eleven lianas species from Bignoniaceae family reported in the Caparo Forest Reserve (Barinas state, Venezuela) is presented: Anemopaegma chrysoleu- cum, Arrabidaea candicans, A. verrucosa, Ceratophytum tetragonolobum, Cydista aequinoc- tialis, Macfadyena uncata, M. unguis-cati, Paragonia pyramidata, Pithecoctenium cru- cigerum, Phryganocydia corymbosa and Xylophragma seemannianum. The species were included in two groups: species with two-sized rays and