Bark anatomy of arborescent leguminosae of cerrado and gallery forest of central Brazil

Abstract

The bark anatomy of 28 species of arborescent Leguminosae of 'cerrado' and gallery forest in the Brazilian Federal District was examined. The most significant characteristics for taxonomic purposes were determined to be: delimitation between collapsed and non-collapsed phloem; phloem stratification; type and position of sieve plates; dilatation patterns; arrangement and contents of sclereids; and presence of secretory cells. The bark data support the idea that Papilionoideae is the most advanced group of the Leguminosae.