Comparative characteristics of anatomical and morphological adaptations of plants of two subgenera Haworthia Duval to arid environmental conditions

Abstract

This paper presents the comparative anatomical and morphological characteristics of plants of two subgenera: Haworthia and Hexangularis. The study revealed two different strategies of adaptation to arid conditions of the growth of different subgenera of the genus Haworthia. Plants of the subgenus Haworthia adapted to arid conditions by increasing the accumulation of water, the presence of "windows", a smaller stoma size, and a thinner outer wall of the epidermis cells. On the other hand, plants of the subgenus Hexangularis adapted to arid conditions by reducing overheating and transpiration as well as by the presence of papillae and a thickened outer wall of the epidermis cells.