Estudo da Plasticidade Anatômica Foliar de Stromanthe thalia (Vell.) J.M.A. Braga (Marantaceae) em dois ambientes de mata Atlântica*

Abstract

This work deals with the leaf anatomy of the Stromanthe thalia (Vell.) J.M.A. Braga (Marantaceae) from two different environments of the Atlantic Rain Forest, Rio de Janeiro. The common characteristics observed on the specimens from lowland forest and montane forest were single epidermal layer in both surfaces and sinuous anticlinal cell walls; paracytic stomata; dorsiventral leaf; pulvinus with water storage tissue; sheaths fibrous close to collateral vascular bundles; aerenchyma throughout the sheath, petiole and lamina. The structural variations observed were fibrous tissue increased at the margin and midrib region as well as the larger number and the size of the adaxial hypodermis layers near the midrib of lamina on the specimen from lowland forest.