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Interxylary cork of Saussurea discolor and S. pygmaea (Asteraceae)

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Abstract

The root anatomy of the subalpine to alpine plant species Saussurea discolor (Willd.) DC., and Saussurea pygmaea (Jacq.) Spreng., (Asteraceae) has been investigated by means of light and fluorescence microscopy on specimens of Austrian provenance. Both species develop a so called interxylary cork which mediates the splitting of the root into various strands. This phenomenon takes place in the secondary xylem and involves the development of a periderm separating the originally solid xylem cylinder. Interxylary cork is currently known from approximately 40 species of the Dicotyledones. This is the first report of this specific anatomical structure from the two studied species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria

    Elisabeth Fritz & Johannes Saukel

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  1. Elisabeth Fritz
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  2. Johannes Saukel
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Correspondence to Elisabeth Fritz.

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Fritz, E., Saukel, J. Interxylary cork of Saussurea discolor and S. pygmaea (Asteraceae). Biologia 66, 454–457 (2011). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-011-0030-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-011-0030-5

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