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Australian Journal of Botany Australian Journal of Botany Society
Southern hemisphere botanical ecosystems
RESEARCH ARTICLE

The origin and anatomy of rhizophores in Vernonia herbacea and V. platensis (Asteraceae) from the Brazilian Cerrado

Adriana Hissae Hayashi A and Beatriz Appezzato-da-Glória A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Escola Superior de Agricultura ‘Luiz de Queiroz’, Universidade de São Paulo, Caixa Postal 9, 13418-900, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil.

B Corresponding author. Email: bagloria@esalq.usp.br

Australian Journal of Botany 53(3) 273-279 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT04094
Submitted: 13 July 2004  Accepted: 21 December 2004   Published: 26 May 2005

Abstract

The aim of this work is to study the origin and anatomy of rhizophores in two Asteraceae species from the Brazilian Cerrado: Vernonia herbacea (Vell.) Rusby and V. platensis (Spreng.) Less. In both species, axillary buds from the cotyledonary node give rise to the first rhizophores. As rhizophores develop, these organs branch to form new rhizophores from their axillary buds that constitute a sympodial system of underground branches. Nodes, internodes and axillary buds, protected by cataphylls, are evident in these underground organs. The primary root degenerates and all the root system arises adventitiously from the rhizophores. Under natural conditions, the axillary buds give rise to new rhizophores, but when exposed to the light, these buds develop into aerial stems. When rhizophores are fragmented, each of these structures, which accumulate fructans, are important organs for vegetative propagation mainly in areas subjected to environmental disturbances, such as the Cerrado, where fire and drought frequently occur.


Acknowledgments

We thank FAPESP (Process 00/12469-3) for the financial support, CAPES and CNPq for grants. We also thank Dr M. M. Pinto, a scientific researcher at Reserva Biológica e Estação Experimental de Mogi Guaçu, Instituto de Botânica, for giving permission to collect plant material for this work as well as for field assistance. This work is part of a PhD thesis of Adriana Hissae Hayashi (Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil). We also thank the anonymous referees for constructive criticism of an earlier version of the manuscript.


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