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Stem anatomy of neotropical Dioscorea L. (Dioscoreaceae) and its importance to the systematics of the genus

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Abstract

We anatomically characterized the aerial stems of the genus Dioscorea and evaluated the use of these anatomical characteristics to better understand the taxonomy, systematics, and diversity of the component species in the neotropics. Fragments of the aerial stems of 23 species were collected for anatomical analyses utilizing conventional cytohistological techniques. Stem anatomy did not support the subgenera and neotropical sections of Dioscorea, although D. sect. Monadelpha demonstrated similar anatomical characteristics with the representatives analyzed in the present work, supporting the possible monophyletism of that section. Some New World species demonstrated characteristics described earlier for Old World species, such as two phloem units internal to the large-diameter vessels. New characters to the vascularization of new world species are described, as a single ring of vascular bundles, intercalating common and cauline bundles. Tylosoids and actinocytic stomata were the first time reported in Dioscorea, and the vascular patterns are revisited with a systematic approach.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes) for support and Neusa Tamaio, Arno Fritz das Neves Brandes, Rodrigo Ribeiro Tarjano Leo, Claudia Franca Barros and Ana Cláudia de Macêdo Vieira for the contributions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Iguaçu, Av. Abílio Augusto Távora, Nova Iguaçu, RJ, 26275-580, Brazil

    Vítor Tenorio, Ricardo S. Couto & Artur M. L. Medeiros

  2. Departamento de Produtos Naturais e Alimentos, Faculdade de Farmácia, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, 21941-902, Brazil

    Elaine S. B. de Albuquerque

  3. Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Pacheco Leão, 915, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, 22460-030, Brazil

    João M. A. Braga

  4. Departamento de Botânica, IB, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Brigadeiro Trompowsky, Ilha do Fundão, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, 21941-590, Brazil

    Rafaela de Oliveira Ferreira & Ricardo C. Vieira

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  1. Vítor Tenorio
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  2. Ricardo S. Couto
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  3. Elaine S. B. de Albuquerque
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  4. Artur M. L. Medeiros
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  5. Rafaela de Oliveira Ferreira
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  6. João M. A. Braga
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  7. Ricardo C. Vieira
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Correspondence to Vítor Tenorio.

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Tenorio, V., Couto, R.S., de Albuquerque, E.S.B. et al. Stem anatomy of neotropical Dioscorea L. (Dioscoreaceae) and its importance to the systematics of the genus. Plant Syst Evol 303, 775–786 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-017-1408-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-017-1408-9

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