Wood anatomical characteristics of 17 Lauraceae species from southwest of Yunnan

【Objective】 The wood structures of 17 species belonging to Lauraceae from southwest of Yunnan were studied in order to provide a basis for wood identification, systematics, and taxonomy.【Method】 Wood samples were observed with the help of light microscope and scanning electron microscope.【Result and conclusion】 The results showed that the wood this studied had the following characteristics: The wood had diffuse porous with solitary pores and short radial multiple pores (2-3 cells), and few pore clusters for all the species. The vessels had two kinds of perforation plates: Only simple and both with simple and scalariform perforation and the number of scalariform perforation plate bars were from 3 to 14. The intervessel pitting was alternate. Wood rays were made up of few uniseriate and many multiseriate rays, and multiseriate rays often had 2-3 cells in the widest place. Most ray types were heteromorphosis Ⅱ and heteromorphosis Ⅲ, but few heteromorphosis Ⅰ existed as well. The types of vessel-ray pitting were almost large circular and reniform shape. Axial parenchyma was almost vasicentric and terminal parenchyma. Oil cells or mucous cells were widespread in ray and axial parenchyma cells. Wood classification table is made based on the observations in order to provide the basis for wood identification. The study of vessel perforation plates show that degree of evolution of wood belonging to Lauraceae is inconsistent, and Beilschmiedia and Cryptocarya are relatively evolutionary genera to some extent.