SYSTEMATIC WOOD ANATOMY OF LAURACEAE IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE

In the present paper is reported study on the wood of 9 genera including 26 species of Lauroceae in Guangdong Province.The ages of the wood becoming mature are shown by the variations in their fibre lengths. The results indicated that the maturing ages of wood of Lauraceas varied from 18 to 45 years in Guangdong Province which includes both subtropical area and the northern edge of the tropics. Within genus, the maturing ages were the same or similar among species,showing inherent intrageneric similarity.The wood structures of these 9 genera were compared and their systematic relationships discussed. It seemed that the relation between Beilschmiedia and Cryptocarya was much more closer than other genera according to their general wood structure,geographic distribution as well as their abundance of axial parenchyma. It is probable that Cryptocarya was derived from Perseeae as deduced by the increasing of axial parenchyma. Judging from wood anatomical structure,the laurel family formed a natural taxonomical group with no obvious distinction among the genera.