Comparative stem and wood anatomy of Ipomoea eriocarpa R.Br. (Convolvulaceae) growing in the arid zone and tropical deciduous forest

Family Convolvulaceae is dominated by climbing species and in most of the members, radial growth is achieved by forming vascular variants. The present study compares stem anatomy and structural modifications in the secondary xylem of Ipomoea eriocarpa R.Br. (Convolvulaceae) growing at Banni (Kachchh, arid zone) and at Toranmal (Tropical dry deciduous forest). Individuals growing at both biogeographic zones showed similar ontogeny for the development of successive cambia, inter-and intraxylary phloem, intraxylary cambium, and non-lignified axial (and radial) parenchyma wedges. However, as plants grew older, stems of individuals growing at Banni became lobbed in outline and showed the development of successive cambia and bidirectional intraxylary cambium. The thickest stems of samples from Banni possessed three successive cambial rings, vessels mostly solitary and relatively narrow in diameter with a greater number of non-lignified axial parenchyma wedges. In contrast, samples collected from Toranmal showed two successive cambial rings with relatively few numbers of non-lignified axial parenchyma wedges, intraxylary cambium was unifacial and exclusively produced intraxylary phloem. The secondary xylem was diffuse-porous, vessels usually in tangential multiples or clusters. Though, the time of seed germination and establishment of seedlings remained the same; in Banni samples, initiation of successive cambia, intraxylary cambium and its derivatives (i.e. xylem and phloem) began before the individuals growing at Toranmal. Samples from both locations showed the presence of inverse cambia on the inner margin of the xylem produced by the first successive cambium. These alterations in the behaviour may be correlated with the ephemeral lifecycle of Banni plants.