MORPHOLOGY AND ANATOMY OF SERJANIA MILL. (SAPINDACEAE) SEEDLINGS WITH EMPHASIS ON VASCULARIZATION

Abstract

In the forest remnants of the Maringá region, Brazil, it is common the occurrence of Serjania Mill. (Sapindaceae) species, which have a lianescent habit; the genus has apicultural importance and ichthyotoxic property. Seedlings of Serjania caracasana (Jacq.) Willd., S. fuscifolia Radlk. and S. laruotteana Cambess. were examined morphologically and anatomically in order to contribute with features for the separation of species and characterization of the genus. Seedlings were grown in a Petri dish and germination chamber, fixed in glutaraldehyde, embedded in historesin and sectioned in a rotation microtome. The venation pattern was analyzed in diaphanized eophylls. Seedlings of S. fuscifolia and S. laruotteana are phanerocotylar whereas S. caracasana has cryptocotylar seedling, all species with thick cotyledons and trifoliolate compound eophylls. Seedlings exhibit diarch primary root, short hypocotyl with root-stem transition structure, unilacunar cotyledonary node with double trace, and trilacunar eophyll node. Venation pattern is craspedodromous in S. fuscifolia, camptodromous brochidodromous in S. laruotteana, and camptodromous eucamptodromous in S. caracasana. The seedlings show a lot of morphoanatomical similarity, but some characters, such as germination and venation types, can be useful to separate some species within the genus.