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Anatomical comparison between leaf blade of Psidium and Calycolpus moritzianus species (Myrtaceae)

Abstract:

Calycolpus moritzianus (O. Berg) Burret (Myrtaceae), “Cínaro”, is a widely distributed plant species at the Venezuelan Andes, and it resembles in several characters to Psidium species, being the reason that affected, until now, its correct taxonomic identification. The foliar anatomy of C. moritzianus was studied and compared against the foliar anatomy of the following Psidium species: Psidium guajava, P. guineense, P. acutangulum, P. maribense, P. salutare and P. sartorianum, using micromorphology with histological preparations and descriptive analysis. Calycolpus moritzianus presented the following characters that differentiate it from the rest of species studied: presence of rectangular epidermic cells, lack of subepidermic strata, and presence of secondary vascular bundles, among others. It is concluded that foliar anatomy provides important information that contributes to the taxonomic identification of species of Myrtaceae, along with other information data for this group of plants.