Comparative anatomy of the vegetative organs from two species of the genus Ruscus L.

Abstract

In this paper, the anatomy of normal and metamorphosed stems from two species of the Ruscusgenus (R. hypoglossum L. and R. aculeatus L.) were analyzed using light microscopy. The structural characteristics of the two species were presented, with emphasis on the adaptations they present to environmental conditions. The normal strain from the species R. hypoglossum shows a greater amount of sclerenchyma fibers in the central cylinder compared to R. aculeatus; vascular bundles are more numerous in R. aculeatus, but smaller, with few elements of sclerenchyma, especially near the phloem. The metamorphosed stem (phyllocladia) shows a similar structural plan to the two species, with assimilating tissue under the epidermis and colorless tissue in the central part. The number of vascular bundles differs, they being more numerous, arranged in a circle, in R. hypoglossum. The anatomical peculiarities of the investigated species help us to understand their adaptation to the living environment, and also can help to identify the species when we only have fragments of the plant's body.