COMPARATIVE WOOD ANATOMY OF SOUTHERN SOUTH-AMERICAN CUPRESSACEAE

The wood anatomy is described for the Cupressaceae indigenous to southern South America: Austrocedrus chilensis, Pilgerodendron uviferum and Fitzroya cupressoides. The abundance and distributional pattern of axial parenchyma within each annual ring, height, and the presence or absence of nodules in the end walls of ray parenchyma are all useful anatomical features for distinguishing between the three species. Physical characteristics such as odour and heartwood colour also can be used to separate these species. Axial parenchyma cell length and tracheid length show considerable interspecific variation. Tracheid lengths of Pilgerodendron, but not of Austrocedrus and Fitzroya, decrease with increasing latitude.