Mantovani et al. 2012 (Article) Quesnelia, leaf

Leaf anatomy of Quesnelia (Bromeliaceae): implications for the systematics of core bromelioids

Author(s):—A. Mantovani, A.K. Lima da Venda, V.R. Almeida, F. A. da Costa & Forzza C. R.

Publication:—Plant Systematics and Evolution 298: 787-800. (2012)

Abstract:—Quesnelia is an endemic genus of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. It features 21 species and three varieties that are distributed from Santa Catarina to Bahia, with diversity centers in the Rio de Janeiro coastal region and the rainforest of southern Bahia. It is divided into the subgenera Quesnelia subg. Quesnelia and Quesnelia subg. Billbergiopsis . In this study, the leaf anatomy of all species of Quesnelia is characterized and compared by multivariate analysis to determine whether leaf anatomy confirms this subgeneric division. The results demonstrate that leaf anatomy supports the existence of three distinct groups of species now classified under the genus Quesnelia . When compared to other species, the first group, which is repre- sented by five Billbergiopsis taxa, is characterized by dis- tinct anatomical arrangement, where the stomata are positioned at the same level as the epidermis, the water storage tissue is poorly developed, and extra-fascicular fiber strands are distributed throughout the mesophyll. The remaining groups support the subgenera Quesnelia and Billbergiopsis , which differ basically in terms of the con- tour of the leaf in transverse sections, size and cell type of the adaxial water storage tissue, and the presence of extra- fascicular fiber strands. Comparing with anatomical data available in the literature for Bromelioideae, these results indicate the similarity of Quesnelia with Aechmea , Cani- strum and Billbergia , which corroborates morphological and molecular phylogenies, and thus support future taxo- nomic circumscriptions of these important genera from the core Bromelioideae

Keywords:—Core bromelioids  Aechmea  Billbergia  Canistrum