Variación de la anatomía de la madera de Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum (Cactaceae)

Abstract

SEVENTEEN SAMPLES OF PACHYCEREUS PECTEN-ABORIGINUM WOOD FROM WESTERN MEXICO WERE STUDIED WITH THE MAIN PURPOSE TO DESCRIBE ITS WOOD AND TO EVALUATE ITS VARIATION IN RELATION TO LATITUDE, ALTITUDE AND TREE HEIGHT. WE FOUND THAT P. PECTEN-ABORIGINUM HAS THE TYPICAL FIBROUS AND MESOMORPHIC WOOD OF CACTOIDEAE SUBFAMILY. FIBER LENGTH, VESSEL NUMBER AND DIAMETER CORRELATED SIGNIFICANTLY TO LATITUDE, WHEREAS RAY HEIGHT SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION WITH ALTITUDE. HOWEVER, TREE HEIGHT DID NOT SHOW ANY CORRELATION WITH TRACHEARY ELEMENTS (FIBERS AND VESSEL ELEMENTS). MOREOVER, SOME OF THE ANATOMICAL CHARACTERS OF P. PECTEN- ABORIGINUM WOOD VARIATION ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE FOUND IN OTHER SPECIES WITH A WIDE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.