Vessel grouping patterns in subfamilies Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae confirm phylogenetic value of wood structure within Apocynaceae

Abstract

This study contributes to our understanding of the phylogenetic significance and major evolutionary trends in the wood of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), one of the largest and economically most important angiosperm families. Based on LM and SEM observations of 56 Apocynoideae species-representing all currently recognized tribes-and eight Periplocoideae, we found striking differences in vessel grouping patterns (radial multiples vs. large clusters) between the mainly nonclimbing apocynoid tribes (Wrightieae, Malouetieae, Nerieae) and the climbing lineages (remaining Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae). The presence of large vessel clusters in combination with fibers in the ground tissue characterizing the climbing Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae clearly contrasts with the climbing anatomy of the rauvolfioids (solitary vessels plus tracheids in ground tissue), supporting the view that (1) the climbing habit has evolved more than once in Apocynaceae, (2) the three nonclimbing apocynoid tribes are basal compared to the climbing apocynoids, and (3) Periplocoideae belong to the crown clade. The wood anatomy within the nonclimbing and climbing lineages is rather homogeneous, although a combination of specific characters (e.g. presence of septate fibers, axial parenchyma distribution, abundance of uniseriate compared to multiseriate rays, and presence and location of prismatic crystals) may be used to identify several tribes.

Full text

2168
American Journal of Botany 96(12): 2168–2183. 2009.
The dogbane family is one of the largest families of angio-
sperms, with an estimated 375 genera and 5100 species ( En-
dress, 2004 ; Endress et al., 2007 ), and is broadly distributed
mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Apoc-
ynaceae are especially rich in bioactive secondary compounds
and have long been used in folk medicine to treat a wide range
of ailments, including cancer, malaria, diarrhea, diabetes, and
skin diseases ( Schultes, 1979 ; Van Beck et al., 1984 ; Schultes
and Raffauf, 1990 ; Neuwinger, 1994 ; Middleton, 2007 ). A
number of genera are employed in modern medicine for a di-
verse array of uses such as controlling tumor growth in treating
cancer (Balandrin et al., 1985; Moza, 2005 ), as antiplasmodial
agents in parasitic infections ( Zirihi et al., 2005 ), as muscle re-
laxants during surgery ( Bisset, 1992 ) and as an appetite sup-
pressant in controlling obesity ( van Heerden, 2008 ). Because
related taxa often possess similar bioactive properties, it is ex-
pedient to have a better understanding of the generic affi nities
in several apocynaceous lineages, including the subfamilies
Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae. Consequently, one of the
major objectives of the present work is to search for phyloge-
netically informative wood anatomical characters that can help
us to identify clades that are mainly defi ned molecularly.
The pantropical Apocynoideae sensu Livshultz et al. (2007)
are a paraphyletic subfamily harboring a broad array of differ-
ent fl ower types and comprise about 860 species distributed
among 81 genera and eight tribes, representing about 1/5 – 1/6 of
the species diversity within the family ( Endress et al., 2007 ;
Endress and Hansen, 2007 ). Subfamily Periplocoideae, on the
other hand, are much smaller, including about 190 species and
33 genera restricted to the Old World, and have always been
considered to be a natural group because of their very homoge-
neous fl oral structure ( Nilsson et al., 1993 ; Stevens, 2001 on-
ward; Endress et al., 2007 ; Venter, 2009 ).
Both subfamilies can generally be distinguished by their
growth form and habitat preference. For instance, the bulk of
the Apocynoideae have a climbing habit, from robust lianas
climbing 40 m or higher up into the canopy (e.g., Alafi a , Mot-
andra , Oncinotis ) or festooning the branches of trees at forest
margins (e.g., Peltastes ) to slender scramblers bending over
shrubs and rocks in more open habitats (e.g., some species of
Parsonsia ). The nonclimbing Apocynoideae are often small
understory trees or shrubs growing in tropical lowland forests.
In both subfamilies, some species can occasionally grow as li-
anas as well as erect life forms (e.g., Cryptostegia , Mandev-
illa ). Whereas most Apocynoideae grow in humid tropical
lowland forests, some of them occupy drier scrub vegetations
(e.g., certain species of Aganosma , Amphineurion , Holarrhena ,
Parsonsia , Peltastes , Spirolobium , and Urceola ). Periplo-
coideae, in contrast, are mainly smaller climbers (or occasion-
ally epiphytes) restricted to the (sub)tropics of the Old World
and inhabit mostly tropical evergreen or seasonal forests and
1 Manuscript received 27 April 2009; revision accepted 8 September 2009.
Dr. Sherwin Carlquist (Santa Barbara Botanic Garden) is acknowledged
for his valuable comments on the manuscript. The curators of the xylaria of
Leiden, Kew, Madison, Tervuren, Utrecht, and Wageningen and Dr. Andr é
Sim õ es (University of S ã o Paolo) generously offered wood samples. The
authors thank Miss Nathalie Geerts (K.U.Leuven) for technical assistance.
This work has been fi nancially supported by research grants of the
K.U.Leuven (OT/05/35) and the Fund for Scientifi c Research – Flanders
(Belgium) (G.0268.04). F.L. is a postdoctoral fellow of the Fund for
Scientifi c Research – Flanders (Belgium) (F.W.O. – Vlaanderen).
7 Author for correspondence (e-mail: frederic.lens@bio.kuleuven.be)
doi:10.3732/ajb.0900116
V ESSEL GROUPING PATTERNS IN SUBFAMILIES APOCYNOIDEAE
AND PERIPLOCOIDEAE CONFIRM PHYLOGENETIC VALUE OF
WOOD STRUCTURE WITHIN APOCYNACEAE 1
Frederic Lens, 2,7
Mary E. Endress,
3
Pieter Baas, 4
Steven Jansen, 5,6
and Erik Smets
2,4
2 Laboratory of Plant Systematics, Institute of Botany and Microbiology, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31 Box 2437, K.U.Leuven,
BE-3001 Leuven, Belgium;
3 Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008 Z ü rich, Switzerland;
4 Nationaal Herbarium Nederland – Leiden University Branch, P.O. Box 9514, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands;
5 Jodrell
Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3DS, UK; and
6 Institute of Systematic Botany and Ecology,
Ulm University, Albert-Einstein Allee 11, D-89081, Ulm, Germany
This study contributes to our understanding of the phylogenetic signifi cance and major evolutionary trends in the wood of the
dogbane family (Apocynaceae), one of the largest and economically most important angiosperm families. Based on LM and SEM
observations of 56 Apocynoideae species — representing all currently recognized tribes — and eight Periplocoideae, we found strik-
ing differences in vessel grouping patterns (radial multiples vs. large clusters) between the mainly nonclimbing apocynoid tribes
(Wrightieae, Malouetieae, Nerieae) and the climbing lineages (remaining Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae). The presence of
large vessel clusters in combination with fi bers in the ground tissue characterizing the climbing Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae
clearly contrasts with the climbing anatomy of the rauvolfi oids (solitary vessels plus tracheids in ground tissue), supporting the
view that (1) the climbing habit has evolved more than once in Apocynaceae, (2) the three nonclimbing apocynoid tribes are basal
compared to the climbing apocynoids, and (3) Periplocoideae belong to the crown clade. The wood anatomy within the nonclimb-
ing and climbing lineages is rather homogeneous, although a combination of specifi c characters (e.g. presence of septate fi bers,
axial parenchyma distribution, abundance of uniseriate compared to multiseriate rays, and presence and location of prismatic
crystals) may be used to identify several tribes.
Key words: Apocynaceae; Apocynoideae; APSA clade; climbing vs. nonclimbing anatomy; Periplocoideae; systematic wood
anatomy; tribal classifi cation.

2169
December 2009] Lens et al. — Wood anatomy of Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae
2007 ; Livshultz et al., 2007 ). Livshultz and coworkers (2007)
shed new light on the controversial relationships between and
within Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae using a phylogenetic
analysis based on more than 1600 informative characters from
plastid DNA in combination with 16 morphological characters
( Fig. 1 ). The resulting phylogeny rejects all traditional Apocyn-
oideae tribes sensu Pichon (1950) and Leeuwenberg (1994)
and the former Periplocoideae classifi cation of Venter and Ver-
hoeven (1997) . In their current circumscription, the paraphyl-
etic Apocynoideae comprise eight tribes ( Fig. 1 ; Endress et al.,
2007 ), whereas relationships within Periplocoideae are still
too insuffi ciently known to identify the major evolutionary
lines ( Ionta and Judd, 2007 ). With respect to the family classi-
fi cation of Apocynaceae, subfamily Rauvolfi oideae forms a
basal grade, with Carisseae being sister to the APSA clade
(Apocynoideae, Periplocoideae, Secamonoideae, and Asclepia-
doideae) ( Livshultz et al., 2007 ). Within the APSA clade, three
largely nonclimbing Apocynoideae tribes (Wrightieae, Nerieae,
and Malouetieae) diverge fi rst, followed by the well-supported
crown clade, which is composed mainly of species with a de-
pendent (climbing or straggling) growth form. In this crown
clade, Periplocoideae are sister (although without bootstrap
support) to a large group including subclades that correspond
remarkably well with geographical regions: predominantly
Asian apocynoids (tribe Apocyneae), predominantly neotropi-
cal apocynoids (tribes Odontadenieae, Echiteae, and
Mesechiteae), and three African apocynoid genera (Baisseeae),
which consistently come out as sister to a clade comprising the
subfamilies Secamonoideae-Asclepiadoideae ( Fig. 1 ; Potgieter
and Albert, 2001 ; Livshultz et al., 2007 ; Lahaye et al., 2007 ).
The current study is a sequel to a previous paper describing
the microscopic wood structure of Rauvolfi oideae ( Lens et al.,
2008 ). An update of the anatomical variation in Apocynoideae
(81 genera) and Periplocoideae (33 genera, of which most of
them are perennial “ woody ” herbs) is urgently needed: wood
anatomical descriptions are often incomplete, and the number
of genera described in the literature is rather limited (in total 17
Apocynoideae and 3 Periplocoideae; e.g., Pearson and Brown,
1932; Chalk et al., 1933; Record and Hess, 1943; Metcalfe and
Chalk, 1950; Ingle and Dadswell, 1953; D é tienne and Jacquet,
1983; Schweingruber, 1990; Neumann et al., 2001; InsideWood
website [ InsideWood Working Group, 2004 onward]; Baas et
al., 2007 ). We have found no wood anatomical data in the lit-
erature for 19 apocynoid and two periplocoid genera included
in this study, indicating that the present work adds considerably
to our wood anatomical knowledge within Apocynaceae.
The goals of this investigation are not merely to fi ll the gaps
in the wood anatomical knowledge of Apocynaceae. We also
strive to (1) look for potential phylogenetic wood characters
and their evolutionary patterns within Apocynaceae (cf. Lens et
al., 2007ab , 2008 ), (2) contribute to the renewed interest in
Apocynaceae systematics, (3) search for characters that can of-
fer anatomical understanding for the predominantly molecular-
based classifi cation at the tribal level, and (4) analyze adaptive
xylem evolution in these subfamilies, which are highly diverse
in habit and ecology. Because Apocynaceae belong to the top
10 angiosperm families in terms of size, we assembled an ex-
tensive collection of wood samples (about 250 spp.) from vari-
ous xylaria. Consequently, we have chosen to split our
Apocynaceae treatment into four separate anatomical studies,
one focusing on the subfamily Rauvolfi oideae based on 50 of
84 genera ( Lens et al., 2008 ), the current study dealing with
Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae (including 41 of 108 gen-
savannas, with a number of erect or straggling shrubs extend-
ing into grasslands, Mediterranean regions and (semi)desert
areas (e.g., Ectadium , Periploca , and Raphionacme ) ( Endress
and Bruyns, 2000 ; Venter and Verhoeven, 2001 ; Ionta and
Judd, 2007 ; Middleton, 2007 ; Venter, 2009 ). About one-third
of the periplocoid genera have large semisubterranean tubers,
the great majority of which are restricted to arid and semiarid
habitats in Africa ( Meve and Liede, 2004 ). These water-storing
tubers aid the plants during times of water shortage and can
reach sizable proportions and masses up to 100 kg ( Venter et
al., 1990 , 2006 ; Klackenberg, 1999).
Apocynaceae s.l. are one of the fi ve families nested within
Gentianales, where they stand out for the presence of latex (Ste-
vens, 2001 onward; Middleton, 2007 ; Hagel et al., 2008 ). How-
ever, the taxonomic position of Apocynaceae within the order
remains unclear, and insights about the higher-level intrafamil-
ial relationships have changed dramatically over the years
( Struwe et al., 1994 ; Endress et al., 1996 ; Sennblad and Bremer,
1996 , 2002 ; Backlund et al., 2000 ; Endress and Bruyns, 2000 ;
Potgieter and Albert, 2001 ; Bremer et al., 2002 ; Livshultz et al.,
2007 ; Sim õ es et al., 2007; Fig. 1 ). For instance, the current sub-
families Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae were formerly
placed into two different but closely related families, i.e., Apo-
cynaceae s.s. (also including Rauvolfi oideae) and the former
Asclepiadaceae (also including the currently recognized sub-
families Asclepiadoideae and Secamonoideae), respectively.
Within Apocynaceae s.s., Apocynoideae were and still are be-
lieved to be “ derived ” compared to Rauvolfi oideae (cf. Fig. 1 ),
and can be distinguished by their dextrorsely contorted corolla
lobes in bud, specialized anthers adnate to the style head form-
ing a gynostegium, and usually dry follicles with comose seeds
( Endress and Bruyns, 2000 ). With respect to Asclepiadaceae,
periplocoids were elevated for the fi rst time to the family level
by Schlechter (1905) based mainly on the lack of lignifi ed
guide-rails on the anthers, the spoon-like structure of the trans-
lators and the erroneous assumption that periplocoid pollen is
never gathered into pollinia ( Verhoeven and Venter, 1998 ). The
distinct pollination mechanism combined with erroneously in-
terpreted morphological characters led Wanntorp (1988) to
conclude that the most recent common ancestor of Periplo-
coideae was to be found in basal Rauvolfi oideae, rather than in
the derived clades of the group. In addition, despite the obser-
vation of a gynostegium in all members of the Periplocoideae
investigated ( Nilsson et al., 1993 ), some authors continued to
maintain that it was lacking and used this supposed absence as
support for the recognition of the group as a separate family
( Swarupanandan et al., 1996 ). Recognition of Asclepiadaceae
or Periplocaceae as separate families has been rejected, how-
ever, because the evolution in fl ower morphology represents an
overall trend of increasing complexity, beginning with the Rau-
volfi oideae culminating in the highly derived asclepiad condi-
tion ( Endress and Bruyns, 2000 ). Recent molecular work has
supported the idea of recognizing only one broadly circum-
scribed family, Apocynaceae s.l., and changed our ideas about
higher-level relationships. As currently delimited, Apocyn-
oideae as well as Rauvolfi oideae are paraphyletic, and the
monophyletic Periplocoideae are nested within Apocynoideae,
making the former Asclepiadaceae polyphyletic ( Fig. 1 ;
Livshultz et al., 2007 ; Sim õ es et al., 2007).
Phylogenetic relationships within certain lineages of Apocy-
noideae and Periplocoideae remain unresolved, however, and
morphological synapomorphies are still lacking for a number of
recently identifi ed molecular-based subclades ( Ionta and Judd,

2170 American Journal of Botany [Vol. 96
mittee, 1989 ). We refer readers who are not familiar with wood anatomical
terms to the Material and Methods section of our fi rst Apocynaceae paper ( Lens
et al., 2008 ). Our interpretation of some of the characters described in the stan-
dardized IAWA list was adjusted to some extent: (1) Vasicentric tracheids are
considered here as long and slender cells (without an irregular shape) nearby
vessels, having abundant large bordered pits (4 – 6 µ m in horizontal diameter)
resembling pits in lateral vessel walls, and differing from the ground tissue fi -
bers in the size and density of their pits (cf. Carlquist, 1985a ). (2) We consider
imperforate tracheary elements with clearly bordered pits in the ground tissue
as (true) tracheids when vessels are mainly solitary (cf. Carlquist, 1984 ; in few
cases where similar cells co-occur with pronounced vessel multiples, we chose
the name tracheid-like fi ber or tracheid-like cell). (3) The total density of rays
was split into the density of uniseriate and multiseriate rays separately because
this division is more informative in Apocynaceae. The degree of vessel group-
ing was quantifi ed using the vessel grouping index of Carlquist (2001) , which
is measured by counting the number of vessels in 25 groups (solitary vessels are
also considered as one group) and dividing the total number by 25. The range
of the mean values of quantitative wood characters, such as vessel element
length, number of axial parenchyma cells per strand and height of multiseriate
rays, was determined for all species within a certain subclade to assess the phy-
logenetic signifi cance of these characters ( Table 1 ). Statistical differences be-
tween means were calculated at the 0.1% level using the online Independent
Groups T-Test for Means calculator (Dimension Research, Chicago, USA;
http://www.dimensionresearch.com/resources/calculators/ttest.html).
era), a manuscript in preparation on Secamonoideae-Asclepia-
doideae (F. Lens, M. E. Endress, U. Meve [University of
Bayreuth, Germany], and E. Smets, unpublished manuscript),
and fi nally, a family overview including phylogenetic analyses
using wood anatomical and molecular data.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In total, 60 apocynoid wood specimens belonging to 56 species and 36 gen-
era from all major clades as delimited by Livshultz et al. (2007 ; including two
genera of Wrightieae, four genera of Nerieae, six genera of Malouetieae, 11
genera of Apocyneae, fi ve genera of Echiteae, two genera of Mesechiteae, two
genera of Odontadenieae, three genera of Baisseeae, and Galactophora, genus
incertae sedis within Apocynoideae), and eight periplocoid wood samples rep-
resenting eight species and fi ve genera were investigated using LM and SEM
(Appendices S1, S2, see Supplemental Data with the online version of this ar-
ticle). Most samples are represented by mature sapwood, except those indicated
by an asterisk in Appendix S2. In general, wood of stem samples less than 20
mm in diameter is considered to be juvenile in Apocynaceae.
The methodology of wood sectioning and slide preparation is described in
Lens et al. (2005) . The wood anatomical terminology largely follows the
“ IAWA list of microscopic features for hardwood identifi cation ” ( IAWA Com-
Fig. 1. Simplifi ed phylogenetic tree of Apocynaceae based on one of the 144 most parsimonious trees retrieved in the analysis of Livshultz et al. (2007)
using four chloroplast markers ( trnL intron /trnL-trnF spacer, matK/3 ′ trnK intron, rpl16 intron and rps16 intron) combined with 16 morphological charac-
ters. Bootstrap values are indicated above (molecular data only) and below branches (molecules plus morphology); dashes represent bootstrap values below
50. Tribes and subfamilies with mainly climbing taxa are marked with a fi lled circle; taxa with a mix of climbing and nonclimbing species have an open
circle. This tree is a simplifi ed representation of Fig. 1A – D in Livshultz et al. (2007) .

2171
December 2009] Lens et al. — Wood anatomy of Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae
and Wrightia . Tangential diameter of vessels (10) – 30 – 260 –
(470) µ m, two vessel size classes in nearly all climbing species
( Figs. 7, 9 – 12 ) present as many narrow vessels in combination
with few wide ones; vessel elements (100) – 270 – 850 – (1300)
µ m long. Tracheids absent in the nonclimbing tribes Malou-
etieae (except in Carruthersia ) and Wrightieae, and in the
mixed climbing/nonclimbing Nerieae and Rhabdadenia; few
vasicentric tracheids present in the vessel clusters of the climb-
ing tribes Apocyneae, Baisseeae, Echiteae, and Mesechiteae;
tracheid length (300) – 500 – 700 – (950) µ m. Fibers usually with
rather reduced pit borders, 3 – 4 µ m in horizontal diameter, con-
centrated in radial walls typically present in most tribes (al-
though pits larger and more abundant in Apocyneae and
Echiteae); true libriform fi bers with simple to minutely bor-
dered pits, 2 – 3 µ m in horizontal diameter, present in Rhabdade-
nia (nonseptate, Figs. 4, 25 ), in the climbing Odontadenieae
(often septate) and some species of the climbing Mesechiteae
(occasionally septate, Fig. 26 ), and in the climbing Strophan-
thus (nonsepate), fi ber length (500) – 580 – 1750 – (1950) µ m;
nonseptate fi ber-tracheids with distinctly bordered pits in radial
and tangential walls, pits 4 – 6 µ m in horizontal diameter, com-
mon in the climbing tribes Apocyneae and Echiteae ( Fig. 24 ),
fi ber-tracheid length (500) – 675 – 1070 – (1300) µ m; fi bers mainly
thin-walled or thin- to thick-walled ( Figs. 2, 3, 5 – 13 ). Axial
parenchyma mainly diffuse-in-aggregates to narrowly banded
(usually 1-seriate) in the nonclimbing tribes Wrightieae
( Figs. 2, 3 ), Malouetieae ( Figs. 5, 6 ) and the mixed climbing/
nonclimbing tribe Nerieae ( Figs. 7, 8 ), a mixture of diffuse
or diffuse-in-aggregates apotracheal parenchyma and scanty
paratracheal parenchyma common in the climbing tribes Apoc-
yneae ( Figs. 11, 12 ) and Baisseeae ( Fig. 10 ), mainly scanty para-
tracheal parenchyma common in the climbing tribes Mesechiteae
and Odontadenieae and in Rhabdadenia , axial parenchyma dis-
tribution more variable in the climbing Echiteae, atypical axial
parenchyma types in Mandevilla rugellosa (aliform plus con-
fl uent paratracheal, Fig. 9 ); banded marginal axial parenchyma,
1 – 3 – (7)-seriate, present in the climbing tribe Baisseeae (some-
times partly nonlignifi ed) and most genera of the climbing
RESULTS
The Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae material studied is
described separately. Numbers without parentheses are ranges
of means, while numbers between parentheses represent mini-
mum or maximum values. Measurements of juvenile stems and
the root wood specimen of Holarrhena curtisii are not taken
into account in the descriptions. A summary of the results
is shown in Table 1 and online Appendix S2. As illustrated in
Fig. 1 and Appendix S2, most species of the tribes Wrightieae
( Figs. 2, 3 ) , Nerieae and Malouetieae ( Figs. 5, 6, 20 ), as well as
most of the included species of Periplocoideae ( Figs. 30 – 36 )
are erect trees or shrubs, whereas the great majority of species
in the other tribes are climbing.
Apocynoideae ( Figs. 2 – 29 ) — Growth ring boundaries
distinct ( Figs. 4, 8, 12 ) or indistinct ( Fig. 11 ); no growth ring
boundaries observed in the genera Alafi a ( Fig. 7 ), Beaumontia ,
Peltastes , and Pleioceras ( Fig. 2 ). Wood diffuse-porous.
Vessels (3) – 6 – 100 – (70)/mm 2 ; vessel grouping in radial multi-
ples in the nonclimbing tribes Malouetieae ( Figs. 5, 6 ), Wright-
ieae ( Figs. 2, 3 ), in the mixed nonclimbing/climbing tribe
Nerieae ( Figs. 7, 8 ), and in the later-formed wood of Rhabdade-
nia ( Fig. 4 ); vessels largely in clusters in the climbing tribes
Apocyneae ( Figs. 11, 12 ), Baiseeae ( Fig. 10 ), Echiteae (except
Rhabdadenia bifl ora , Fig. 4 ), Mesechiteae (except in Mandev-
illa rugellosa , Fig. 9 ) and Odontadenieae; zones of vessels
alternating with zones of fi bers and rays in Amphineurion mar-
ginata , Anodendron candolleanum ( Fig. 12 ) and Macrophar-
ynx spectabilis ; vessel outline generally rounded to elliptical
( Figs. 2 – 14 ), although sometimes angular in some nonclimbing
species ( Figs. 4, 6 ); perforation plates exclusively simple
( Fig. 15 ). Intervessel pits alternate, pits 3 – 8 µ m in horizontal
diameter, vestured ( Figs. 16, 17 ). Vessel-ray pits similar to in-
tervessel pits in size and shape throughout the ray cell. Wall
sculpturing absent. Tyloses occasionally present in Alafi a ,
Epigynum , Forsteronia , Funtumia , Holarrhena , Malouetia ,
Oncinotis , Peltastes , Pleiceras , Strophanthus , Urceola , Vallaris ,
Table 1. Wood anatomical comparison of subfamily Periplocoideae (PERI) and the tribes of subfamily Apocynoideae sensu Endress et al. (2007) ;
Wrigh = tribe Wrightieae, Neri = tribe Nerieae, Malou = tribe Malouetieae, Apoc = Apocynoideae, Echi = tribe Echiteae, Mese = tribe Mesechiteae,
Odon = tribe Odontadenieae, Bais = tribe Baisseeae. UR = uniseriate rays, MR multiseriate rays, + = always or predominantly present, ± = sometimes
present, – = absent or very infrequent
Character PERI Wrigh Neri Malou Apoc Echi Mese Odon Bais
Radial vessel multiples abundant − + + + − − − − −
Vessel clusters abundant + − − − + + + + +
Vessel grouping index 3 – 14 3 2 – 3 2 – 4 10 – 20 7 – 15 5 – 20 10 – 40 10 – 25
Range of mean vessel element lengths ( µ m) 200 – 500 300 – 500 400 – 700 400 – 900 300 – 600 200 – 600 300 – 600 300 – 600 300 – 600
Vasicentric tracheids present + − − − + + + + +
Fibers with distinctly bordered pits + − − − + ± − − −
Fibers with reduced pit borders + + + + − + + + +
Septate fi bers − − − − − − ± + −
Axial parenchyma mainly apotracheal − + + + − − − ± −
Axial parenchyma apo- and paratracheal + − − − + − − − +
Axial parenchyma mainly paratracheal − − − − − + + ± −
Mean range of axial parenchyma cells/strand 2 – 5 4 – 8 4 – 8 3 – 8 3 – 8 3 – 7 4 – 8 3 – 6 4 – 8
UR more frequent than MR + − + − + + + + +
UR equally common as MR − + − + − − − − −
Multiseriate ray height ( µ m) 300 – 900 300 – 600 300 – 1200 300 – 1000 500 – 1500 200 – 800 300 – 1500 400 – 900 400 – 800
Crystals in rays ± + − − ± ± + − ±
Crystals in axial parenchyma + − ± ++ ± + ± +
Laticifers in rays − − ± − + + + − +
Interxylary phloem − − − − − ± − − −

2172 American Journal of Botany [Vol. 96
Figs. 2 – 8. Transverse LM sections of the predominantly nonclimbing tribes Wrightieae, Malouetieae, and Nerieae and the genus Rhabdadenia , illustrating
the variation in vessel and axial parenchyma distribution. Climbers are represented by Figs. 7 and 8 . 2. Pleioceras gilletii (Wrightieae): TS, vessels in radial mul-
tiples. 3. Wrightia pubescens (Wrightieae): TS, vessels in radial multiples, diffuse-in-aggregates axial parenchyma. 4. Rhabdadenia bifl ora (Echiteae): TS, hori-
zontal arrows point to transition zones between erect habit in the fi rst-formed wood, followed by lianescent habit in subsequently formed wood and erect habit in
last-formed wood, growth ring boundaries in later-formed wood (vertical arrows). 5. Funtumia africana (Malouetieae): TS, vessels in short radial multiples, dif-
fuse-in-aggregates axial parenchyma. 6. Malouetia peruviana (Malouetieae): TS, vessels in long radial multiples, narrowly banded axial parenchyma. 7. Alafi a
multifl ora (Nerieae): TS, narrow and wide vessels in radial multiples, axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates to narrowly banded. 8. Strophanthus hispidus
(Nerieae): TS, vessels mainly in radial multiples, marginal banded axial parenchyma (arrows), axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates to narrowly banded.

2173
December 2009] Lens et al. — Wood anatomy of Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae
Figs. 9 – 14. Transverse LM sections showing vessel and axial parenchyma distribution, included phloem and successive cambia in the climbing tribes
Apocyneae, Baisseeae, Echiteae, Mesechiteae, and Odontadenieae. All fi gures represent climbers. 9. Mandevilla rugellosa (Mesechiteae): TS, wide solitary
vessels co-occurring with narrow vessels in radial multiples, abundant axial parenchyma aliform and in wide bands. 10. Oncinotis gracilis (Baisseeae): TS,
extensive vessel clusters including few wide and many narrow vessels (arrows), axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates and scanty paratracheal. 11. Cho-
nemorpha fragrans (Apocyneae): TS, extensive vessel clusters including few wide and many narrow vessels (arrows), axial parenchyma diffuse-in-aggre-
gates and scanty paratracheal. 12. Anodendron candolleanum (Apocyneae): TS, extensive vessel clusters including few wide and many narrow vessels
(vertical arrows), banded marginal axial parenchyma (nonlignifi ed, horizontal arrows). 13. Parsonsia buruensis (Echiteae): TS, vessels mainly solitary,
interxylary phloem (arrows). 14. Odontadenia verrucosa (Odontadenieae): TS, successive cambial activity showing subsequent xylem and phloem cylin-
ders; parenchymatous dilatation wedges sometimes present in the wood cylinder (arrows).

2174 American Journal of Botany [Vol. 96
Figs. 15 – 23. Tangential and radial sections (LM) and tangential longitudinal wood surfaces (SEM) and showing simple vessel perforations, vestured pits,
and ray characters. Climbers are represented by Figs. 15, 17, 19, 21 – 23 . 15. Oncinotis gracilis (Baisseeae): RLS, many narrow vessels with simple perforations
(arrows) in between larger vessels. 16. Kibatalia macrophylla (Malouetieae): TLS, vestures fi lling most of the pit chamber and outer pit aperture. 17. Mac-
ropharynx spectabilis (Echiteae): TLS, vestures highly branched but less abundant. 18. Rhabdadenia bifl ora (Echiteae): TLS, rays predominantly uniseriate,
occasionally biseriate (arrow). 19. Alafi a lucida (Nerieae): TLS, rays predominantly uniseriate, sometimes including laticifers (arrows). 20. Malouetia quad-
ricasarum (Malouetieae): TLS, multiseriate rays with long uniseriate ends sometimes interconnecting with other rays (arrow). 21. Beaumontia grandifl ora
(Apocyneae): TLS, uniseriate rays co-occurring with multiseriate ones. 22. Baissea gracillima (Baisseeae): TLS, uniseriate rays co-occurring with wider mul-
tiseriate rays including laticifers (arrows). 23. Urceola lucida (Apocyneae): TLS, uniseriate rays and tall multiseriate rays including laticifers (arrows).

2175
December 2009] Lens et al. — Wood anatomy of Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae
Figs. 24 – 29. Wood anatomical sections (LM; Figs. 26, 28, 29 ) and longitudinal surfaces (SEM; Figs. 24, 25, 27 ) of Apocynoideae showing multiseri-
ate ray composition, crystal occurrence, laticifers and intraxylary phloem. Climbers are represented by Figs. 24, 26, 27, and 29 . 24. Macropharynx spect-
abilis (Echiteae): RLS, fi ber-tracheids with distinctly bordered pits (arrows). 25. Rhabdadenia bifl ora (Echiteae): TLS, libriform fi ber with vestured pits
(arrows) showing small rudimentary pit borders in radial walls. 26. Mandevilla rugellosa (Mesechiteae): RLS, septate fi bers. 27. Alafi a multifl ora (Nerieae):
TLS, prismatic crystals in chambered axial parenchyma strand. 28. Holarrhena pubescens (Malouetieae): RLS, multiseriate rays with procumbent body
ray cells and few rows of square to upright marginal ray cells (arrows). 29. Urceola brachysepala (Apocyneae): RLS, multiseriate rays with procumbent
body ray cells and few rows of square to upright marginal ray cells (arrows).

2176 American Journal of Botany [Vol. 96
Figs. 30 – 36. Wood anatomical diversity of Periplocoideae based on LM pictures of transverse sections (TS), tangential longitudinal sections (TLS)
and radial longitudinal sections (RLS), combined with tangential longitudinal SEM surfaces. Climbers are represented by Figs. 31 and 34 . 30. Cryptostegia
grandifl ora : TS, intraxylary phloem (arrows). 31. Tacazzea pedicellata : TS, few wide vessels often forming clusters with narrow vessels (arrows). 32.
Periploca laevigata : TS, growth ring boundary (arrows), vessels arranged in fl ame-like dendritic pattern. 33. Pentopetia grevei : RLS, many narrow vessels
with simple perforations (arrows) in between wider vessels. 34. Tacazzea pedicellata : TLS, poorly developed vestures observed from the outer pit aperture.
35. Pentopetia grevei : TLS, uniseriate rays combined with multiseriate rays including laticifers (arrows). 36. Pentopetia grevei : TLS, prismatic crystals in
ray cells.

2177
December 2009] Lens et al. — Wood anatomy of Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae
Apocyneae ( Aganosma , Anodendron [nonlignifi ed, Fig. 12 ],
Chonemorpha , Micrechites [nonlignifi ed], Parameria , Urceola
[partly nonlignifi ed], and some other climbing genera such as
Carruthersia , Forsteronia (partly nonlignifi ed), Isonema , Mac-
ropharynx (partly nonlignifi ed), Odontadenia and Strophantus
( Fig. 8 ); in (2) – 4 – 8 – (12) celled strands. Rays 1 – 4 – (7)-seriate.
Uniseriate rays more abundant than multiseriate rays (5 – 15 vs.
1 – 5 rays/mm) in the climbing tribes ( Figs. 21 – 23 ), in the mixed
climbing/nonclimbing Nerieae (10 – 15 vs. 1 – 5 rays/mm; Fig.
19 ) and Rhabdadenia (7 – 15 vs. 0 – 2 rays/mm; Fig. 18 ); uniseri-
ate rays equally common in the nonclimbing Wrightieae and
Malouetieae (4 – 9 rays/mm, Fig. 27 ); height (50) – 150 – 1250 –
(2500) µ m; uniseriate rays generally consisting of upright cells.
Multiseriate rays generally 2 – 4-seriate ( Figs. 20, 21 ); 4 – 7-seri-
ate in some climbing species of Aganosma , Baissea ( Fig. 22 ),
Carruthersia , Chonemorpha , Micrechites , and Urceola ( Fig.
23 ); multiseriate ray height (100) – 220 – 2700 – (4800) µ m high;
typically less than 1000 µ m in most tribes ( Figs. 20 – 22 ), al-
though more variation in the climbing tribes Apocyneae ( Fig.
23 ) and Mesechiteae; multiseriate ray density (0) – 2 – 5 – (11)
rays/mm; consisting of procumbent body ray cells and mostly
1 – 2 – (4) or up to 15 rows of predominantly upright marginal ray
cells ( Figs. 28, 29 ); sometimes multiseriate rays fused in Car-
ruthersia , Funtumia , Kibatalia , Malouetia ( Fig. 20 ), Mandev-
illa , Strophantus , and Wrightia ; sheath cells absent; rays partly
nonlignifi ed in Anodendron candolleanum , Macropharynx
spectabilis , and Peltastes peltatus . Dark amorphous contents
generally absent, but sometimes observed in Alafi a , Odontade-
nia , Rhabdadenia , and Urceola ( Fig. 29 ). Prismatic crystals in
procumbent and marginal (often chambered) ray cells common
in Wrightieae and Mesechiteae, and occasionally in Apocyneae
and Baisseeae; prismatic crystals typically present in chambered
axial parenchyma cells of the tribes Apocyneae, Baisseeae,
Malouetieae, Mesechiteae, and Odontadenieae and occasion-
ally also in Nerieae ( Fig. 27 ); silica bodies absent; laticifers
common in the climbing tribes Apocyneae ( Fig. 23 ), Echiteae,
Mesechiteae, Baisseeae ( Fig. 22 ), in some climbing genera of
Nerieae ( Alafi a [ Fig. 19 ] and Strophantus ), and in Rhabdade-
nia ; intraxylary phloem observed in all wood samples with pith
tissue, interxylary (included) phloem observed in two genera of
Echiteae ( Parsonsia [ Fig. 13 ] and
Peltastes ). Successive cam-
bia present in the two Odontadenia species studied ( Fig. 14 ).
Peculiar rootwood features of Holarrhena curtisii compared
to stemwood of the remaining Apocynoideae species are very
thin-walled fi bers and the absence of multiseriate rays.
Statistical differences between anatomical measurements
of climbing and nonclimbing Apocynoideae are often signifi -
cant at the 0.01% level, such as vessel diameter (128 µ m ± 42
vs. 63 µ m ± 24, respectively; t = 5.434, df = 48, P < 0.0001),
vessel density (24/mm
2 ± 11 vs. 39/mm
2 ± 22, respectively; t =
3.2158, df = 48, P = 0.0023), vessel element length (462 µ m ±
82 vs. 585 µ m ± 166, respectively; t = 3.5117, df = 48, P =
0.001), fi ber length (897 µ m ± 143 vs. 1229 µ m ± 328, respec-
tively; t = 5.0223, df = 48, P < 0.0001), and multiseriate ray
height (811 µ m ± 435 vs. 472 µ m ± 199, respectively; t = 2.7911,
df = 48, P = 0.0075). Statistical differences between Apocyn-
oideae and Rauvolfi oideae of the same habit type are only present
for vessel element length (460 µ m vs. 570 µ m for climbers; t =
3.7984, df = 56, P = 0.0004; and 585 µ m vs. 780 µ m for nonclimb-
ers; t = 2.7161, df = 81, P = 0.0081; respectively), and fi ber length
(900 µ m vs. 1115 µ m for climbers; t = 4.2003, df = 56, P = 0.0001;
and 1230 µ m vs. 1600 µ m for nonclimbers; t = 2.915, df = 81, P =
0.0046; respectively).
Periplocoideae ( Figs. 30 – 36 ) — Growth ring boundaries usually
indistinct or distinct ( Fig. 32 ). Wood generally diffuse-porous, but
ring-porous in Periploca graeca . Vessels (5) – 7 – 86 – (100)/mm 2 ;
vessels often grouped in clusters ( Figs. 31 – 33 ) co-occurring with
fewer solitary vessels, tendency to form dendritic vessel patterns
in Periploca ( Fig. 32 ) and Pentopetia , tangential multiples rare in
some species, vessels typically solitary in Cryptolepis apiculata
and Periploca nigrescens ; vessel outline generally rounded to
elliptical ( Figs. 30 – 32 ); perforation plates exclusively simple ( Fig.
33 ). Intervessel pits alternate, pits 4 – 8 µ m in horizontal diameter,
up to 10 µ m in Pentopetia grevei , vestured ( Fig. 34 ). Vessel-ray
pits similar to intervessel pits in size and shape throughout the ray
cell. Wall sculpturing absent. Tyloses absent. Tangential diameter
of vessels (15) – 40 – 240 – (410) µ m, two vessel size classes in the
climbing species of Periploca and Tacazzea ( Fig. 31 ) present as
few narrow vessels in combination with many wide ones; vessel
elements (100) – 225 – 440 – (650) µ m long. Vasicentric tracheids as-
sociated with vessel clusters; tracheid length (250) – 350 – 500 – (700)
µ m. Nonseptate fi ber-tracheids with distinctly bordered pits, 4 – 6
µ m in horizontal diameter, in radial and tangential walls of Cryp-
tolepis and Periploca , fi ber-tracheid length (400) – 500 – 850 – (1000)
µ m; fi bers with rather reduced pit borders, 3 – 4 µ m in horizontal
diameter, concentrated in radial walls of Cryptostegia (nonseptate),
Pentopetia (nonseptate), and Tacazzea (usually septate), fi ber
length (400) – 540 – 825 – (1000) µ m; fi bers thin-walled ( Figs. 30,
31 ) or thin- to thick-walled ( Fig. 32 ). Axial parenchyma scarce,
usually a combination of diffuse apotracheal and scanty paratra-
cheal parenchyma; banded lignifi ed marginal axial parenchyma
present in Periploca graeca , P. laevigata , Pentopetia grevei (1 – 3
cells wide), banded unlignifi ed marginal axial parenchyma present
in Tacazzea pedicellata (1 – 6 cells wide); in 2 – 5 – celled strands.
Rays 1 – 4 – (5)-seriate. Uniseriate rays more abundant than multise-
riates (5 – 15 vs. 0 – 3 rays/mm; Fig. 35 ); height (50) – 100 – 540 – (950)
µ m; uniseriate rays generally consisting of upright cells. Multiseri-
ate rays 2 – 4 – (5)-seriate ( Fig. 35 ); multiseriate ray height (100) –
170 – 900 – (1400) µ m high; multiseriate ray density generally
generally low (1 – 4 rays/mm); consisting of procumbent or mixed
procumbent/square body ray cells and 1 – 2 – (4) rows of predomi-
nantly upright marginal ray cells; sheath cells absent; rays partly
nonlignifi ed in Periploca nigrescens and Tacazzea pedicellata .
Dark amorphous contents present in rays of Cryptolepis apiculata .
Prismatic crystals common in (sometimes) chambered body ray
cells of Cryptolepis , Periploca (not in P. graeca ) and Pentopetia
( Fig. 36 ); prismatic crystals generally present in chambered axial
parenchyma cells (except in Cryptolepis apiculata and Periploca
graeca ); silica bodies absent; laticifers only observed in rays of
Cryptostegia grandifl ora and Pentopetia grevei ( Fig. 35 ); intraxy-
lary phloem observed in all wood samples with pith tissue ( Fig.
30 ), interxylary phloem not observed.
DISCUSSION
Diagnostic wood features at the tribal level — As described
by Lens et al. (2008) , there are several wood features that are
uniform throughout Apocynaceae, such as simple vessel perfo-
rations, alternate vestured intervessel pits, and vessel-ray pits
that are similar in shape and size to the intervessel pits. On the
other hand, the combination of vessel grouping, vessel element
length, fi ber type, tracheid presence, axial parenchyma distribu-
tion, uniseriate ray frequency, multiseriate ray fusion, and la-
ticifer occurrence allowed identifi cation of most Rauvolfi oideae
tribes, indicating that the wood structure of Apocynaceae is

2178 American Journal of Botany [Vol. 96
of laticifers in rays (generally absent in periplocoids vs. present
in Apocynoideae). Based on the current (predominantly mo-
lecular) phylogenies, periplocoids are a strongly supported lin-
eage within the crown clade, which is fully justifi ed based on its
wood anatomy, although their exact position within the crown
clade remains unresolved. Two periplocoid wood features,
which have been shown to be phylogenetically informative at
the family level ( Lens et al., 2008 ; F. Lens, personal observa-
tion), point to a close relationship with the subfamilies Se-
camonoideae and Asclepiadoideae, i.e., the low number of axial
parenchyma cells per strand (often 2 – 3 or up to 5) and the strong
reduction in vessel element length (usually on average between
200 – 500 µ m). However, the resemblance in vessel element
length could be the result of parallel evolution, as it is well
known that vessel elements are shorter in plants extending into
arid regions (such as periplocoids, Secamonoideae and Ascle-
piadoideae) than in plants growing in wetlands ( Carlquist and
Hoekman, 1985 ; Dickison, 2000 ). In addition, the generally
smaller stature as shrubs of these drought tolerant species com-
pared to the much taller tropical lowland Apocynaceae contrib-
utes further to this possibly parallel trend ( Carlquist, 1966 ; Baas
and Schweingruber, 1987 ).
With the exception of the pantropical tribe Echiteae, the sec-
ondary xylem of the climbing Apocynoideae tribes Apocyneae
(predominantly Asian), Baisseeae (African), and Mesechiteae
and Odontadenieae (both restricted to the neotropics) is rather
homogeneous, although the wood of Odontadenia is peculiar
because of its successive cambia ( Fig. 14 ). This wood anatomi-
cal uniformity is due not only to the diagnostic wood features of
the crown clade, but also to the common presence of prismatic
crystals in axial parenchyma and the occurrence of laticifers
in rays ( Figs. 22, 23 ). Nevertheless, the two neotropical tribes
(Mesechiteae and Odontadenieae) can be generally identifi ed
based on the occurrence of mainly paratracheal axial paren-
chyma (vs. a combination of apo- and paratracheal parenchyma
in Apocyneae and Baisseeae) and septate fi bers ( Fig. 26 ; except
in some Mesechiteae species studied, vs. absent in Apocyneae
and Baisseeae). More genera of Odontadenieae need to be stud-
ied before one can comment more knowledgeably on its uncer-
tain relationships with Mesechiteae or Echiteae as hypothesized
by Livshultz et al. (2007) . In Apocyneae (and in some Echiteae),
the abundance of tracheid-like fi bers with distinctly bordered
pits in tangential and radial walls (often 4 – 6 µ m in horizontal
diameter) in the ground tissue of most species studied is re-
markable in a group characterized by pronounced vessel mul-
tiples ( Carlquist, 1984 ). The presence of tracheid-like cells can
be interpreted in two ways: (1) it may refl ect the common con-
dition in the basal subfamily Rauvolfi oideae, and therefore
these cells could be considered as a plesiomorphic character, or
(2) the tracheid-like cells in the ground tissue of these climbing
lineages have outcompeted the normal fi ber tracheids, and
should therefore be considered as secondarily derived. Accord-
ing to Carlquist (1985b) , the second option might be the more
plausible based on his observations that tracheids are much
more abundant in climbing species than in their nonclimbing
relatives to provide a safety background mechanism for the
wide, and thus more vulnerable, vessels of climbers. At this
point, the presence of abundant tracheid-like fi bers in the ground
tissue of Apocyneae and fi ber tracheids having fewer and
smaller pits in Baisseeae seems to be the only anatomical differ-
ence that could provisionally support the segregation of Bais-
seeae from Apocyneae as indicated by molecular data ( Livshultz
et al., 2007 ).
phylogenetically relevant at the tribal level. Table 1 confi rms
that most of these features are also phylogenetically informa-
tive in Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae. Especially the di-
agnostic presence of radial vessel multiples (on average 2 – 3
vessels, sometimes up to 10 vessels) in the nonclimbing apocy-
noid tribes Wrightieae ( Fig. 3 ) and Malouetieae ( Figs. 5, 6 ), and
in the mixed climbing/nonclimbing Nerieae ( Figs. 7, 8 ) is re-
markable and provides a clear contrast compared to the abun-
dance of large vessel clusters in the climbing apocynoid mem-
bers of the crown clade (on average often more than 10 narrow
vessels grouped with few wide vessels in one cluster in combi-
nation with vasicentric tracheids; occasionally up to more than
50 vessels per cluster; Figs. 10 – 12 ; Appendix S2, see Supple-
mental Data with the online version of this article). This strik-
ing divergence in vessel grouping between the predominantly
nonclimbing and climbing groups is not entirely due to differ-
ences in habit, because all climbing Nerieae species investi-
gated have abundant radial vessel multiples and only
occasionally form vessel clusters ( Figs. 7, 8 ; Table 1 ). Interest-
ingly, the basal apocynoid tribes occur in the same tropical low-
land regions as the crown clade apocynoids, making explanations
about the functional signifi cance of various vessel grouping
patterns in this lineage diffi cult. Most likely, the two vessel
strategies have evolved independently in the same environment
to cope with conductivity and safety constraints of the hydrau-
lic mechanism. Nevertheless, the current study supports our
previous hypothesis that vessel grouping patterns are taxonomi-
cally important throughout the entire family (cf. Lens et al.,
2008 ).
In the predominantly nonclimbing tribes Wrightieae, Malou-
etieae, and Nerieae, the ratio of uniseriate/multiseriate ray fre-
quency and the location of crystals can provisionally be used to
identify the three tribes. In Nerieae, the number of uniseriate
rays (10 – 15 rays/mm) exceeds by far the number of multiseri-
ate ones (1 – 5 rays/mm; Fig. 19 ) compared to the more or less
equal abundance of uniseriate and multiseriate rays in Wright-
ieae and Malouetieae (3 – 10 rays/mm; Fig. 20 ; Table 1 ). Fur-
thermore, nearly all species of Malouetieae studied typically
have prismatic crystals only in chambered axial parenchyma
cells (crystals absent in Kibatalia arborea and Malouetia quad-
ricasarum ), whereas the species of Wrightieae investigated all
have prismatic crystals in rays. In Nerieae, crystal occurrence
and location is more variable: crystals are usually absent, but
they are observed in axial parenchyma cells only ( Isonema and
Nerium ) or in axial parenchyma and rays Alafi a multifl ora ( Fig.
27 ).
The wood anatomy of Periplocoideae shares many similari-
ties with the other derived Apocynaceae lineages of the crown
clade. In addition to the uniform wood characters throughout
Apocynaceae and the typical wood features of the crown clade
(abundance of vessel clusters in association with vasicentric
tracheids and the tendency toward paratracheal axial paren-
chyma), there is also a common evolutionary trend toward
ground tissue fi bers with reduced pit borders concentrated in
radial walls (still considered as fi ber tracheids, but “ approach-
ing ” the libriform fi ber condition in the Baileyan sense, al-
though tracheid-like fi bers common in Apocyneae). Based on
our rather limited periplocoid sampling, it is diffi cult to fi nd
diagnostic wood characters to distinguish Periplocoideae from
Apocynoideae. Two characters that could be informative in this
regard are the reduced number of axial parenchyma cells per
strand (fewer than fi ve cells per strand in periplocoids vs. 4 – 8
cells per strand in Apocynoideae; Table 1 ) and the occurrence

2179
December 2009] Lens et al. — Wood anatomy of Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae
Echiteae — The wood anatomical diversity within Echiteae
as circumscribed by Endress et al. (2007) is unexpectedly high
( Table 1 ; online Appendix S2), which questions the monophyl-
etic origin of the group (cf. Livshultz et al., 2007 ). For instance,
Rhabdadenia bifl ora does not have vessel clusters, Pentalinon
has prismatic crystals in rays and axial parenchyma but lacks
laticifers, and Parsonsia and Peltastes are the only two Apocy-
noideae genera observed with interxylary phloem ( Fig. 13 ). Be-
cause Parsonsia and Peltastes do not seem to be particularly
closely related ( Livshultz et al., 2007 ), it is possible that a more
extensive sampling within the New World clade and especially
Echiteae would reveal additional genera with interxylary
phloem. The presence of interxylary phloem in Apocynaceae is
not restricted to Apocynoideae, but has also been observed in
the asclepiad genera Asclepias (Asclepiadeae), Gymnema
(Marsdenieae), and Leptadenia (Ceropegieae) ( Carlquist, 1989 ;
F. Lens, personal observation).
The neotropical species Rhabdadenia bifl ora is peculiar in
several aspects. As demonstrated by the horizontal arrows in
Fig. 4 , the earliest formed wood is typical of an erect growth
form, but then abruptly, the anatomy changes to that of a lianes-
cent growth form and back to that of an erect plant. This strange
pattern probably corresponds to the variable habit described by
Nowicke (1970) for the given species (liana to erect subshrub).
Another noteworthy wood character is the presence of ex-
tremely thin-walled, parenchyma-like fi bers ( Fig. 18 ) with
small pits only in radial walls ( Fig. 25 ). These exceptionally
thin-walled fi bers have also been observed in the very light
basal stemwood and rootwood of some Malesian Alstonia spe-
cies from swamp forests (Alstonieae, Rauvolfi oideae; P. Baas,
personal observation; Ingle and Dadswell 1953 ), which are
known as driftwood species that can travel for very long dis-
tances via water. Other striking resemblances between R. bi-
fl ora and the Alstonia swamp forest species are very short vessel
elements (200 – 400 µ m), and mainly uniseriate and notably
short rays (100 – 400 µ m in length). Rhabdadenia bifl ora occurs
along canals and in other marshy habitats in Florida and can
tolerate high levels of salinity. Its preferred habitat, however, is
Rhizophora mangroves where it ranges from Florida to the Ca-
ribbean and northwestern South America ( Alvarez-Le ó n, 2003 ;
Menezes et al., 2008). The widespread occurrence of R. bifl ora
in mangroves, combined with its extremely light basal stem-
wood including parenchyma-like ground tissue fi bers, points
to a parallel evolutionary trend in various angiosperm families
occurring in swamp forests ( Berry and Wiedenhoeft, 2004 ;
P. Baas, personal observation).
Odontadenia — To the best of our knowledge, our two sam-
ples of Odontadenieae represent the fi rst report of successive
cambia in Apocynaceae ( Fig. 14 ). Since our sample of Secon-
datia , which is placed as sister to Odontadenia in the Livschultz
et al. (2007) analysis, does not show successive cambia, this
unusual character might be a synapomorphy for the genus.
However, a better sampling of the entire tribe Odontadenieae,
including genera such Stipecoma , Thyrsanthella ( Endress et al.,
2007 ) and Pinochia ( Endress and Hansen, 2007 ), is required to
support this assumption.
Galactophora — The taxonomic position of this genus re-
mains obscure. Erected by Woodson in 1932, it was included
by Pichon (1950) in his tribe Parsonsieae, whereas Leeuwen-
berg (1994) placed it in Echiteae, both of which have been
shown to be polyphyletic (Livshultz et al., 2007). In 2000,
Endress and Bruyns transferred Galactophora to the tribe
Mesechiteae, based on the presence of fi ve ribs at the base of
the style-head. In a more detailed phylogenetic study of
Mesechiteae by Sim õ es et al. (2004 ), cpDNA rejected inclusion
of Galactophora in Mesechiteae, and this was further supported
by the very weak attachment of the anthers with the ribs of the
style-head (vs. fi rmly postgentially fused in Mesechiteae). The
Livshultz et al. (2007) analysis included the genus again in the
Malouetieae clade (although with low support), but because
of its uncertain affi nities, Endress et al. (2007) elected to treat
Galactophora as a genus incertae sedis within Apocynoideae.
With respect to its habit and morphology, Galactophora is
rather unusual within Apocynoideae: it is described as a woody
herb or erect shrub up to 50 cm growing in periodically fl ooded
white sand savannas, and its sticky glandular hairs on the stems,
leaves and infl orescences are unique in the family ( Morales,
2005 ). The Galactophora sample that we have observed was
narrower (3 mm in diameter) than the bulk of our remaining
material, thus hampering comparison. Nonetheless, the uniform
presence of radial vessel multiples in combination with few
solitary vessels in Galactophora suggests a position within
one of the three basal Apocynoideae lineages (including among
others Malouetieae), rather than within the more derived
lineages.
Climbers vs. nonclimbers — As illustrated by Baas et al.
(2007) and Lens et al. (2008) , differences between the wood
anatomy of climbers (representative Figs. 7 – 14, 21 – 23, 31 ) and
nonclimbers (representative Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6, 18 – 20, 32 ) deserve
special attention in Apocynaceae. Baas et al. (2007) suggested
a distinction in vessel grouping between the erect species (ves-
sels in multiples common) and climbers (predominantly soli-
tary vessels), but this generalization was refi ned after a more
detailed study of Rauvolfi oideae ( Lens et al., 2008 ), in which
solitary vessels were confi rmed as the main type in rauvolfi oid
climbers, but the vessel distribution of nonclimbing rauvolfi oids
varied much more than previously recognized (exclusively soli-
tary or abundant radial multiples). The current study illustrates
that the situation is even more complex, especially with regard
to the climbing species of the APSA clade. Whereas the climb-
ing members of Nerieae have radial vessel multiples ( Figs. 7,
8 ), the lianescent anatomy of Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae
(and also Secamonoideae and Asclepiadoideae) is character-
ized by the presence of large vessel clusters and vasicentric tra-
cheids ( Figs. 10 – 12 ; occasionally an extremely high vessel
grouping index of over 50). The striking difference in vessel
grouping patterns between the climbing taxa of rauvolfi oids
and crown clade members is further stressed by an obvious dis-
tinction in the type of imperforate tracheary cells present in the
ground tissue: climbing rauvolfi oids are characterized by cells
with abundant distinctly bordered pits in tangential and radial
walls (tracheids sensu Carlquist, 1984 ), while the climbing
crown clade taxa have cells with fewer and smaller bordered
pits in their ground tissue (fi ber tracheids according to IAWA
Committee, 1989 ; but often tracheid-like cells in ground tissue
of Apocyneae) in combination with vasicentric tracheids. Con-
sequently, there is strong anatomical support for an indepen-
dent origin of the climbing habit in the two groups.
A functional explanation for the strikingly different anatomi-
cal strategy in both climbing groups remains diffi cult to achieve,
but the variation in tracheid distribution probably refl ects two
independent ways to protect the vulnerable, wide vessels of li-
anas by acting as a subsidiary water transport system in case

2180 American Journal of Botany [Vol. 96
many wide vessels embolize ( Carlquist, 1985b ). Both groups
typically occur in the same humid tropical lowland forests
throughout the world and can therefore be assumed to face sim-
ilar hydraulic demands and (rather low levels of) drought
stresses. A similar type of pronounced vessel clustering is com-
monly found in representatives of many other angiosperm fam-
ilies with a lianescent habit ( Carlquist, 1989 , 2001 ), but the
co-occurrence of climbing species with exclusively solitary
vessels or large vessel groupings within one family is remark-
able. In the APSA clade, the presence of extensive vessel clus-
ters is not restricted to climbers: they even tend to form
fl ame-like dendritic patterns in some periplocoid shrubs that are
adapted to dry regions, such as Periploca laevigata ( Fig. 4 ;
coastal sand/gravel areas on Canary Islands) and Pentopetia
grevei (dry savanna or scrub forests in South and West Mada-
gascar) (online Appendix S2).
In addition to the general qualitative differences in the wood
between climbers and nonclimbers in Apocynoideae (vessel
clusters vs. radial multiples; tendency to form paratracheal pa-
renchyma vs. only apotracheal parenchyma; presence of vasi-
centric tracheids and laticifers vs. absence), there are also
several quantitative differences, all statistically signifi cant at
the 0.01% level, which correspond to what has been observed
in Rauvolfi oideae. In Apocynoideae, climbing species have
wider vessels than nonclimbing species (on average 130 µ m vs.
65 µ m), which is a well-known correlation throughout the an-
giosperms ( Carlquist, 1985b , 1989 ; Bamber and ter Welle,
1994 ). The lower vessel density in climbers compared to non-
climbers (25/mm
2 vs. 40/mm
2 ) might be an underestimation of
the true value due to the many narrow vessels, which are some-
times very diffi cult to observe in transverse sections. Vessel
elements and fi bers are also signifi cantly shorter in climbers
than in nonclimbers (460 µ m vs. 585 µ m and 900 µ m vs. 1230
µ m, respectively). Finally, climbing species have higher multi-
seriate rays compared to nonclimbing taxa (810 µ m vs. 470
µ m), although this was not the case in Rauvolfi oideae. The wid-
est rays in Apocynoideae (4 – 7 seriate) all belong to climbing
taxa ( Figs. 21 – 23 ), but ray width in climbing apocynoids is too
variable to make generalizations about ray width differences
between climbing and nonclimbing species.
When the quantitative wood characters of climbing and non-
climbing apocynoids are compared with the same habit groups
in rauvolfi oids, similar values of vessel diameter (on average
130 – 140 µ m in climbers and 65 µ m in nonclimbers) and vessel
density (on average 19 – 24/mm
2 in climbers and 40/mm
2 in
nonclimbers) are reported. The same applies to the multiseriate
ray height (on average 810 µ m in climbers and 470 – 720 µ m in
nonclimbers) and width (generally 2 – 4 seriate, with wider rays
in some climbing taxa). However, the length of vessel elements
and fi bers differs signifi cantly at the 0.01% level between apo-
cynoids and rauvolfi oids of the same habit type: climbing as
well as nonclimbing apocynoids have considerably shorter ves-
sel elements than their rauvolfi oid counterparts (460 µ m vs. 570
µ m for climbers, and 585 µ m vs. 780 µ m for nonclimbers, re-
spectively); the same is true for fi ber length (900 µ m vs. 1115
µ m for climbers and 1230 µ m vs. 1600 µ m for nonclimbers,
respectively). Consequently, on the one hand, the general length
reduction of vessel elements and fi bers within a specifi c clade is
dependent on the climbing habit, as demonstrated in the rau-
volfi oid tribe Willughbeieae ( Lens et al., 2008 ) and in the sub-
family Apocynoideae (this study). On the other hand, there is
also a signifi cant evolutionary trend of habit-independent length
reduction toward the later-diverging lineages of Apocynaceae,
as evidenced by climbers and nonclimbers of Apocynoideae
compared to those of the same habit types in the early-diverging
Rauvolfi oideae.
General evolutionary wood trends within Apocynaceae
s.l. — As discussed by Lens et al. (2008) , the wood of Apocyn-
aceae exhibits several evolutionary trends that become evident
when the early-diverging rauvolfi oid lineages are compared
with the later-diverging APSA clade members. One of the most
conspicuous wood trends is the decreasing vessel element
length (on average 700 – 1000 µ m in basal Rauvolfi oideae vs.
200 – 500 µ m in Periplocoideae, Secamonoideae, and Asclepia-
doideae), illustrating that the well-known Baileyan trend from
long to short vessel elements ( Bailey and Tupper, 1918 ) has
undergone much more parallel evolution in various angiosperm
families than initially recognized (cf. Baas and Wheeler, 1996 ;
Lens et al., 2007b ). Vessel grouping also displays a marked
evolutionary trend from exclusively solitary vessels or radial
vessel multiples in Rauvolfi oideae toward large vessel clusters
in the more derived lineages of the APSA clade. Thus, the pres-
ence of radial vessel multiples in Wrightieae, Nerieae, and
Malouetieae is best interpreted as a plesiomorphy that provides
additional morphological support for their “ basal ” position in
the APSA clade (cf. Livshultz et al., 2007 ). Furthermore, the
large vessel clusters — sometimes even forming a fl ame-like
dendritic pattern — together with several other wood features
justify the taxonomic position of Periplocoideae within the
derived crown clade. The great variation of vessel grouping
patterns is accompanied by the type of imperforate tracheary
cells in the ground tissue: (conductive) tracheids coevolve with
solitary vessels, while (nonconductive) fi bers are strongly
linked with vessel multiples and clusters ( Carlquist, 1984 ). The
reduction of vessel element length and the evolution toward
pronounced vessel clusters within Apocynaceae go also hand
in hand with vasicentric tracheid abundance, a high frequency
of paratracheal parenchyma, and a decrease in number of cells
per axial parenchyma strand (6 – 12 in basal Rauvolfi oideae vs.
2 – 5 in Periplocoideae, Secamonoideae, and Asclepiadoideae).
Most of these major evolutionary trends are linked with — or
probably even caused by — a habitat shift toward drier regions
and/or an abundance of the climbing habit in the more derived
Apocynaceae ( Baas et al., 1983 ; Swarupanandan et al., 1996 ;
Carlquist, 1989 , 2001 ; Dickison, 2000 ; Venter and Verhoeven,
2001 ; Verhoeven et al., 2003 ; Middleton, 2007 ; Wheeler et al.,
2007 ).
In conclusion, the differences in vessel distribution, vasicen-
tric tracheid occurrence and axial parenchyma distribution be-
tween the mainly nonclimbing apocynoid tribes (Wrightieae,
Malouetieae, Nerieae) and the climbing apocynoids and periplo-
coids (and by extension also the entire climbing crown clade)
confi rm the phylogenetic signifi cance of wood characters within
Apocynaceae. Furthermore, a combination of additional wood
characters may provisionally be used to defi ne several higher-
level taxonomic entities within Apocynoideae-Periplocoideae,
although the microscopic wood structure within the nonclimb-
ing and climbing taxa is rather uniform. The typical occurrence
of large vessel clusters in the climbing apocynoids and periplo-
coids (and remaining crown clade members) and co-occurring
fi bers in the ground tissue is remarkable, because this is in con-
trast with the typical anatomy of climbing rauvolfi oids showing
solitary vessels and tracheids in the ground tissue. This strik-
ingly different climbing anatomy illustrates that the climbing
habit in Apocynaceae must have been originated more than

2181
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December 2009] Lens et al. — Wood anatomy of Apocynoideae and Periplocoideae
Appendix 1. List of taxa investigated in this study with reference to their locality, voucher information, and the tribal classifi cation sensu Endress et al. (2007) .
Abbreviations of institutional wood collections: K = Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; L = National Herbarium of the Netherlands – Leiden University Branch,
MADw = Madison wood collection; Tw = Tervuren wood collection; WAG = National Herbarium of the Netherlands – Wageningen University Branch. Wood
specimens that were considered to be juvenile are marked with an asterisk. “ Mature ” means that the wood sample is derived from a trunk or mature branches,
although the exact diameter of the wood sample could not be traced.
Taxon — Collection locality; Voucher ; Institution; Sample diameter; Tribal
classifi cation sensu Endress et al. (2007) .
Aganosma cymosa (Roxb.) G.Don ; Sri Lanka (Kurunagele); Kostermans
24937 ; L; 22 mm; Apocyneae. Alafi a landolphioides (A.DC.) Benth. &
Hook.f. ex K.Schum.* ; Cameroon (Mount F é b é ); Breteler 2727 ; WAG;
13 mm; Nerieae. Alafi a lucida Stapf ; Cameroon (Doum é ); Breteler
1857 ; WAG; 19 mm; Nerieae. Alafi a multifl ora (Stapf) Stapf ; Cameroon
(Mvila Dep., near Ebom); Elad & Parren 398 ; WAG; 54 mm; Nerieae.
Amphineurion marginata (A.DC.) D.J.Middleton* ; Philippines
(Palawan, St. Paul ’ s Bay); Ridsdale SMHI 1554 ; L; 16 mm; Apocyneae.
Amphineurion marginata (A.DC.) D.J.Middleton ; USA (Miami,
Fairchild Tropical Garden); Ewers FG X-1-480 ; L; 28 mm; Apocyneae.
Anodendron candolleanum Wight ; Malesia; Koloniaal Museum
Haarlem 2137 ; L; 32 mm; Apocyneae (APO). Anodendron paniculatum
A.DC.* ; Thailand; Maxwell 90-413 ; L; 10 mm; Apocyneae. Baissea
gracillima (K.Schum.) Hua ; Cameroon; de Kruif 896 ; WAG; 27 mm;
Baiseeae. Baissea leonensis Benth. ; Ivory Coast; de Koning 6890 ; WAG;
15 mm; Baiseeae. Baissea welwitschii (Baill.) Stapf ex Hiern ; Ivory
Coast (Abidjan); Jongkind 4097 ; WAG; 11 mm; Baiseeae. Beaumontia
grandifl ora Wall. ; USA (Miami, Fairchild Tropical Garden); Ewers
FW X-2-393B ; L; 27 mm; Apocyneae.
Carruthersia scandens (Seem.)
Seem. ; Fiji Islands; origin and collector unknown ; Kw 24834; 20 mm;
Malouetieae. Chonemorpha fragrans (Moon) Alston ; USA (Miami,
Fairchild Tropical Garden); Ewers FG 70116 ; L; 35 mm; Apocyneae.
Cryptolepis apiculata K.Schum. ex Engl. ; Tanzania; Holst s.n. ; Kw
23014; 25 mm; Periplocoideae. Cryptostegia grandifl ora R.Br. ; Cuba
(Cienfuegos, Horpuitas); Dechamps R. et al. 12536A ; Tw 50022; 10 mm;
Periplocoideae. Epigynum ridleyi King & Gamble ; India; Ridsdale PBU
491 ; L; 11 mm; Apocyneae. Forsteronia gracilis (Benth.) M ü ll.Arg.* ;
Surinam; Maguire et al. 24799 ; MADw 12116; 8 mm; Mesechiteae.
Forsteronia guyanensis M ü ll.Arg. ; Surinam; Leeuwenberg 1980 ; WAG;
25 mm; Mesechiteae. Funtumia africana (Benth.) Stapf ; Democratic
Republic of Congo; de Briey 181 ; L 0369511; mature; Malouetieae.
Funtumia africana (Benth.) Stapf ; Uganda; Dentzman 1671 ; MADw
10183; mature; Malouetieae. Galactophora pumila Monach. ; Venezuela;
Wurdack & Adderley 42773 ; MADw 22413; 3 mm; Malouetieae.
Holarrhena curtisii King & Gamble ; Thailand (Songkla); Tongseedam
16 ; L; 28 mm (root); Malouetieae. Holarrhena pubescens (Buch.-Ham.)
Wall. ex G.Don ; Bangladesh; Majumder & Islam 60 ; L; MADw 24505;
mature; Malouetieae. Holarrhena pubescens (Buch.-Ham.) Wall. ex
G.Don ; Thailand (Erawan National Park); van Beusekom & Geesink 3881 ;
L; 53 mm; Malouetieae. Isonema smeathmannii Roem. & Schult.* ;
Ivory Coast; de Koning 6904 ; WAG; 15 mm; Nerieae. Kibatalia arborea
(Blume) G.Don ; Philippines (Palawan, Puerto Princesa); Podzorski
SMHI 2170 ; L; 97 mm; Malouetieae. Kibatalia arborea (Blume) G.Don ;
origin and collector unknown ; WAG; mature; Malouetieae. Kibatalia
macrophylla (Pierre ex Hua) Woodson ; Thailand (Chiang Mai); collector
and number unknown ; L0369526; 19 mm; Malouetieae. Macropharynx
spectabilis (Stadelm.) Woodson ; Bolivia; Nee 41809 ; MADw 46939; 13
mm; Echiteae. Malouetia peruviana Woodson ; Peru (Loreto); Mathias
& Taylor 5442 ; L; 95 mm; Malouetieae. Malouetia quadricasarum
Woodson ; Colombia; Cuatrecasas 17522 ; L; mature; Malouetieae.
Mandevilla rugellosa (Rich.) L.Allorge ; Guyana; Jansen-Jacobs et al.
3568 ; Uw 34801; Mesechiteae. Mascarenhasia arborescens A.DC. ; USA
(Miami Fairchild Tropical Garden); Curtis FG FG4376B ; L; 46 mm;
Malouetieae. Micrechites rhombifolius Markgr. ; Indonesia (NW Buru);
Van Balgooy 4900 ; L; 20 mm; Apocyneae. Micrechites serpyllifolius
(Blume) Kosterm. ; Indonesia (Sumatra, Lamping prov.); Jacobs 8490 ;
L; 39 mm; Apocyneae. Micrechites warianus (Schltr.) D.J.Middleton ;
New Guinea (SE of Lae); Jacobs 9687 ; L; 46 mm; Apocyneae. Motandra
guineensis (Thonn.) A.DC. ; Ghana (Ashanti); Jongkind 3925 ; WAG;
27 mm; Baisseeae. Nerium oleander L. ; The Netherlands (Botanical
Garden of Utrecht); collector and number unknown ; UN 398; 27 mm;
Nerieae. Odontadenia puncticulosa (Rich.) Pulle ; Brazil; Krukoff 8090 ;
MADw 14002; mature; Odontadenieae. Odontadenia verrucosa (Willd.
ex Roem. & Schult.) K.Schum. ex Markgr. ; Brazil (Amazonas, Manaus,
Reserva Ducke), Simoes et al. 05/2008 ; 8 mm; Odontadenieae. Oncinotis
glabrata (Baill.) Stapf ex Hiern* ; Cameroon (Lomi é ); Breteler 1270 ;
WAG; 12 mm; Baisseeae. Oncinotis gracilis Stapf ; Ghana (Ashanti);
Jongkind & Abbiw 1985 ; WAG; 21 mm; Baisseeae. Papuechites aambe
(Warb.) Markgr. ; Papua New Guinea (near Kutubu); Jacobs 9238 ; L;
17 mm; Apocyneae. Parameria laevigata (Juss.) Moldenke ; Philippines
(Palawan, Puerto Princesa); Ridsdale SMHI 156 ; L; 17 mm; Apocyneae.
Parsonsia buruensis (Teijsm. & Binn.) Boerl. ; Indonesia (NW Buru, SE
of Bara); van Balgooy 5079 ; L; 30 mm; Echiteae. Peltastes peltatus (Vell.)
Woodson ; Brazil (Paran á ); Lindeman & Horre ü s de Haas 2945 ; Uw
13958a; Echiteae. Pentalinon luteum (L.) B.F.Hansen & Wunderlin* ;
USA; Stern & Brizicki 210 ; MADw 18233; 7 mm; Echiteae ; Pentopetia
grevei (Baill.) Venter ; Madagascar; collector and number unknown ;
Kw 13192; 30 mm; Periplocoideae. Periploca graeca L.* ; Greece
(Serre); Schweingruber 13-6-1982 ; L; 12 mm; Periplocoideae. Periploca
laevigata Ait. ; Spain (Carbonara); Schweingruber 27-4-1983 ; L; 14 mm;
Periplocoideae. Periploca nigrescens Afzel. ; D. R. Congo (East Kasai);
Sapin 35 ; Tw 41506; 17 mm; Periplocoideae. Pleioceras gilletii Stapf* ;
Democratic Republic of Congo (Yangambi); Louis 6092 ; K; 5 mm;
Wrightieae. Rhabdadenia bifl ora (Jacq.) M ü ll.Arg. ; Surinam; Lindeman
& Heyde 468 ; Uw 23146; 24 mm; Echiteae. Secondatia duckei Markr. :
Brazil (Flora da Reserva Ducke, Amazonas); Costa & Assun ç ã o 385; K;
9 mm; Odontadenieae. Strophanthus caudatus (L.) Kurz ; Philippines
(Palawan, St. Paul ’ s Bay); Podzorski SMHI 2028 ; L; 54 mm; Nerieae.
Strophanthus perakensis Scortechnin ex King & Gamble* ; Thailand
(Chiang Mai, Muang); Maxwell 92-146 ; L; 9 mm; Nerieae. Strophanthus
hispidus DC. ; Botanical Garden Basel 425/H ; L; 36 mm; Nerieae.
Strophanthus singaporianus (Wall. ex G.Don) Gilg ; Philippines
(Palawan, Narra); Ridsdale SMHI 1715 ; L; 50 mm; Nerieae. Tacazzea
apiculata Oliv. ; Kenya; Bally 906 ; Kw 23019; 9 mm; Periplocoideae.
Tacazzea pedicellata K.Schum. ; D. R. Congo; Louis 106 ; Tw 32810;
16 mm; Periplocoideae. Urceola brachysepala Hook.f.* ; Indonesia
(Kalimantan Tengah); Ridsdale PBU 182 ; L; 14 mm; Apocyneae. Urceola
brachysepala Hook.f. ; Indonesia (Sumatra); Meijer 6808 ; L; 40 mm;
Apocyneae. Urceola laevis (Elmer) Merr. ; Indonesia (Palawan, Taytay);
Ridsdale SMHI 312 ; L; 22 mm; Apocyneae. Urceola lucida (Wall. ex
G.Don) Benth. ex Kurz ; Indonesia; Krukoff 4382 ; MADw 27145;
Apocyneae. Vallaris glabra (L.) Kuntze ; origin unknown; collector
and number unknown , Koloniaal Museum Haarlem 1507-6; L; 33 mm;
Apocyneae. Wrightia antidysenterica (L.) R.Br.* ; Sri Lanka (Galle,
District Hiniduma); Nooteboom 3181 ; L; 6 mm; Wrightieae. Wrightia
coccinea (Roxb.) Sims ; Thailand (E of Mae Sod); Geesink 5547 ; L; 52
mm; Wrightieae. Wrightia pubescens R.Br. ; origin unknown collector
and number unknown ; L 0085278; mature; Wrightieae.