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Occurrence of parenchyma-like fibres (PLFs) in secondary xylem of selected Indian hardwoods

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Abstract

Fibre morphology of secondary xylem of 774 wood samples of 320 tree species belonging to 28 families, viz. Aceraceae, Aquifoliaceae, Bombacaceae, Burseraceae, Buxaceae, Caesalpinioideae, Capparaceae, Carpinaceae, Casuarinaceae, Clusiaceae, Combretaceae, Corylaceae, Dilleniaceae, Ebenaceae, Elaeocarpaceae, Erythroxylaceae, Grossulariaceae, Lauraceae, Mimosoideae, Meliaceae, Moraceae, Oxalidaceae, Papilionoideae, Proteaceae, Sabiaceae, Santalaceae, Sapotaceae and Staphylaceae, was studied. During the study, a different wood element was observed which was different from both fibre and axial parenchyma. This wood element was observed in 185 species belonging to 15 families, viz. Aceraceae, Bombacaceae, Burseraceae, Caesalpinioideae, Capparaceae, Combretaceae, Elaeocarpaceae, Lauraceae, Mimosoideae, Meliaceae, Moraceae, Papilionoideae, Proteaceae, Sabiaceae and Santalaceae. On scrutiny of the literature, this wood element was referred to as parenchyma-like fibre (PLF) and the occurrence of PLFs known as fibre dimorphism. The dimensions of PLFs were also taken for the comparison with the fibres. The study reveals that the PLFs may be septate or non-septate and may contain coloured deposits, crystals and silica bodies. A difference in length, diameter and lumen diameter was also observed in fibres and parenchyma-like fibres.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wood Anatomy Discipline, Forest Botany Division, Forest Research Institute, P.O. - New Forest, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248006, India

    Dheerendra Kumar & Sangeeta Gupta

  2. Wood Anatomy Discipline, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, India

    Sangeeta Gupta

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  1. Dheerendra Kumar
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  2. Sangeeta Gupta
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Correspondence to Dheerendra Kumar.

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Kumar, D., Gupta, S. Occurrence of parenchyma-like fibres (PLFs) in secondary xylem of selected Indian hardwoods. J Indian Acad Wood Sci 20, 89–106 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13196-022-00305-8

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