Morfologia e potencial adaptativo das lenticelas e características da madeira de espécies lenhosas da Caatinga

Abstract

Generally originating under the stomata, during secondary plant growth, lenticels are masses of loose cells, arranged horizontally or vertically in the periderm, that evolved as arenchymal regions, ensuring greater intercellular space in the midst of tightly arranged and highly suberified cells of the felema and allowing air to enter the stem. In dry environments such as the Caatinga, the role of these structures in the development of woody plants is unknown, and if they would have some adaptive value besides the already documented aeration of the stem. The objective of this work was to characterize the morphology, number and average area of the lenticels of 15 Caatinga species (seven of these belonging to the Fabaceae family) and discuss their possible adaptive role based on survival data, wood water storage capacity and wood density, as well as providing dendrological data that allow a better characterization of the periderm of native tree species in the juvenile phase. The plants used in the analyzes were young individuals growing in a greenhouse in PVC pipes, receiving water by spraying twice a week and survival data were obtained by field experiment. A wide difference in relation to lenticels morphology, number and average area was found among species. In leguminous species, the lenticel area (pore) influences the amount of lenticels present in the stem and the total area of these structures has a significant effect on survival.