Correlation of intrusive growth of cambial initials to rearrangement of rays in the vascular cambium

It is well documented that apical elongation of fusiform cambial initials through extension of their longitudinal edges, and their intrusion between tangential walls of the neighbouring initials and their closest derivatives cause rearrangement of fusiform cells, without increasing the cambial circumference. However, the concurrent rearrangement of rays is not fully understood. This study deals with Pinus sylvestris L., Tilia cordata Mill. and Hippophaë rhamnoides L., possessing a nonstoreyed, storeyed and double-storeyed type of cambium, respectively, and shows that the mechanism for rearrangement of ray initials is similar to the one proposed for fusiform initials, and includes multiplication of ray initials by anticlinal divisions, intrusive growth of ray initials, elimination of ray initials caused by intrusive growth of neighbouring fusiform initials, and transformation of ray initials into fusiform initials. Intrusive growth of a ray initial does not necessarily lead to the formation of a new fusiform initial, as it is dependent on the extent of the intrusive growth taken place. The extent of rearrangement of cambial cells is determined by the intensity of events occurring among the fusiform as well as ray initials. Intrusive growth of these initials does not influence the size of the cambial circumference.

Vertical migration of rays leads to the development of a double-storied phenotype in the cambium of Aesculus turbinata

In the vascular cambium of Aesculus turbinata (Blume) the double-storied structure develops slowly. Initially, the arrangement of primary rays is nonstoried. New secondary rays are initiated during cambial expansion. Rays grow by addition of new initials at both ray margins and then split by the intrusive elongation of adjacent fusiform cells. The repetitive splits give rise to groups of several rays of common descent. Initially, the secondary rays are also nonstoried. Later, they become organized into horizontal tiers. This results from the vertical migration of ray initials in the vascular cambium. Controlled polar additions and eliminations of ray-cell initials at the opposite margins of the ray continue until it reaches the appropriate position within the storey of fusiform initials. We postulate that there are at least two mechanisms for the formation and maintenance of ray tiers in cambium. They are unrelated to cell inclination changes, which as described earlier, are known to sometimes induce a double-storied phenotype. The first of these mechanisms, involves initiation of secondary rays exactly within the storeys of fusiform initials, as in Hippophaë rhamnoides L. The second mechanism, present in A. turbinata, is based on the dynamic, controlled migration of rays.

Impact of Seasonal Variation on the Structure and Activity of vascular Cambium in ficus Religiosa1

In Ficus religiosa (Moraceae) extension and radial growth occurs in late July and early August, respectively, under the local climate of Aligarh. The derivative tissue differentiates into xylem and phloem simultaneously in August. The phloem production stops late in August, restarts early October and then continues up to November. The xylogenesis continues up to November without interruption. Formation of the precursor phloem is observed in March. Cell size and the relative proportion of fusiform and ray initials vary with season.

Desenvolvimento e mudanças celulares na estrutura dos raios xilemáticos de Rollinia emarginata Schlecht. (Annonaceae)

Through microscopical observations in serial tangential sctions from cambium to pith the development and the most significant cellular changes in the structure of rays of Rollinia emarginata Schlecht. (Annonaceae) were observed. The ray characteristics of the outermost layer of secondary xylem are described and the major changes in the ray structure in different stages of secondary develooment are considered. The cellular changes observed are extremely variable, occurring isolated or in complex combinations. The most significant cellular changes observed during ray development are the following: origin of ray initials from fusiform initials or from cambial ray initials; changes resulting from the intrusive growth of fusiform initials through a group of ray initials and the loss of ray initials from the cambium. From these cellular transformations the most important changes in the origin of secondary rays, increase in height and width and reduction in the height of multisseriate rays are considered.

Vascular cambium and wood development in Carboniferous plants. III. Arthropitys (Equisetales; Calamitaceae)

Vascular cambium activity was examined in Arthropitys communis (Binney) Hirmer et Knoell, and A. deltoides Cichan et Taylor, anatomically preserved calamite stems from the Pennsylvanian of Kentucky. Developmental characteristics of the meristem were inferred from changes in the size and number of tracheids and ray cells determined from serial tangential sections of the secondary xylem. In A. communis, circumferential enlargement of the cambium seems to have been accommodated primarily by the enlargement of fusiform initials. Qualitative and quantitative evidence is also presented indicating that “marginal” interfascicular ray initials were converted to fusiform initials during the early stages of cambial activity. In A. deltoides, circumferential enlargement of the meristem was accommodated by the enlargement of fusiform initials and by an increase in size and number of interfascicular ray initials. Multiplicative division of the fascicular ray initials appears to have been an important feature of cambial activity in both species. There is no qualitative or quantitative evidence that the number of fusiform initials in either species was augmented by anticlinal division as in extant seed plants.

Anatomical modification by 2,4-DB of vascular cambium and secondary xylem in soybean internodes

Anatomical changes in the vascular cambium and secondary xylem of the first internode of soybeans were observed 15 days after an aqueous spray of 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)butyric acid (2,4-DB) was applied at 0.56 kg acid equivalent per hectare. The cambium became a meristem of initials, which were intermediate in morphology between normal ray and fusiform initials, and the system of ray initials was lost. The xylem lost its rays and became a tissue in which narrow vessel members abnormally outnumbered the axial parenchyma cells, libriform fibers, and gelatinous fibers which were common in normal wood. The herbicide inhibited the normal expansion of vessel-member primordia.

THE RELATIVE FREQUENCY OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ANTICLINAL DIVISIONS IN CONIFER CAMBIUM

The fusiform cambial cells of conifers undergo two types of anticlinal division, pseudotransverse division and division to produce small cells off the side. Pseudotransverse divisions are largely confined to the cambial initials, only a small percentage of such divisions occurring in the derived tissue mother cells. The incidence of pseudotransverse divisions outside the layer of initials tends to rise with the rate of growth. Divisions of the second type, to yield segments off the side, are infrequent and seem generally to involve only the fusiform initials. Behavior of the abscissed segments bears some relationship to size, the shortest segments usually failing, those of intermediate length tending to become reduced to one or more ray initials, and the largest developing as fusiform initials.

THE ANNUAL CYCLE OF SIZE CHANGES IN THE FUSIFORM CAMBIAL CELLS OF CHAMAECYPARIS AND THUJA

In stems exceeding a few inches in diameter most of the pseudotransverse divisions involved in the multiplication of fusiform cambial cells occur toward the end of the growing season. Often these aestival transverse divisions are immediately followed by extensive elongation of the new-formed cambial Cells, especially at their overlapping tips. In the succeeding year relatively slight elongation ensues during the development of the first quarter of the annual ring, but through the succeeding quarters the amount of extension increases and is usually maximal in the final quarter. The actual rates of elongation remain undetermined. The multiplication of fusiform initials is accompanied by loss, most of the failure taking place during the last quarter. Generally the fusiform initials with the most extensive ray contacts survive and enlarge, and those with poor ray associations fail or are reduced to potential ray initials. The elongation and multiplication of fusiform initials tend to produce local ray deficiencies. Reduction of the fusiform initials with the poorest ray contacts to ray initials rectifies to varying extent the ray shortages in those areas.