LEAF ANATOMY OF Cenostigma Tul. SPECIES (FABACEAE – CAESALPINIOIDEAE – CAESALPINIEAE) OCCURRING IN BRAZIL

Abstract

Leaf anatomy is a crucial tool for plant taxonomy, providing a set of detailed and reliable internal characteristics for identification and classification. This provides information on the anatomical description of the leaf blade and petiole of five species of Cenostigma occurring in Brazil compared to Caesalpinia pulcherrima in order to evaluate the consistency of the anatomical characters observed. To this end, part of the botanical material was collected directly in the field, and the another part of herbal material, obtained from the Herbarium Sérgio Tavares (HST) of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco. Characteristics common to Caesalpinioideae were observed, such as hypostomatic leaves and fiber sheaths around the vascular bundle, as well as characteristics of the genus Cenostigma. All Cenostigma species had a secretory cavity in the mesophyll and an arch-shaped vascular system with convoluted ends on the petiole. The detailed analysis of the leaf characteristics of the genus Cenostigma and the species studied revealed a set of distinct attributes that differentiate them from Caesalpinia pulcherrima and each other, these characteristics provide tools for the identification of species within Cenostigma.