The identification of eight woody genera of the Caprifoliaceae by selected features of their root anatomy

The root anatomy of eight woody genera of the Caprifoliaceae cultivated in the British Isles was investigated. Special emphasis was placed on the characters that can most easily be used to identify roots from this family. These were found to be:(i) in the bark, the arrangement of phloem fibres or stone cells (if present) and (ii) in the xylem, the type (scalariform or simple) and shape of vessel perforation plates, type and arrangement of cells in rays and the presence or absence of spiral thickening (especially on fibre tracheids). Vessel characters were found to be inconstant in samples of some species grown in different environmental conditions.