EVOLSONIA,A NEW GENUS OF GIGANTOPTERIDACEAE FROM THE LOWER PERMIAN VALE FORMATION,NORTH-CENTRAL TEXAS

Evolsonia is a new gigantopterid genus (type-species: E. texana), based on leaf impressions from 3 widely separated localities in north-central Texas. The leaves are associated with terrestrial vertebrates in floodplain sediments of the Vale Formation in the Clear Fork Group, of late Leonardian (Early Permian) age. Evolsonia leaves are simple, with very large elliptic laminae reaching 27 cm in width and 80 cm, possibly more, in length. Leaf margins are sinuate to crenate, with mostly shallow concavities. Venation is pinnate, in 4 orders; all but the ultimate veins are very thick and protrude below the lamina, creating deep impressions in the matrix. The secondary and tertiary veins form a precise herringbone pattern, with the secondaries and exmedial tertiaries ending at the leaf margin between concavities. The other tertiary veins are either simple or divided into 2 nearly equal divisions; they produce simple or variously divided quaternary veins that end at a thin sutural vein, forming a dense reticulum; some of the terminally branched tertiaries delimit areolelike areas that enclose several quaternaries and meshes. One of 6 presently known American gigantopterids, Evolsonia most closely resembles the younger Delnortea in gross architecture; with its sutures and dichotomously divided veins, however, Evolsonia is architecturally intermediate between Delnortea and the older American gigantopterids with forked leaves. Sedimentary features indicate deposition under alternating periods of flooding and drought. Their huge size invites comparison of Evolsonia leaves with those of modern tropical plants, whereas their thick veins and preservational features suggest thick, coriaceous texture.     

MORPHOLOGY AND ANATOMY OF THE LEAF OF COLEUS BLUMEI (LAMIACEAE)

Leaves of the Princeton and a variegated clone of Coleus blumei Benth. were examined with the light microscope to determine the course of their vasculature and the spatial relationship between the mesophyll, bundle sheath, and vascular tissues. In Princeton clone leaves two leaf traces enter the petiole at the node and quickly branch to form an arc of bundles which undergo further divisions as well as fusions in the distal half of the petiole. The anastomosing arc of bundles reaches its greatest complexity in the base of the midvein, where its lateral-most bundles unite and diverge outward to form secondary veins. As the midvein bundles continue acropetally, they gradually fuse more and divide less until only a single bundle remains, from which secondaries and smaller veins branch. Major (ribbed) veins include not only the midvein and secondaries but also tertiary and quaternary veins. Decreasing vein size is accompanied by increasing direct contact between vascular and photosynthetic tissues. Minor veins, which make up 86% of the total vein length, are completely surrounded by photosynthetic bundle sheaths and mesophyll consisting of palisade and spongy parenchyma. Statoliths occur in a layer of cells just outside the phloem of the petiole-midrib axis and secondary veins. Functional hydathodes are present at the apices of the marginal teeth. The overall organization of tissues in variegated leaves differs little in either the green or albuminous areas from corresponding (but always green) regions of Princeton leaves. Chloroplasts are lacking in mesophyll, bundle-sheath, and most guard cells of the albuminous region but are present in guard cells which are within 1 mm of green areas.     

Foliar anatomy of Gigantonoclea guizhouensis (Gigantopteridales) from the Upper Permian of Guizhou Province,China

The present paper details the anatomy of permineralized foliar specimens of Gigantonoclea guizhouensis Gu and Zhi (Gigantopteridales) from the Upper Permian of western Guizhou Province in southwest China. In addition to reticulate venation, these fossil leaves possess a number of interesting anatomical features including: multicellular spines on the midrib, hypodermal sclerenchyma ribs, U- or V-shaped xylem in the midrib and secondary veins, tracheids with various secondary wall thickening patterns, paracytic stomata on the abaxial surface, epidermal cells with sinuous anticlinal walls, and secretory cavities in the mesophyll. Based on anatomical features, a liane habit is suggested, and the systematic differences among Gigantonoclea guizhouensis, Gigantopteridium, and the North American taxon Delnortea are underscored.     

WOOD OF GINKGO IN THE TERTIARY OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA

Scott , R. A., E. S. Barghoorn , and U. Prakash . (U.S. Geol. Sur., Denver, Colo.) Wood of Ginkgo in the Tertiary of western North America . Amer. Jour. Bot. 49(10): 1095–1101. Illus. 1962. —Woods of Ginkgo and extinct related genera are very rare in the fossil record in contrast to the numerous ginkgoalean leaves. Ginkgo wood may be distinguished from other gymnosperms by a combination of anatomical features herein described. Ginkgo wood from beds of Miocene age at Vantage, Washington, first identified by Beck, is assigned to a new species, G. beckii. Ginkgo wood from the upper Eocene Clarno Formation, John Day Basin, Oregon, is described as G. bonesii sp. nov. Scarcity of fossil ginkgoalean woods may reflect unusual susceptibility to degradation of their cell walls in contrast to the greater chemical resistance to degradation which features many coniferous woods.     

中国大羽羊齿植物分叉蕨叶的首次发现--兼论亚洲与北美大羽羊齿植物之异同

东亚与北美大羽羊齿植物间的主要差异在于蕨叶的结构：北美大羽羊齿植物的蕨叶为单叶或二歧分叉叶,而东亚的大羽羊齿植物以往只知为羽状复叶或不分叉的单叶,因之,二歧分叉蕨叶在中国的发现具有十分重要的意义,它使东亚与北美大羽羊齿植物之间的关系变得更为密切,虽然其间仍存在不实质性的差异,同时,对东亚和北美华夏羊齿Cathaysiopteris之间的异同作了较详的讨论。     

GIgantonoclea: an enigmatic Permian plant from North China

Gigantonoclea is a distinctive and enigmatic plant from the Permian of North China proper, with an unusual frond architecture and a pollen organ and vascular structure which are unique; it demonstrates a sudden rise and a rapid extinction. This paper reviews previous work on Asian gigantopterids and describes new material from the Upper Permian of Shanxi Province, including a new type of pollen organ (Jiaochengia lagrelii) and two new species of frond (Gigantonoclea crenataG. pubescens). Jiaochengia shows opposite, dissected and rather modified microsporophylls, laxly aggregating into an independent organ, which is markedly different from ‘Gigantotheca’ from Fujian. This presents evidence of heterogeneity among Asian gigantopterids and partly supports a relationship with the Carboniferous Callistophytales. Jiaochengia sporangia have what may be the first record of a waxy covering on the outer surface of a fossil plant, which is interpreted to have functioned to repel water, to protect against fungal attack and to scatter light. According to Hickey's rule, the venation of true Gigantonoclea fronds consists of three orders of main veins (rachis, midvein and secondary veins) and two orders of anastomosing veins (tertiary veins and veinlets). Certain putative ‘Gigantonoclea’ species from South China and some peripheral areas of North China do not have this type of venation and are thus excluded from the genus. Frond dimorphism is common among gigantopterids in both North and South China and can be compared with the amphibious variation from submerged to emergent leaves in extant aquatic plants. G. pubescens has a thick, bi-layered adaxial cuticle with an indumentum covering with dense papillae and trichomes bases, and deeply sunken, papillate stomata, suggesting that it favoured more arid conditions. An observed gradient from pubescent to glabrate or even glabrous gigantopterid cuticle structures between North and South China suggests a change from xeric, mesic to humid habitats.     

ON THE ANATOMY AND MORPHOLOGY OF LATERAL BRANCH SYSTEMS OF ARCHAEOPTERIS

A large collection of specimens, consisting primarily of Archaeopteris macilenta, forms the basis for an anatomical and morphological study of the lateral branch systems. Emphasis is placed on the main axes of the branch systems, which are found to be characterized by a variable number of orthostichies of lateral appendages, ranging from 7 to probably 11. The number of orthostichies seems to correspond to the number of ribs of the stele. There may be an equal number of rows of leaves on either side of the plane in which the two rows of lateral branches lie, or one side may have one or two more leaf orthostichies than the other. In all specimens for which both part and counterpart were available, however, there is a greater density of leaves on one side (hypothesized to be the adaxial) than on the other, caused primarily by an apparent abortion of leaf primordia early in development on the side of least density. Leaves and branches occur in the same ontogenetic spiral and in one specimen comprise a ‘phyllotaxis’ of 2/9 and contact parastichies of 5 + 9. On both the main and lateral axes, leaves are characterized by long, decurren bases which essentially ensheath the axrs on which thay are borne. Phyllotaxis and the correlated stelar form apparently vary considerably within Archaeopteris. It is suggested that Archaeopteris was more closely related to the coniferophytes than to any other gymnosperms.     

GENETIC STRUCTURE OF THE AUSTRALIAN CYCAD,MACROZAMIA COMMUNIS (ZAMIACEAE)

Cycads have been the subject of a wide variety of botanical studies. However, nothing is known of the genetic structure of their populations. Seeds were collected from five populations of the common Australian cycad Macrozamia communis along a north to south transect through its 500-km-long range in eastern New South Wales. Leaf samples from seedlings grown from those seeds were the subject of isozyme analysis. Nine of the 18 isozyme loci studied were polymorphic. Levels of polymorphism varied among loci and among populations. The three southern-most populations were genetically similar to one another but well differentiated from the other two. The levels of species-wide genetic diversity observed for M. communis were relatively low compared with those of other gymnosperms and angiosperms. On the other hand, the levels of spatial differentiation were relatively high, especially compared with other gymnosperms.     

The Jambi gigantopterids and their place in gigantopterid classification

The gigantopterids are a pan‐palaeotropical Late Palaeozoic (to Early Mesozoic) plant group with unknown affiliations. Two gigantopterid species, both sole representatives of their respective genera, are known from the Early Permian Mengkarang Formation of Jambi (Sumatra, Indonesia). Through an emendation of the Jambi gigantopterids, based on the old and newly collected material, and a subsequent analysis of the leaf morphology of several gigantopterid genera, we conclude that the Jambi species are similar to the other gigantopterids, but do not appear to be related to them directly. We propose a possible scenario for the evolution of gigantopterid leaf morphology, based on marginal leaf growth, with implications for the validity of the gigantopterids as a natural group. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 161 , 302–328.     

BIOMASS ALLOCATION AND GEOMETRY OF THE CLONAL FOREST HERB LAPORTEA CANADENSIS: ADAPTIVE RESPONSES TO THE ENVIRONMENT OR ALLOMETRIC CONSTRAINTS?

Using a conceptual model, I predicted the direction of biomass allocation and geometric responses to several environmental variables for Laportea canadensis, a clonal forb dominating the herbaceous stratum of many North American floodplain and mesic forests. Laportea stems and plants, especially dominant ones, generally (60%) respond as predicted to canopy opening, conspecific leaf area and density, and poor drainage, but are merely reduced in growth when growing on sandier soils. However, allometric relationships explain most of the variation in geometry and allocation. Still, variation in geometry and allocation (as great as among 21 species of herbs studied by Givnish [1982]), helps explain the success of Laportea in a range of microenvironments. In upland forests, stems in canopy gaps are tallest but allocate relatively less biomass to leaves than shaded stems, suggesting that interherb competition is the major problem faced under canopy gaps. Leaf morphology also changes with increasing canopy opening—individual leaves are larger, heavier, and thicker and are displayed on more steeply ascending petioles. Floodplain plants respond to light gaps mainly with changes in leaf morphology and display. With increasing conspecific density and leaf production, Laportea stems in both uplands and floodplains grow taller, allocate relatively more biomass to stems, and display leaves higher on the stem. The allocation and geometry of taller stems are more independent of density, and more closely affected by tree-canopy opening, than are small stems. Intermediate soil textures in floodplains promote maximum Laportea production; variations in other factors are less important. Poorly drained soils in floodplains (heavy-textured soils at low elevations) cause decreased Laportea height and absolute leaf weight, but increase relative allocation to leaves and roots, as predicted. On the other hand, Laportea appears poorly adapted to sandier soils. Rather than responding to sandier soils as predicted, Laportea's overall growth is reduced. Geometric responses of Laportea to environment are mediated by allometric realities: an increase in height favored in productive environments produces a concomitant decrease in relative leaf allocation. Although predicted (presumably adaptive) shifts are significant when plant size is accounted for, most of the variation in allocation and geometry is due to allometry.     

POLLEN WALL ULTRASTRUCTURE OF SELECTED DISPERSED MONOSULCATE POLLEN FROM THE CENOMANIAN,DAKOTA FORMATION,OF CENTRAL USA

Seven dispersed monosulcate pollen taxa from the Dakota Formation of Minnesota, Nebraska, and Kansas were examined ultrastructurally. Rugubivesiculites rugosus has gymnosperm affinities based on its anasulcate aperture and the presence and nature of the formation of sacci. Stellatopollis sp. has exine sculpturing restricted to taxa with angiosperm affinities and is monosulcate. The affinities of the other five monosulcate taxa are uncertain and the exines are tectategranular. The sulcus in many of the remaining five taxa are flanked by small flange-like sacci. These five taxa have features found in gymnosperms and also some features of primitive extant angiosperms. The combination of characters of the pollen types presented here does not entirely agree with our current concept of primitive pollen characters as understood from extant ranalean angiosperms.     

Folivory by a tropical tanager: species of plants used and the relationship between leaf consumption and fruit abundance

ABSTRACT Folivory, or eating leaves, is unusual for small passerines. Puerto Rican Spindalises (Spindalis portoricensis, Thraupidae), tanagers endemic to the island of Puerto Rico, are known to feed on leaves, but little is known about the possible importance of leaves in their diet. Our objectives were to determine the different species of leaves eaten, the percentage of their diet consisting of leaves, and the relationship between leaf consumption and fruit abundance. We used data from previous studies where the foraging activity of Puerto Rican Spindalises was systematically sampled, and from additional observations made throughout the island. We documented 160 records of folivory, with spindalises feeding on 44 plant species in 25 plant families, including monocots, dicots, gymnosperms, and pteridophytes. Spindalises fed on young leaves of 26 plant species, and mature leaves of 19 plant species. Spindalises were primarly frugivorous (83.9% of diet), but leaves were the second most frequent food item in their diets (8.9% of diet). We also found that leaf consumption was negatively correlated with the abundance of ripe fruit, suggesting that leaves were particularly important food items when less fruit was available. The frequency of folivory by spindalises in our study was less than reported for other folivorous passerines such as plantcutters (Phytotoma spp.) and saltators (Saltator spp.). Nonetheless, folivory may help spindalises cope with human‐dominated landscapes and other environmental changes on small islands.     

MORPHOLOGY AND VASCULATURE OF THE LEAF OF POTATO (SOLANUM TUBEROSUM)

The leaf and stem of the potato plant (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Russet Burbank) were studied by light microscopy to determine their morphology and vasculature; scanning electron microscopy provided supplemental information on the leaf's morphology. The morphology of the basal leaves of the potato shoot is quite variable, ranging from simple to pinnately compound. The upper leaves of the shoot are more uniform, being odd pinnate with three major pairs of lateral leaflets and a number of folioles. The primary vascular system of the stem is comprised of six bundles, three large and three small ones. The three large bundles form a highly interconnected system through a repeated series of branchings and arch-producing mergers. Two of the three large bundles give rise to short, lateral leaf traces at each node. Each of the small bundles in the stem is actually a median leaf trace which extends three internodes before diverging into a leaf. The three leaf traces enter the petiole through a single gap; thus the nodel anatomy is three-trace unilacunar. Upon entering the petiole, each of the laterals splits into an upper and a lower lateral. Whereas the upper laterals diverge entirely into the first pair of leaflets, the lower laterals feed all of the lateral leaflets through a series of bifurcations. Prior to their entering the terminal leaflet, the lower laterals converge on the median bundle to form a single vascular crescent which progresses acropetally into the terminal leaflet as the midvein, or primary vein. In the midrib, portions of the midvein diverge outward and continue as secondaries to the margin on either side of the lamina. Near the tip of the terminal leaflet, the midvein consists of a single vascular bundle which is a continuation of the median bundle. Six to seven orders of veins occur in the terminal leaflet.     

准大羽羊齿Gigantopteridium中国种与美国种之间的叶结构比较

大羽羊齿植物是一个令人迷惑的类群,这类植物中,Gigantonoclea,Zeilleropteris和Cathaysiopteris是北美和东亚二叠纪植物群共有的3个属,但美国最早发现的大羽羊齿植物Gigantopteridium以前在中国的大羽羊齿植物群中未有确切记录,文中订正和详细描述Gigantopteridium的一个中国种,并对该属中国种的一些相关问题作详尽的讨论,美国大羽羊齿类植物采用小泉源一（Koidzumi,1936),的分类系统,只依据叶脉特征进行分类,它是一人为分类系统（Mamay et al.,1988),根据这一系统,文中涉及的中国和美国标本都应归入Gigantopteridium这一属内,这样,东亚和北美大羽羊齿植物群中的大羽羊齿类植物共同属的数目就由3个增加到4个,在对Gigantopteridium huapingense(Feng)详细描述和订正的基础上,对Gigantopteridium中国种与美国种在叶结构方面的异同进行较为详细的比较,虽然此属目前尚未发现过生殖器官和保存解剖结构的材料。     

EARLY HISTOGENESIS OF THE ADULT LEAVES OF DARLINGTONIA CALIFORNICA (SARRACENIACEAE) AND ITS BEARING ON THE NATURE OF EPIASCIDIATE FOLIAR APPENDAGES

In order to assess the validity of various interpretations of tubular leaves of angiosperms, a histogenetic study of the ontogeny of adult leaves of Darlingtonia californica was undertaken. The adult leaf of Darlingtonia is characterized by a sheathing leaf base, an elongate ascidium, an overarching hood, and two “fishtail” appendages which arise near the leaf apex. A keellike growth, with two rows of alternate vascular bundles, traverses the tube from base to mouth. Ontogenetic studies show that the primordium arises by a monopodial rather than a sympodial mode of growth as previously reported. After the formation of a small, erect primordium, a restricted adaxial meristem is initiated that expands both adaxially and upwards. This “querzone” serves, in effect, to congenitally combine the two primordial margins during its extension. Growth and maturation of the subjacent portions cause tubular elongation in the leaf. Primordial apical divisions are later replaced by more general intercalary growth with acropetal and centrifugal maturation. The hood and fishtails are established early in ontogeny by adaxial growth of the primordial apex and subsequent activation of juxtaposed localized meristems. Comparative morphology has established that the epiascidiate leaf is a foliar appendage that undergoes certain specific morphogenetic modifications. It has a structural relationship to ensiform appendages of Acacia and Acorus as well as to peltate foliar organs. The early ontogeny of Darlingtonia leaves is considered to be homologous with other epiascidiate foliar organs, including some supposedly primitive carpels.     

STUDIES ON THE LEAF OF POPULUS DELTOIDES (SALICACEAE): MORPHOLOGY AND ANATOMY

Mature field- and growth-chamber-grown leaves of Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. were examined with light and scanning electron microscopes to determine their vasculature and the spatial relationships of the various orders of vascular bundles to the mesophyll. Three leaf traces, one median and two lateral, enter the petiole at the node. Progressing acropetally in the petiole these bundles are rearranged and gradually form as many as 13 tiers of vascular tissue in the petiole at the base of the lamina. (Most leaves contained seven vertically stacked tiers.) During their course through the midrib the tiers “unstack” and portions diverge outward and continue as secondary veins toward the margin on either side of the lamina. As the midvein approaches the leaf tip it is represented by a single vascular bundle which is a continuation of the original median bundle. Tertiary veins arise from the secondary veins or the midvein, and minor veins commonly arise from all orders of veins. All major veins–primaries, secondaries, intersecondaries, and tertiaries–are associated with rib tissue, while minor veins are completely surrounded by a parenchymatous bundle sheath. The bundle sheaths of tertiary, quaternary, and portions of quinternary veins are associated with bundle-sheath extensions. Minor veins are closely associated spatially with both ad- and abaxial palisade parenchyma of the isolateral leaf and also with one or two layers of paraveinal mesophyll that extend horizontally between the veins. The leaves of growth-chamber-grown plants had thinner blades, a higher proportion of air space, and greater interveinal distances than those of field-grown plants.     

STUDIES ON THE LEAF OF AMARANTHUS RETROFLEXUS (AMARANTHACEAE): QUANTITATIVE ASPECTS,AND SOLUTE CONCENTRATION IN THE PHLOEM

The vascular system of the leaf of Amaranthus retroflexus L. was examined quantitatively, and plasmolytic studies were carried out on it to determine the solute concentration in cells of the phloem at various locations in the leaf. The proportion of phloem occupied by sieve tubes varies considerably with vein size and leaf size. Collectively, the cross-sectional area of sieve tubes of all tributaries at their points of entry into either a secondary or midvein far exceeds the total cross-sectional area of sieve tubes at the bases of those major veins. In addition, the total volume of sieve tubes in the “catchment area” of a secondary vein is much greater than total sieve-tube volume of the secondary vein itself. The plasmolytic studies revealed the presence of positive concentration gradients in the sieve tubes of the lamina from the minor veins and tips of the secondaries to the bases of the secondaries and from the tip to the base of the midvein. The C₅₀ (the estimated mannitol concentration plasmolyzing, on the average, 50% of the sieve-tube members) was 1.5 m for minor veins and tips of secondary veins and 1.1 m for the bases of secondaries; 1.3 m for the tip of the midvein and 0.6-0.7 m for the midvein in the basal third of the lamina.     

THE PLATYCARYA PERPLEX AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE JUGLANDACEAE

We report on the leaves, fruits, inflorescences, and pollen of two fossil species in the genus Platycarya. The association of these dispersed organs has been established by their repeated co-occurrence at a large number of localities, and for two of the organs (fruit and pistillate inflorescence, and pollen and staminate inflorescence) by apparent organic attachment of compression fossils. Each of the two species can be distinguished by characteristics of all the known megafossil organs. We also review the fossil record of dispersed platycaryoid fruits and inflorescences, recognizing three additional species of Platycarya and two of Hooleya. Two of the fossil Platycarya species are morphologically very different from the living Platycarya strobilacea Sieb. et Zucc., but they show the diagnostic features of the genus. Hooleya is a generalized member of the Platycaryeae that is probably close to the ancestry of Platycarya. The two Platycarya species known from multiple organs provide a remarkable example of mosaic evolution in which fertile and foliar structures have attained different levels of morphological specialization. The leaves, often considered the most plastic of plant organs, retain several features that are otherwise seen only in the Engelhardieae. These similarities in leaf architecture between the fossil Platycarya species and Engelhardieae are advanced features for the Juglandaceae, and thus indicate a sister-group relationship between the two lines. In contrast to the leaves, the fruits, inflorescences, and pollen of the fossil Platycarya species are almost as specialized as those of the extant P. strobilacea and bear little resemblance to the same structures in other genera of the family. The morphology, taphonomy, sedimentary setting, and geographic and stratigraphic distribution of three of the fossil platycaryoid species suggest that they were wind-dispersed, early successional plants that grew in thickets. This habit is retained by Platycarya strobilacea and is typical of many of the amentiferae (e.g. Myricaceae, Betulaceae). The r-selected life-history pattern of the Platycarya line may well have contributed to its low diversity through geologic time.     

ATTACHED REPRODUCTIVE AND VEGETATIVE REMAINS OF THE EXTINCT AMERICAN-EUROPEAN GENUS CEDRELOSPERMUM (ULMACEAE) FROM THE EARLY TERTIARY OF UTAH AND COLORADO

Fossil twigs with attached foliage, fruits, and flowers from the middle Eocene of the Green River Formation in northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado and from the early Oligocene Florissant beds of central Colorado provide a firm basis for reconstructing two species of an extinct ulmaceous genus that was widely distributed in the Tertiary of midlatitude western North America and Europe. The fruits are samaras of Cedrelospermum Saporta, a genus previously known only from isolated specimens. The distichously arranged, slender, pinnate-veined leaves vary from serrate with simple teeth to, less commonly, entire-margined. Corresponding isolated leaves in the Green River, Florissant, and other Eocene to Oligocene localities of western North America are now excluded from Zelkova and Myrica, to which they were previously misidentified. The anthers of the staminate flowers contain 3–5 porate pollen with rugulate sculpture. Based upon combined characters of phyllotaxy, and leaf, flower, fruit, and pollen morphology, Cedrelospermum can be referred to the extant subfamily Ulmoideae, and is similar to Phyllostylon, Zelkova, and Hemiptelea. The abundance of Cedrelospermum in lake sediments of volcanic areas, together with its production of numerous small winged fruits, suggest that it was an early successional colonizer of open habitats.     

STIPE ANATOMY,WATER POTENTIALS,AND XYLEM CONDUCTANCES IN SEVEN SPECIES OF FERNS (FILICOPSIDA)

Anatomy and water relations were studied for the desert fern Notholaena parryi, as well as six other ferns representing three different orders which occupied xeric as well as mesic habitats. Tracheid number and diameter, and total xylem cross sectional area increased during leaf development for N. parryi; the whole plant conductance (volume flow of water through a stipe divided by the rhizome-to-leaf water potential drop) increased but tended to level off as the leaves matured. The reported occurrences of very steep water potential gradients (about 25 MPa m^–1) in stipes of N. parryi were confirmed. The ferns with the highest whole plant conductances (Alsophila australis, Botrychium dissectum, and Adiantum capillus-veneris) had the largest or greatest number of tracheids. Numerous tracheids in Botrychium dissectum offset a low tracheary conductivity, whereas Marsilea vestita had few tracheids resulting in a low whole plant conductance. Whole plant conductances for the ferns were 2 to 3 orders of magnitude less than those generally observed for angiosperms and 6 orders less than for gymnosperms. However, the relative conductivity (whole plant conductance times stipe xylem length divided by xylem area) was only 5- to 10-fold less than for angiosperms and about the same as for the gymnosperms. Stipe water relations in these ferns are discussed in relation to the evolution of xylem anatomy.