| Abstract: | Early in April of 1987, cells in an undifferentiated state which overwintered on the phloem side of the cambial zone in the branch of Pterocarya stenoptera began to differentiate into merebets of phloem. Cambium divided actively in mid-April and ceased to decide by early-Novembet. Five to eleven bands of fibers alternating with the bands of sieve tubes, companion cells and phloem parenchyma cells produced every year. By mid to late April, new xylem differentiation began. Phloem and xylem differentiation ceased almost simultaneously. Functional sieve tube elements were present all the year round in the phloem. During winter, most sieve tubes produced in the current year ceased functioning, leaving only the zone of functional sieve tube of several rows of cells in width with open pores in the sieve plates. These sieve tubes did not collapse until mid-May. In October, several rows of partially differentiated sieve elements appeared near the cambial zone. They still possessed nuclei. The companion cells had produced but no P-protein. They matured during April of the following year and collapsed by July to September. The life span of sieve elements extended for 8 months at the most. In winter, there were less functional sieve tubes in the branch. This may be one of the reasons that only few Kerria yunnanensis survive on the branch of Pterocarya stenoptera. |
