Summary
The transition from primary to secondary stem tissues occurs as a continuum, and a precise anatomical definition of the transition does not exist. A definition was derived for Populus deltoides based on the birefringent properties of the fiber wall. This definition was quantitatively reproducible in the 9 plants tested, and the secondary transition was found to occur in the internode associated with the first mature leaf from the apex. The primary-secondary transition did not occur uniformly around the periphery. It was first observed in the vascular bundles opposite the incoming trace, and from there it progressed in a counter-clockwise direction. Within the transition internode, each vascular bundle and each tissue comprising the bundle differentiated in accord with the physiological age and the phyllotactic disposition of the developing leaf to which it led. Within any one vascular bundle, differentiation occurred first in the metaxylem vessels and associated fibers, followed closely by extension of fibers into the interfascicular regions and centripetal differentiation of the phloem fibers. The ontogenetic sequence of differentiation for each of the principal tissues of the secondary transition zone is described.
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The technical assistance of Mr. Gary Buchschacher with the ultramicrotomy and photomicrography is gratefully acknowledged.
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Larson, P.R., Isebrands, J.G. Anatomy of the primary-secondary transition zone in stems of Populus deltoides . Wood Science and Technology 8, 11–26 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350638
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350638