Nordic Journal of Botany 32: 731–743, 2014 doi: 10.1111/njb.00470 © 2014 Th e Authors. Nordic Journal of Botany © 2014 Nordic Society Oikos Subject Editor: Bertil St å hl. Accepted 24 March 2014 Foliar anatomy and micromorphology of southern South American Alstroemeriaceae: Alstroemerieae, and its systematic implications in Alstroemeria A. Mariel Sanso , Lone Aagesen and Cecilia C. Xifreda A. M. Sanso (
[email protected]) and L. Aagesen, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cient í fi cas y T é cnicas (CONICET), Argentina. AMS also at: Fac. Cs. Veterinarias, Univ. Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Campus Univ., Paraje Arroyo Seco s/n, 7000 Tandil, Argentina. LA also at: Inst. de Bot á nica Darwinion, Labarden 200, C. C. 22, B1642HYD San Isidro, Argentina. – C. C. Xifreda, LEBA, Fac. Cs. Naturales y Museo, Univ. Nacional de La Plata, Calle 64 no. 3, 1900 La Plata, Argentina. Alstroemerieae is an exclusively Central and South American tribe belonging to Alstroemeriaceae, which comprises two large genera, Alstroemeria and Bomarea. Alstroemeria has two areas of distribution, mediterranean Chile and central southeastern Brazil. Most Bomarea species grow in forests and hedges in moist areas, however, some species are adapted to dry Andean valleys and high altitudes. Previous leaf anatomical data were obtained from a limited group of species. To assess the value of the anatomical characters for the systematics and their importance as adaptations to diff erent environments, we compared representative species from diff erent geographical areas and habitats. Data regarding leaf anatomy and micromorphology were obtained from light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy and were combined with macromorphology for 27 Alstroemerieae species.