IAWA Bulletin n.s., Vol. 13 (3),1992: 241-250

DIVERSITY OF PACIFIC BASIN WOODS IN PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE August 14-16, 1992 - Lawai, Hawaii 96765, USA Conference organised by the National Tropical Botanical Garden and IA W A with the support of a generous grant from the Edwin W. and Catherine M. Davis Foundation

Dr. W. Theobald, Director; Dr. David Lorence, Local Organiser and E.A. Wheeler, P. Baas, R.B. Miller, IAWA Organisers

ABSTRACfS OF PAPERS

PIETER BAAS and SHU-YIN ZHANG, Rijksher­ moisture availability mainly affect vessel ele­ barium I Hortus Botanicus, P.O. Box 9514, ment dimensions and vessel frequency; phe­ 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. - Sys­ nology is related with ray features and vessel tematic and ecological wood anatomy of diameter. Most ecological trends in the Ro­ the . saceae conform to correlations established The wood anatomy of 62 genera (280 spe­ previously for a number of other families. cies, c. 500 wood sampies) of the Rosaceae However, the percentage of wood anatomical was analysed for diversity patterns of sys­ variation explained by ecological factors is tematic significance. Moreover the multiple quite low (2-10%). correlations of a number of wood anatomical A tentative evolutionary scenario for the features with macroclimate, moisture avail­ family based on wood anatomical data will be ability, habit and phenology (evergreen ver­ presented, but suffers from incompleteness sus deciduous) were assessed. due to the presumably high incidence of homo­ Wood anatomically 12 groups can be rec­ plasy (parallel development and reversals) in ognised in the family, which again can be xylem evolution. arranged into 3 alliances. The 12 groups bear some resemblance with the 18 tribes recog­ JOSEFINA BARAJAS MORALES*, ALFREDO nised by Hutehinson. The three alliances are: PEREZ-JlMENEZ** & FERNANDO CHIANG*, I) The and most Spiraeoideae; Ir) *Inst. de Biologia, UNAM, **Es!. de Biolo· the Maloideae (+ Cercocarpus); III) the Prun­ gia, Chamela, UNAM, Mexico. - Fluctua­ oideae and the Quillajeae (usually treated in the tion of starch in wood and bark of Spiraeoideae). Phylogenetic (cladistic) analy­ from the Pacific coast of Mexico. sis yields a large number of equally parsimo­ Thirty-one species from the region of nious trees in which genera of the Rosoideae Chamela, Jalisco, Mexico, were studied to de­ and Spiraeoideae are always in a basal posi­ termine presence, abundance, shape and size tion, and the Prunoideae and Quillajeae form of starch granules in both bark and wood. The a monophyletic tenninal group. The Maloideae region has two weil marked periods: a very constitute the most homogeneous, intermedi­ dry one, lasting c. 7 months, and a rainy one; ate group, with little differentiation among the predominant vegetation type is a tropical their genera. The Prunoideae are wood ana­ deciduous forest. tomically most diverse: alI segregate 'genera' A relationship between the abundance of of Prunus s.l. can be distinguished. starch granules and rain seasonality and the From the 4 non-wood anatomical features, phenology of the species studied was observ­ habit appears to affect almost all wood ana­ ed. Against predictions, there is no single be­ tomical characters analysed; macroclimate and havioral pattern in regard to storage and 242 IAWA Bulletin n.s., Vol. l3 (3),1992

depletion ofreserves. Generally, in both bark ericiodes for weapons, paddles, bailers, and and wood, most species possess the least agricultural and horticultural implements. amount of starch in late spring and summer, This paper reviews the traditional and pres­ and the greatest amount during auturnn and ent-day use of indigenous woods by Maoris winter. The amount of starch decreases at the and illustrates the wood anatomy with scan­ beginning of the rainy season, coinciding with ning electron micrographs. the development of growth shoots. The most common shapes of the starch SHERWIN CARLQUIST, Rancho Santa Ana granules were spherical, clavate, rhomboid, Botanic Garden, Claremont, CA 91711-3101, and oval, varying in size from 5-9(-14) p,m USA. - Wood anatomy of insular and in axial cells, contrasting with 2-5(-9) p,m mainland CaryophyIlaceae. in radial cells, being smaller in bark. Woods of Caryophyllaceae are more di­ verse than hitherto reported. Some genera have BRIAN BUTTERFIELD, and Microbial successive cambia (e. g., Scopulophila); an Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christ­ unusual type (new in one respect for dicotyle­ church, New Zealand. - Anatomical fea­ dons) occurs in Dianthus. Caryophyllaceae tures of Aotearoa (New Zealand) native are chiefly rayless (primary rays persist in woods used by Maoris. some species), but rays originate in cambia in Prior to the arrival of the Maori people to Gymnocarpus and Silene. Libriform fibres New Zealand, more than 75% of the land characterise most genera, but these fibres may area of New Zealand was covered in indige­ be replaced seasonally, even entirely, by axial nous forest. By the time that the pakeha (Cau­ parenchyma. Tracheids rather than libriform casians mostly from the U.K., Australia and fibres occur in Gymnocarpus, and vasicentric Europe) arrived last century, about 55% of the tracheids are reported for Scopulophila. Ha­ land was still forested. Today some 23% of waiian species were examined from the the land area still remains in forest, with a genera Aisinodendron, Schiedea, and Silene; significant proportion of this preserved in Na­ Canarian species of Gymnocarpus and Poly­ tional or State Forest Parks. These forests in­ carpaea were studied. In comparison with clude the southem beech (NorJw/agus) forests mainland Caryophyllaceae, woods of insular of the drier and more temperate regions as species have inconspicuous growth rings or well as the more luxuriant mixed podocarp­ none at all. The insular species have vessel broad-Ieaf forests of the warmer and wetter features about as xeromorphic as those of regions. mainland species, perhaps because insular The woody flora of New Zealand com­ Caryophyllaceae occupy dry lowland habitats prises some 570 species, 20 being softwoods with few exceptions. and the remainder being hardwoods. Some of these are small subalpine , while others are species of very restricted distribution. WULIAM C. DICKISON, Department of Biol­ The forests of Aotearoa playa central role ogy, University of North Carolina, Chapel in Maori creation mythology, with Tane-ma­ Hill, NC 27599, USA. - Cunoniaceae, a huta, the god of the forests, symbolising fer­ phylogenetically important family from tility and productivity. Tane was a prodigious the southwest Pacific. love-maker, and his union produced many The southern hemisphere farnily Cunonia­ trees, shrubs, climbers and tree ferns. ceae has been discussed as including the most Maoris made good use of the woods of primitive members of Rosidae. The farnily is the forest trees using Podocarpus totara and centered in the southwest Pacific region and Agathis australis for large structures such as represents a key group for understanding the canoes, Prwnnopitys taxifolia for carving, radiation of higher dicotyledonous groups. A lAurelia novae-zelandiae for river canoes, and more precise c1arification of the phylogenetic Syzygiwn maire, Phyllocladus trichomani­ relationships among lower is neces­ oides, Nestegis cunninghamii, Dodonaea vis­ sary to facilitate further understanding the cosa, Leptospermwn scopariwn, and Kunzea evolution of nonmagnolid dicotyledons. De-