Resumo

TORRECILLA, Pedro; CASTRO, Mercedes  e  LAPP, Marlene. Morfoanatomía foliar en especímenes de Capparis flexuosa (L.) L. (Capparaceae) creciendo en tres localidades distintas del estado Aragua (Venezuela). Ernstia [online]. 2009, vol.19, n.1, pp.35-54. ISSN 0252-8274.

Biotype, leaf morphology and anatomy were studied for individuals of Capparis flexuosa growing in three different environmental conditions. We describe the typical biotype present in the collection sites. We collected 30 full expanded leaves to determine the leaf shape and area. Likewise, five mature leaves for biotype were fixed in 70% FAA for anatomical studies. We found differences between the biotypes in relation to environmental conditions. Biotype 1 is growing in a coastal site, showing features such as small leaf area, high palisade/spongy ratio and high stomata density associated to conditions of high radiation and drought. Biotype 2 have the lowest palisade/spongy ratio likely in response to low sun radiation and for biotype 3 were observed intermediate anatomical features. These results indicate that Capparis flexuosa develops a high phenotypic plasticity as adaptative response to different ecological conditions.

Palavras-chave : Biotypes; leaf plasticity; leaf morphoanatomy; Capparis flexuosa; Capparaceae; Venezuela.