Stem morphology and anatomy of nine species of Orchidaceae (Catasetum fimbriatum, Dichaea bryophila, Encyclia calamara, Epidendrum campestre, Epidendrum secundum, Miltonia flavescens, Pleurothallis smithiana, Stanhopea lietzei and Vanda tricolor) were investigated. A comparative study of these species showed that the internal structure of the rhizome, aerial shoot and pseudobulb was homogeneous. The rhizomes and aerial shoots are covered by an uniseriated epidermis, have a parenchymatous cortex and collateral vascular bundles arranged in two or more rings in the central cylinder. The psudobulbs have an uniseriated epidermis covered by a thick cuticle and vascular bundles irregularly scattered throughout the parenchymatous ground tissue which are formed by large and small cells and have many intercelular spaces.
rhizome; pseudobulb; aerial shoot; Orchidaceae
