Lianas are important structural component of tropical forests and even though the anatomy of these plants is poorly studied. Leguminosae family is reported as the second larger family in number of liana species, but little is know about the anatomical diversity of lianas from this family. The present study described and analyzed the wood anatomy of eight liana species of Leguminosae family, from Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, located in Rio de Janeiro State, Southeast region of Brazil and included in Atlantic Rain Forest Biome. The species show common features with the liana habit, as: wide vessels, vessel dimorphism, and high proportion of parenchyma when compared with fibers. Four species of Senegalia genus showed cambial variants made by a single cambium, normal in products but abnormal in conformation. The studied species have similar wood anatomy, many of which are because they belong to the same family and share the same habit. Nevertheless, the eight species studied could be distinguished. The species with cambial variants and Dalbergia frutescens are easy distinguished from the others. However Senegalia tenuifolia, Piptadenia micracantha and Piptadenia adiantoides require much wariness examination to identify the species exclusively by wood anatomical features.
wood anatomy; lianas; Atlantic Rain Forest; Leguminosae
