ANATOMIA DOS ÓRGÃOS VEGETATIVOS DE Agave sisalana PERRINE ex EN-GELM (AGAVACEAE)

Abstract

Agave sisalana Perrine ex Engelm is an important specie to economy of the semiarid region of Brazil because of it is an efficient source for production of fibers. Information about the anatomy can contribute greatly to plant production, however, there are few papers on the structural anatomy of this specie. The current paper aimed at describing the anatomy of the leaves, roots and rhizomes of Agave sisalana. Adult plants were collected in experimental plots at the Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia, in Bahia State, Brazil. The samples were processed using standardized plant anatomy techniques. Histochemical tests using Sudan Red and Sudan Black were performed to identify lipophilic substances. A number of characteristics typical of plants adapted to dry environments were observed, including a thick cuticle on both leaf faces. The leaves were phystomatic and had tetracitic stomata, long sub-stomatal chambers, isobilateral mesophyll, unistratified epi-dermis, papilla, cuticular flanges, and alternate collateral vascular bundles accompanied by fibrous sheaths. The roots had a velamen, a cortex with large rounded cells, and three layers of sclerids adjacent to the uniseriate endodermis. The rhizome was of the atactostele type and had no endodermis. OuvirLer foneticamente.