Vellozia cinerascens (Mart.) Mart. ex Seub.

Vellozia cinerascens Martius ex Schultes f

SPECIMENS EXAMINED.—Lehnkner 323.

SURFACE VIEW.—Hairs: present in clusters. Epidermis: adaxial cells rectangular; abaxial cells mostly square, few rounded or rectangular; cell walls thin on both surfaces. Stomata: paracytic, 18 × 6 μm; present on abaxial surface.

TRANSVERSE SECTION OF LAMINA.—Dorsiventral; flanged V-shaped. Adaxial surface deeply ridged; abaxial surface furrowed about one-third the thickness of blade. Epidermis: adaxial cells dome shaped to conical; interspersed with large strands of sclerenchyma positioned above vascular bundles and furrows. Abaxial cells rounded to dome shaped, thin walled; inner to cells lined with rectangular strands of sclerenchyma, leaving about one-half of furrows uncovered. Cuticle: thin and ridged on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces. Stomata: present in abaxial furrows and spaces between sclerenchyma strands; substomatal chamber present. Mesophyll: two to three layers palisade, grading into loosely compact spongy tissue. Translucent palisade radially arranged above vascular bundles. Vascular bundle: 39; commissural bundles not observed. One to two large vessels present in vascular bundles. Two phloem units laterally arranged in flanges of U-shaped abaxial girder. Each bundle always accompanied by an adaxial cap and an abaxial U-shaped sclerenchyma vascular bundle completely surrounded by a bundle sheath. Crystals and tannins: none observed.

NOTE: The arrangement and disposition of adaxial and abaxial sclerenchyma strands are very distinctive for this species.