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(American Journal of Botany. 2007;94:1439-1449.)
© 2007 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Anatomy and Morphology

Structural attributes of the hypogeous holoparasite Hydnora triceps Drège & Meyer (Hydnoraceae)1

Kushan U. Tennakoon, Jay F. Bolin, Lytton J. Musselman5 and Erika Maass

2Department of Botany, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka; 3Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529 USA; 4Department of Biology, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia

ABSTRACT

The morphology of the hypogeous root holoparasite Hydnora triceps is highly reduced, and as with many holoparasites, the vegetative body is difficult to interpret. The vegetative body of H. triceps has been historically considered a "pilot root" studded with lateral appendages known as "haustorial roots." We found the vegetative body of H. triceps to consist of a rhizome with a thickened root-cap-like structure that covered a vegetative shoot apical meristem. From the apical meristem, procambial strands originated and developed into endarch collateral vascular bundles arranged radially around a pith without an interfascicular cambium. Xylem vessels had scalariform pitting and simple perforation plates. A continuous periderm without root hairs was observed. Increase in girth was attributed to cork and fascicular cambia. "Haustorial roots" or bumps on the surface of the vegetative body were exogenous, contained meristems and were the origins of vegetative branching, budding, and haustoria. The haustoria of H. triceps were cylindrical and penetrated the host root stele. Phloem and xylem elements were observed within the endophyte, and direct xylem to host-xylem contacts were observed. The arrangement of vascular tissues and xylem anatomy of H. triceps are likely plesiomorphic features in light of Hydnoraceae's placement in the Piperales.

Key Words: anatomy • haustoria • holoparasite • homeosis • Hydnora • Hydnoraceae • parasitic plants






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