Wood Anatomical Characteristics of Felty Germander (Teucrium polium L. subsp. polium) in Two Different Habitats

Abstract

Ecological wood anatomy is a significant discipline that elucidates the impacts of growth environment conditions on wood formation. By thoroughly examining the relationships between the anatomical features of wood and ecological conditions, the adaptation of taxa to their habitat can be evaluated using certain anatomical characteristics. This study focused on the wood anatomical features of Teucrium polium L. (felty germander), a species belonging to the Lamiaceae family, which has a widespread distribution in Africa, Northern Europe, Southwest Asia, and also in Türkiye. Wood samples were collected from two different habitats in Türkiye to assess the adaptation of T. polium to its environment. T. polium has a semi-ring porous wood. In individuals growing in coastal sand dunes, the radial diameters of vessels in the wide diameter class and both tangential and radial diameters in the narrow diameter class were significantly wider than those growing in the interior. However, the tangential diameters of vessels in the wide diameter class did not show a significant difference between the two habitats. The vessel grouping index in samples from the interior was 41.3% higher compared to those from coastal sand dunes. Xeromorphic values of T. polium showed no significant difference between the two different habitats. Individuals growing in coastal sand dunes exhibited heterogeneous structures in the root collar bark, with secretory cavities composed of 6-7 rows of epithelial cells. In contrast, individuals from the interior showed no evidence of secretory cavities.