Comparative wood anatomy of ivy-hosting and non-hosting oriental plane (Platanus orientalis L.)

Abstract

The study aims to compare the wood anatomy of ivy-hosting and non-hosting oriental plane. Qualitative differences caused by ivy do not appear on wood anatomy of oriental plane. However, tangential and radial diameters of vessels are narrower, vessel frequency is higher, multiseriate rays are shorter and narrower, fibres are shorter, fibre walls are thinner, and fibre lumens are wider for woods of ivy-hosting trees than those of non-hosting ones. In addition, compared to that of non-hosting oriental planes, the last 30 years' radial growth of ivy-hosting ones has decreased by 22.7%. High-level invasion of the canopy by ivy might be a death-trap for the host tree due to reduced light penetration.