LEAF ARCHITECTURE IN ADANSONIA, BOMBAX AND CEIBA (BOMBACACEAE)

Leaf architecture was investigated in three species of the family Bomb acaceae. The mature leaflets from both fresh and herbarium materials w ere cleared using the method of Mohan Ram and Nayyar (1977), and termi nologies of Hickey (1973) were used to determine the leaf characters a nd the venation patterns. The whole lamina is more or less symmetrical in all the species investigated. The major venation pattern conforms to the types of camptodromous mixed with festooned brochidodromous, an d festooned brochidodromous. In all the members of the family studied, the primary and secondary veins are ornamented with parenchymatous bu ndle sheaths. Imperfectly developed areoles are predominant over the d eveloped ones. The size and the shape of the areole is variable. The v ein endings may be simple, or once or sometimes twice dichotomously br anched. The highest venation order of the family is sixth degree. Marg inal ultimate venation is looped. Tracheids are either uni-, bi-, tri- , or multi-seriate and vary in shape and size, and are commonly found at the free ends of the veins. Extension cells and isolated tracheids are not common. These characters are remarkably different from those i n members of the Malvaceae.