BARK STRUCTURE OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN ICACINACEAE

A description of the bark structure of southern African species of Apo dytes and Cassinopsis is presented for the first time. Bark anatomy wa s found useful in distinguishing between species, especially in the ge nus Apodytes. Fibres, associated with sclereids, are found exclusively in Apodytes spec. nov. B, whereas A. dimidiata subsp. dimidiata and A podytes spec. nov. A contain only sclereids. Fibres are abundant in Ca ssinopsis tinifolia, but sparse in C. ilicifolia. Wreathing of the scl erenchyma by calcium oxalate crystals occurs in all three species of A podytes, but not in Cassinopsis. Apodytes contains prismatic crystals as opposed to druses in Cassinopsis. Apodytes dimidiata subsp. dimidia ta and Apodytes spec. nov. A show a prismatic crystal arrangement, con sisting of crystalliferous cells with a large centralised prismatic cr ystal surrounded by numerous small peripheral crystals. Chambered cyst alliferous strands occur in Cassinopsis, but not in Apodytes. Bark ana tomically Apodytes spec. nov. A shows a closer correlation with A. dim idiata than with the other species.