ORGANOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF VESSEL ELEMENTS IN THE GENUS HIBISCUS L

In the present study organographic distribution of vessel elements and their characters were investigated to address the relationships among the members of the genus Hibiscus L. Organographic Vessel elements we re examined in 10 species of the genus Hibiscus. Vessel length ranged from short to medium and vessel diameter from very small to moderately small. The vessel elements were either cylindrical, fusiform, drum- o r column-like. Perforation plates were exclusively simple except in Hi biscus rosa-sinensis where scalariform perforations were observed. In most of the species studied, vessel elements commonly had two perforat ion plates and occasionally one or three. Adjacent wall thickening had simple pits. All the members of the Hibiscus investigated exhibited a dvanced characters such as short vessels, with simple perforation plat es at the transverse end and simple pits with alternative arrangements with respect to vessel characters, except in H. rosa-sinensis where s calariform perforation plates and long thin vessel elements have been noticed. These parameters are of taxonomic importance.