Wood and bark anatomy of Takhtajania are newly reported on the basis of woo
dy stems to 4.5 cm in diameter, a woody root 4 cm in diameter, and a smalle
r stem with only a little secondary growth. The wood lacks growth rings and
is vesselless. Tracheids bear biseriate or triseriate circular pits or sca
lariform pits on end walls and sparse circular pits on side walls. Warts an
d helical thickenings are lacking on the inner surfaces of tracheids. Axial
parenchyma is very sparse. Multiseriate and uniseriate rays are about equa
lly abundant, and both are composed of upright cells except for a small num
ber of procumbent cells in multiseriate rays. Ethereal oil cells and sclere
ids are absent in rays. Bark contains sclereid nests and ethereal oil cells
. Wood features closely match those of Tasmannia or Drimys, in agreement wi
th conclusions reached on the basis of molecular data. Comparative data on
bark of Winteraceae other than Takhtajania are lacking. Wood features of Ta
khtajania agree with those of subtropical species by lacking features found
in temperate Winteraceae (growth rings,warted tracheid surfaces, helical t
hickenings in tracheids).