| The great variety in wood structure of the large family Euphorbiaceae makes it impossible to describe briefly a general wood pattern. Nevertheless, a more or less clear division into four anatomical groups can be made. A short overview is given of the wood structure of the uni-ovulate subfamilies Acalyphoideae, Crotonoideae, and Euphorbioideae, following the classification by Webster. These subfamilies cannot be distinguished by their anatomy. The paper is mainly devoted to the bi-ovulate subfamily Phyllanthoideae. Within this subfamily, two groups can be recognized on the basis of their wood anatomy: the Aporusa type with a great number of primitive characters, and the Glochidion type, in which primitive features such as scalariform vessel perforation... |
