Satureja gilliesii, a poikilohydric shrub from the Chilean mediterranean vegetation

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Abstract
Satureja gilliesii is a small shrub, representative of the Chilean mediterranean vegetation found on arid slopes and on partially degraded soils. It has two types of branches: dolichoblasts with winter leaves and brachyblasts with smaller spring leaves. The leaves are mesophytic and no stomatal control is detectable. Dolichoblast leaves are shed at the beginning of drought but the brachyblast leaves that have become dry and brownish remain attached to the plant. Even while the plant undergoes a severe water stress, these leaves survive throughout the drought period in a state of marked dehydration. After the first winter rain, they become turgid and regain a green color. Thus, S. gilliesii shows a poikilohydric behavior such as that described for some angiosperms.