Breakdown of End Walls in Differentiating Vessels of Secondary Xylem in Quercus rubra L.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Formation and breakdown of end walls were studied in the vessels of the secondary xylem of Quercus rubra L. The end walls in radially expanding vessel members were very thin but showed a three-layered structure— two peripheral layers and a darker central layer. When longitudinal walls of vessel members formed secon dary walls, the end walls had thickened considerably and acquired secondary walls on their periphery. The disintegration of end walls occurred at about the same time as the disintegration of the vessel proto plasm. Frequent observations of intermediate stages in the disintegrating end walls indicate that breakdown is a gradual process brought about by the activity of vessel members' protoplasm.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: