Aspects of epidermal Rebutia species (Cactaceae: Cactoideae) of the Argentina

Abstract

Muruaga, Nora B.; María E. Guantay. 2012. “Aspects of epidermal Rebutia species (Cactaceae: Cactoideae) of the Argentina”. Lilloa 49 (1). Rebutia K. Schum. is a genus from the northwestern Argentina with a total of eight species distributed from Catamarca to Jujuy. Intra-and interspecific variability has led to the publication of numerous specific and infraspecific names. The genus includes species with doubtful identity, but there are several morphological descriptions and / or DNA based analysis aimed at improving their taxonomy and systematic. However, the characterization of entities in relation to anatomical features has not been solved. This paper aims to describe at microscopic level and with a paradermal view, the shapes of epidermal cells and the type, length and density of stomata in Rebutia fabrisii Rausch var. aureiflora, R. fabrisii Rausch var. fabrisii, R. krainziana Kesselr. y R. padcayensis Rausch, in order to provide data that may contribute to the delimita- tion of these taxa. These entities show stomata of paracytic and parallelocytic type; the shape of epidermal cells varies between lobed, very lobed and straight to lobed; the length of stomata varies from 34 to 41 ?m and stomata density values range from 21 to 31 stomata / mm 2 . The contour of epidermal cells is the most interesting anatomical character taxonomically.