Wood anatomy of some halophyte dwarf shrubs in Turkey

There are many plant species of shrubs and dwarf shrubs that spread in salt steppes and sandy areas in Turkey. In this study, the wood anatomical characteristics of six shrubs of halophyte and xerophyte naturally grown in Iğdır and Konya within this plant group were investigated. Atraphaxis spinosa L., Calligonum polygonoides L. (Polygonaceae); Halimione portulacoides L., Noaea mucronata (Forssk.) Asch. & Schweinf. subsp. mucronata (Amaranthaceae); Reaumuria alternifolia (Labill.) Britten (Tamaricaceae); Frankenia hirsuta L. (Frankeniaceae) were examined. Wood anatomical characteristics of Atraphaxis spinosa, Calligonum polygonoides, Reaumuria alternifolia were investigated in this study for the first time. In woods; tangential and radial vessel diameter, number of vessels per mm2, lenght of vessel elements, fibres (lengths, widths, thickness of cell walls, lumen diameter), number of rays per 1 mm, ray widht and height such as quantitative characters; features of growth rings, vessel grouping, helical sculpture, type of perforation plate, presence of vasicentric and vascular tracheids, axial parenchyma, vesturing, crystals and perforated ray cells such as qualitative ones were determined. It is emphasized that vessel dimorphism, vessel grouping, more numerous vessel, short vessel elements, presence of vascular tracheids and helikal thickening are provide increased safety rather than efficiency in conductive system in drought taxa. Keywords: wood anatomy, halophyt, xerophyt, Iğdır, Konya, Turkey.