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Tree
Fern Aerial Root
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| A
cross-section of this aerial root, found in the mantle of
a tree fern, reveals the central, star-shaped xylem strand.
As the aerial root developed, primary xylem grew from five
different points. Metaxylem was then produced towards the
center forming a star shape. Phloem tissue developed
between the arms of the star. The aerial rootlet pictured
above comes
from a permian aged Brazilian tree fern (Titea singularis).
The picture was taken at 40x. Below one can see the specimen
from which the micrograph was taken. |
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Tree
Fern
Titea singularis
Bieland, Maranhao Province, Brazil
Pedra de Fogo Formation
Permian
23 cm diameter |
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