Wood anatomy of Buxus madagascarica Baill.

The secondary xylem of Buxus madagascarica Baill. subsp. xerophila H. Perr., endemic to Madagascar, is described. A comparison has been made between the wood anatomy of this species and that of several other representatives of the genus Buxus together with some Notobuxus species studied by Carlquist (1982) and Record & Garratt (1925). The vessel and tracheid lumina are relatively small; also the vessel-member length is small whereas the number of bars per perforation plate is relatively large. Rates of xylem sap flow are likely to be low.