Comparative morphology of the vessel elements in the woods of Pseudopanax C. Koch (Araliaceae)

Summary Vessel elements in the woods of the fourteen species of Pseudopanax indigenous to New Zealand were examined using scanning electron microscopy. The occurrence of the vestured (or warty) layer, helical thickenings, various perforation plate types, and the type and distribution.of vessel pits confirmed the validity of the species groups proposed by Philipson (1971) and also indicated that the presence or absence of a vestured layer may be a useful diagnostic feature in taxonomic studies.