Leaf anatomical adaptations ofCalystegia soldanella,Euphorbia paraliasandOtanthus maritimusto the ecological conditions of coastal sand dune systems

The aim of the present work is to characterize leaf morpho-functional adaptations of three pioneer sand dune plants - Calystegia soldanella, Euphorbia paralias and Otanthus maritimus - that are distributed on the foredunes where environmental stresses are stronger.The most interesting morpho-anatomical adaptations of the three psammophytes to the ecological conditions of coastal sand dune systems seem to be leaf orientation, leaf roll, non-glandular and glandular trichomes, general morphology of epidermis, morphology and localization of stomata, hydathodes, aerenchyma and water-storage parenchyma. Some of these characters may be proposed as “hard traits” in Plant Functional Type studies.