@Article{phyton.2008.77.113,
AUTHOR = {Foroughbakhch  R, RJ Ferry  Sr, JL  Hernández-Piñero, MA  Alvarado-Vázquez, A  Rocha-Estrada},
TITLE = {Quantitative measures of leaf epidermal cells as a taxonomic and phylogenetic tool for the identification of Stanhopea species (Orchidaceae)},
JOURNAL = {Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany},
VOLUME = {77},
YEAR = {2008},
NUMBER = {all},
PAGES = {113--127},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/phyton/v77nall/36895},
ISSN = {1851-5657},
ABSTRACT = {Orchids of the genus <i>Stanhopea</i> are currently identified only by their floral structure characteristics. A statistical analysis of a significant number of species of this genus disclosed that measurements of adaxial and abaxial epidermal cell surface areas can be correlated with specific recognized species by a leaf printing method. This allows an objectively either positive or nearly positive confirmation of the identity of a species in the absence of flowers and without damage to plants. When ordering the mean values obtained for these surface areas in each species in a decreasing order, a correlation was observed in a hierarchical way that went from primitive to more advanced floral forms. This reflects the evolutionary radiation of the genus. It is established that in <i>Stanhopea</i>, the presence of large leaf epidermal cells on species from South America represents a primitive evolutionary condition that became to smaller cells in evolutionarily more recent individuals as the genus radiated towards Mexico.},
DOI = {10.32604/phyton.2008.77.113}
}