Internodal Vessel Elements of Some Malvaceae

Internodal vessel elements are studied in 20 genera, 75 species and 33 cultivars of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis belong to the Malvaceae. The minimum and maximum length and diameter range from 79~466 and 14~88 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, respectively. The vessel elements are either cylindrical, fusiform, conical, clavate, oval, column-, drum-, fish and cup-like or erratic. Perforation plates are exclusively simple in all the species investigated, except occasionally scalariform in varieties of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. In most of the species studied vessel elements have predominantly two perforation plates or occasionally one and three. Adjacen side wall thickening is commonly simple and border pitted, mixed, scalariform, helical and reticulate. The vessel elements vary in their size, shape, number and inclination of perforation plates and adjacent wall thickening.