Relation between primary and secondary growth in Jacaranda copaia (Bignoniaceae)

Abstract

The relation between primary and secondary growth has been traditionally studied in terms of growth units and has always being assumed as closely correlated. Pluviometric variation directly affects growth patterns in the neotropical pioneer species Jacaranda copaia. In French Guiana this species produces annual growth rings in the dry season that can be seen with the naked eye.The morphological and anatomical description of three monocaulous individuals was made node by node. The trees where felled at a roadside locality close to the city of Kourou, French Guiana. The comparison of intermodal distance, pith transversal area and wood ring area variation within an individual elucidates the origin of well-known problems in dendrochronological analysis of tropical trees.The wood found close to the pith, known as young wood, always has false wood rings; the production of these rings is correlated with short intermodal distances and small pith transversal area. This phenomenon seems to be caused by minor intrannual pluviometric variation that affects both primary and secondary growth. This new methodological approach helps morphologists and anatomists interpret growth patterns in tropical trees in a more holistic way