Cupania vernalis camb. (Sapindaceae) is a species commonly found in almost all forest associations, mainly in savanna-like vegetation (cerrado) and galeria woods, spreading over the states of Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, São Paulo and reaching as far as Rio Grande do Sul. The species stands out mainly by its use in mixed planting to recover degraded areas of permanent preservation, for its fruits being much appreciated and consumed by birds and, still used in folk medicine against asthma and convulsive coughs. Leaf anatomy studies are highly important for the understanding of the adaptive plasticity of a species subjected to different environmental conditions, as it is correlated with processes such as gas exchanges and CO2 assimilation, as well as other processes inherent to plant growth. This work aimed to study the effect of different shading levels (full sunshine, 30%, 50% and 70%) on leaf anatomy and gas exchanges of Cupania vernalis camb plantlets. The results showed greater photosynthetic rate, increase in stomatal conductance, blade thickness, number of stomata per area and thickness of cell wall on leaves of plants grown under full sunshine and 30% shading. Positive correlations were observed between gas exchange traits and leaf anatomy. Based on these results, it is possible to conclude that the species used in this study has a great anatomic plasticity in relation to the tested shading levels, supporting in this way a better development of the seedlings under different environmental conditions.
Cupania vernalis Camb.; photosynthesis; shading; leaf anatomy
