Movement of the cambial domain pattern and mechanism of formation of interlocked grain in Platanus

Abstract

The orientation of splitting and uniting of rays, which served as an indicator of the orientation of morphogenic events occurring in cambium, was determined on series of veneers covering large tangential faces of Platanus trunks. It has been shown that cambium consists of orientational domains of Z- and S-type. They are perpendicular to, or slightly inclined with respect to, the trunk axis. Axial dimensions of domains are 8-28 cm. They move upward along the trunk, at a rate 6,5—12 mm, per radial mm of xylem porduced. Migration domain patterns are responsible for the formation of the interlocked grain.