Variation in wood anatomy of species with a distribution covering both rain forest and savanna areas of the Ivory Coast, West-Africa

The variation in wood anatomy within 30 hardwood species, each with a distribution covering both rain forest and savanna areas of the Ivory Coast, Africa, has been studied. Compared to specimens from the rain forest, material from the savanna tends to have more wood ray tissue (rays are higher, wider, and more numerous) and slightly more vessel tissue (vessels are more numerous and wider, although they are often composed of shorter vessel members). Within any one species the total amount of axial wood parenchyma in the material from both areas is practically constant. The results are discussed with reference to latitudinal variation and major trends of phylogenetic wood specialization.