TY - EJOU AU - R, Foroughbakhch AU - Sr, RJ Ferry AU - Hernández-Piñero, JL AU - Alvarado-Vázquez, MA AU - Rocha-Estrada, A TI - Quantitative measures of leaf epidermal cells as a taxonomic and phylogenetic tool for the identification of Stanhopea species (Orchidaceae) T2 - Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany PY - 2008 VL - 77 IS - all SN - 1851-5657 AB - Orchids of the genus Stanhopea are currently identified only by their floral structure characteristics. A statistical analysis of a significant number of species of this genus disclosed that measurements of adaxial and abaxial epidermal cell surface areas can be correlated with specific recognized species by a leaf printing method. This allows an objectively either positive or nearly positive confirmation of the identity of a species in the absence of flowers and without damage to plants. When ordering the mean values obtained for these surface areas in each species in a decreasing order, a correlation was observed in a hierarchical way that went from primitive to more advanced floral forms. This reflects the evolutionary radiation of the genus. It is established that in Stanhopea, the presence of large leaf epidermal cells on species from South America represents a primitive evolutionary condition that became to smaller cells in evolutionarily more recent individuals as the genus radiated towards Mexico. KW - Stanhopea KW - quantitative taxonomy KW - morphometry KW - leaf printing KW - Orchidaceae DO - 10.32604/phyton.2008.77.113