In Southern Brazil, in the Plateau of the State of Santa Catarina, species of Salix (willow), vernacularly called "vime", are cultivated for weaving crafts. The hybrid Salix x rubens Schrank (Salicaeae) is the widely cultivated species in the region. The research institute "Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária e Extensão Rural de Santa Catarina (EPAGRI)" in the city of Lages, is developing a program to improve the quality of the willow for basketry. Wood samples of young rods and the main trunk of Salix x rubens were collected, fixed and sectioned according to usual techniques in wood anatomy. Qualitative and quantitative features were described, following the IAWA Committee recommendations. Wood anatomy is characterized by solitary vessels, with simple perforation plate, alternate bordered intervessel pits, vessel-ray pits similar to intervessel pits, axial parenchyma scanty apotracheal to diffuse, septate and non-septate fibres, with simple to minutely bordered pits, uniseriate rays. Wood of young and mature samples are very similar, differing only in the presence of growth rings in the latter. This work characterizes the wood anatomy of young and adult samples of Salix x rubens, not described so far, aiming to improve the knowledge about the species.
Salicaceae; willow; wood anatomy
