In a scientific journal Dendrobiology (MNiSW = 100 pts.) published an article presenting the results of a study of the interactions between developing vessel members and adjacent wood rays.

The results of the analysis of the secondary xylem of common maple and pedunculate oak, carried out by the staff of the Plant Anatomy Laboratory, indicate that: (I) rays restrict the growth of vascular members in the tangential direction, regardless of the mechanism of their growth, i.e., in both symplastic and intrusive growth. Thus, rays can be seen as a mechanical buffering system in the zone of secondary xylem differentiation; (II) the growth of vessel members is associated with a local reduction in the width of adjacent rays. Three hypothetical mechanisms have been proposed to explain the observed local narrowing of the rays in the vicinity of the vasculature: (1) the transient occurrence of radial tensile stress in the cambium/differentiation zone; (2) the direct pressure of the growing vessel member on the ray; (3) the pressure exerted by the lignified vessel member on the ray that has not yet lignified.

The considerations presented in the article make new contributions to the understanding of the complex relationship between axial and radial wood systems.

Honey AP., Honey A. & Kojs P. (2026). Interaction between xylem rays and vessel elements. Dendrobiology 95:166–126. https://doi.org/10.12657/denbio.095.008