Summary
δ13C values were determined in 20 succulents from Madagascar. The values were indicative of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism in 10 species of the Didiereaceae, 4 species of the Euphorbiaceae, 2 species of the Crassulaceae and 1 species of the Cucurbitaceae. The Didiereaceae and Euphorbiaceae studied are major components of a high biomass xerophytic flora in the semi-arid southwest and south of Madagascar. Three species of the Euphorbiaceae with succulent stems and non-succulent leaves, which were cultivated outdoors in the Tananarive Botanic Garden, showed C3 like δ13C values for both leaves and stems. δ13C values of leaf and stem material from a similar species, collected in the south of Madagascar, indicated Crassulacean Acid Metabolism.
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Abbreviations
- CAM:
-
Crassulacean Acid Metabolism
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Winter, K. δ13C values of some succulent plants from Madagascar. Oecologia 40, 103–112 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00388814
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00388814