In this article we will discuss about the morphology of gnetum with the help of a suitable diagram.
In its morphology, Gnetum (Fig. 18.1 A) is closer in similarity to an angiosperm (dicot) than a gymnosperm.
G. ula is a woody climber. It exhibits two types of branches, of limited growth (short shoots) and unlimited growth (long shoots). This distinction is absent in shrub and tree species of this genus. Short shoots bear reduced cup-like pairs of scaly leaves while the indeterminate long shoots bear a pair of broad leaves (Fig. 18.1 A) above one long internode.
The nodes are swollen with an internal cavity lined with periderm and a sclerenchymatous layer. The leaves are broad, oval-shaped of reticulate venation, with entire margin and are indistinguishable from that of an angiosperm leaf.
