Twisted and elongated stems of A. scandens display a high
hydraulic resistance of phloem conduits, which decreases from leaves to
stems, efficiently delivering photoassimilate from sources under Münch
predictions. Sink strength of a continuously growing canopy might be
stronger than in self-supporting understory plants, favoring resource
allocation to aerial organs in angiosperms that colonized the vertical
niche.
Keywork index: Austrobaileya scandens , lianescence,
pectins, phloem, sieve-tubes, vessels, xylem.