are primarily of two types: 1.) dense tufts of hairs, and 2.) flat to concave elliptic to circular 
areas, glabrous or with hairs mainly on the borders. In this study a primary domatium is defined 
as the one present along the midvein in the axils of secondary veins (figure 1). The term 
secondary domatium is applied to that one present along secondary veins in the axils of tertiary 
veins (figure 1). There are several species of Cinnamomum in the neotropics that do not have 
domatia at all. About a third of the species studied here only have primary domatia (usually 1 - 3 
pairs), and almost the same proportion of species present both primary and secondary domatia. 
Appearance of domatia varies in pubescence (glabrous to densely hairy), and other features. 
When present, hairs in domatia often contrast sharply with those occuring on the lower leaf 
surface; they can be erect and wavy or parallel to leaf surface, straight and stiff, or sometimes, 
they are just longer than the rest of hairs on lower surface. Leaf area of domatia varies from flat 
(most species) to deeply concave on lower surface, and from flat to ampullous on upper surface. 
Sometimes the lower domatia surface is slightly shiny, as if there were some secretion on it, but 
it is difficult to assert the glandular condition of this tissue. Actually, so far there is no 
anatomical evidence of specialized cells either in the epidermis or mesophyll of domatia 
(Wilkinson, 1979), including those of some Lauraceae (O'Dowd & Willson, 1989). Several kind 
of animals, mostly mites, in different life stages (and some plants !) were found in the domatia of 
most species, yet it is not easy to say whether these organisms spend their whole life there, or use 
these leaf areas occasionally as shelters of some sort. 
Reproductive Morphology. 
Inflorescences are determinate, mostly thyrses (figures 6, 13, 17), often the last dichasia 
19 
