No leaf is an island: The potential of integrating quantitative wood and leaf anatomy

Summary A comprehensive understanding of how anatomical traits are coordinated across plant organs is essential for refining trait-based models of plant hydraulic function and for evaluating a species’ hydraulic capacity for acclimation under climate change scenarios. However, research on wood and leaf anatomy has progressed along separate trajectories, with wood anatomy developing robust quantitative frameworks, while leaf anatomy remains conceptually and methodologically fragmented. Here, we performed a systematic bibliometric analysis of 12 669 articles (2000–2025) to compare thematic structures and integration across “leaf anatomy”, “wood anatomy”, and their intersection. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed strong methodological consolidation in wood studies and a diffuse physiology-oriented distribution in leaf anatomy. Only ten studies addressed both organs concurrently, underscoring the lack of cross-organ integration. This asymmetry limits our ability to model whole-plant hydraulics, interpret trait coordination, and predict functional responses under environmental stress. Bridging this gap requires unified descriptors, harmonised protocols, and a conceptual synthesis of plant anatomical research across tissues.