Anatomical characters of secondary xylem in the trunk of Magnoliaceae, Winteraceae and Schizandraceae, including six genera and eleven species grown naturally in Korea, were studied to elucidate the relationship between genera or families. It is considered that among these families specialization in the perforation plate, the angel of end wall to the vessel axis, and diameter of vessel element, is in the order of Winteracae, Magnoliaceae, and then Schizandraceae. In Winteraceae, vessel elements have wholly scalariform perforation plates with very numerous bars. Among Magnoliaceae the peroration plates are scalariform with very numerous bars in Michelia, with few bars in Liriodendron, and with few bars or simple in Magnolia. In Schizandraceae, Schizandra shows scalariform perforation plates with few bars or simple perforation plates, and Kadsura shows almost simple ones.