An improved method for studying grass leaf epidermis

• Published in: Stain technology Vol. 64; no. 5; p. 239
• Main Author: Theunissen, J D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 1989
• Subjects: Histological Techniques; Plant Cells
• ISSN: 0038-9153
• DOI: 10.3109/10520298909107008

Leaf epidermis of grasses is elaborate and important in the systematics of the Poaceae at subfamily and genus level. Most available techniques used in preparing leaf epidermis for microscopic studies are time-consuming and often produce preparations inadequate for studying histological detail. A combination of the hand scraping and maceration methods with modifications is proposed in this paper to prepare epidermal peels comparatively rapidly. One epidermal layer was scraped off and the mesophyll tissue removed from the epidermis to be studied by maceration in HNO3. The recovered epidermal peel was neutralized in NaOH and stained with malachite green or safranin O. Preparations made by this technique are suitable for studies of epidermal features, measurements of special structures and determinations of trichome indices. This method has been used in a study investigating intraspecific variation in southern African pasture grasses.