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SOME EPIDERMAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PALEAS OF DICHANTHELIUM, PANICUM, AND ECHINOCHLOA
Author(s) -
Clark Carolyn A.,
Gould Frank W.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1975.tb14108.x
Subject(s) - panicum , echinochloa , biology , botany , spicule , anatomy , weed , sponge spicule
The apical portion of paleas of the perfect (upper) floret of 11 species of Dichanthelium , 10 species of Panicum , and one species of Echinochloa were examined with a scanning electron microscope. The surfaces of the Dichanthelium palea tips uniformly had simple, rounded papillae, widely spaced in regular rows, whereas the palea tips of most Panicum species had irregularly arranged, compound or aggregated papillae. Unusual epidermal features were observed in P. obtusum, P. hians , and P. hemitomon. The Echinochloa crusgalli palea surface exhibited a pattern of papillae or spicule development similar to that of P. hians. Transverse sections of Dichanthelium palea showed the papillae to be little if at all thickened. An electron beam x‐ray microanalysis indicated a high concentration of silicon in the papillae.