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HIGH‐RESOLUTION LEAF X‐RADIOGRAPHY IN SYSTEMATICS AND PALEOBOTANY
Author(s) -
Wing Scott L.
Publication year - 1992
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.1537-2197.1992.tb13736.x
Subject(s) - herbarium , biology , systematics , paleobotany , clearance , botany , high resolution , paleontology , archaeology , taxonomy (biology) , medicine , history , biochemistry , plant development , urology , gene
The foliar vein nets of many seed plants and ferns display systematically informative characters. These venation characters traditionally have been observed by chemically clearing and staining leaves, a process that is slow, involves toxic chemicals, and yields delicate, glass‐mounted specimens that require long‐term maintenance to prevent or correct bubbling or crystallization of the mounting medium. A technique that uses X‐rays and photographic film to produce images of leaf venation consistently shows veins that are 50–100 μ m thick. Although the X‐ray images are slightly less detailed than the best cleared and stained leaves, the images can be made much more quickly, are more easily stored and reproduced, and do not require permanent alteration of the original herbarium specimen. The technique should facilitate the use of vein characters in systematics, and the identification and systematic analysis of fossil leaves.