Annals of Botany 64: 713-719, 1989
© 1989 Annals of Botany Company
RESEARCH-ARTICLE |
A Structural Study of the Floral Epidermal Hairs of Digitalis purpurea Using Light, Electron and X-ray Microscopy
Department of Biology, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
Accepted: 26 July 1989
In Digitallis purpurea the cytoplasm of the floral trichomes of mature flowers, when examined by light microscopy, appears to be located centrally and arranged as discrete cytoplasmic strands. Such strands are not apparent when viewed by electron microscopy, rather the cytoplasm is mainly peripheral with a large central vacuole. In younger flowers, before corolla opening, the cytoplasm appears to be more abundant as seen in election micrographs and in places occupies the centre of the cell, but it is always highly vesiculated and without the high degree of structural organization seen by light microscopy.
Soft X-ray contact microscopy is a relatively new technique which still requires considerable development if it is to be widely used by biologists. The present study shows, however, that the images obtained of the cytoplasm are possibly more faithful to the arrangement in the original, living material than those obtained by electron microscopy, since the transcellular strands and associated organelles are clearly imaged. As such the technique is a very useful technique complementary to conventional microscopical methods.
Trichrome, ultrastructure, Digitalis, X-ray microscopy