PJB-2020-667
Leaf epidermal morphology and its systematic implications in Poaceae: investigating 15 taxa from wetland areas
Aamir Shehzad Khan, Maryam Akram Butt, Syed Nasar Shah, Mushtaq Ahmad, Sadaf Kayani and Maimoona Birjees
Abstract
Light microscopic study is significant for the identification of taxonomically complex grass family Poaceae. This is the first microscopic study of foliar epidermal characters of 15 species of family Poaceae belonging to waterlogged and marshy (wetland) areas. These 15 species were collected from different localities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. In current study we compared the morphological features of foliar epidermis characters of leaf by using light microscopy. Variations in qualitative characters have been observed that include epidermal cell shape, pattern of anticlinal wall, types of stomata, micro hair types, silica body shapes, subsidiary cell shape and presence of prickles. The key result of this study showing that type of stomata in all species is paracytic on both upper and lower surfaces. The anticlinal walls are mostly sinuous but some plant species have straight and undulating walls. Mostly epidermal cells are rectangular but in some species they are elongated and irregular in shape. Micro hairs are either Panicoid type or Chloridoid type in some species. The difference in anatomical characters of leaf between the genera and species proved very helpful in the identification and classification. Taxonomic key using micro morphological characters is provided for the distinction among the genera and species.
To Cite this article:
Khan, A.S., M.A. Butt, S.N. Shah, M. Ahmad, S. Kayani and M. Birjees. 2022. Leaf epidermal morphology and its systematic implications in Poaceae: investigating 15 taxa from wetland areas. Pak. J. Bot., 54(6): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2022-6(26)
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