Paper Details

Foliar epidermal anatomy of grasses from Thal desert, district Khushab, Pakistan

Sunbal Khalil Chaudhari, Muhammad Arshad, Ghazala Mustafa, Sammer Fatima, Muhammad Shoaib Amjad, Farhat Yasmeen

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.12692/ijb/4.8.62-70

Int. J. Biosci. 4(8), 62-70. April, 2014. (PDF)

Abstract:

Leaf epidermal anatomical studies of 29 grass species belonging to 10 different tribes was carried out in Thal desert, (District Khushab). These leaf epidermal characters are of great value in grass systematics and important for characterization of broad groups within the grasses, particularly subfamilies and tribes. Grass species were evaluated in terms of epidermal features such as length, width and shape of long cells, stomatal apparatus, subsidiary cells, prickles, hooks, microhair, macrohair and silica bodies. Epidermal cells of grasses have a higher degree of variation than in any other family. In this study, largest long cell was found in Avena fatua and smallest in Cynodon dactylon. Silica bodies of different shapes were observed such as dumb bell, cross, saddle, rounded, square shaped etc. Subsidiary cells of low dome, high dome shape and of parallel sides were observed in different species. Hooks were present in some members of Arundineae, Aristideae, Andropogoneae,Paniceae. Anguler prickles with swollen bases, narrow tips and prickles between the veins are found in almost all the species examined. This taxonomic study will help in species identification and classification into different tribes.