PJB-2020-407
TAXONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF FOLIAR EPIDERMAL CHARACTERS IN THREE TAXA OF THE EUPHORBIACEAE IN NIGERIA
Nweze, Anthony E.
Abstract
Foliar epidermal features of three taxa of the Euphorbiaceae: Bridelia ferruginea Benth., Hura crepitans and Ricinodendron heudelotti (Baill.) Pierre ex Heckle in Nigeria were studied to extract their taxonomic and ecological significance. An ecological survey design was used in the study of the three plant taxa from three locations with ten replicas each from each location, giving a total of 90 samples. The study was carried out in the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka between January and December, 2019. Leaves were plucked from freshly collected twigs from the Tropical Rainforest Vegetation (TRFV), Derived Savannah Vegetation (DSV) and Guinea Savannah Vegetation (GSV) within the study period. Anatomical slides were prepared using standard procedure (i.e. clearing method) and observed by light microscopy. The stomata sizes, density and indices significantly differed at p>0.05. The leaves of B. ferruginea were hypostomatic and the stomatal type were anomocytic; while H.crepitans and R. heudelotti were amphistomatic, sharing anomocytic type of stomata in common. Paracytic types were also observed in abaxial (lower) leaf surface of H. crepitians; polygonal epidermal cells on both surfaces with scanty uniseriate trichomes. Anisocytic types were also observed in abaxial leaf surface in R. heudelotti, irregular and variously elongated epidermal cells on adaxial (upper) and abaxial surfaces respectively which were glabrous. The highest stomata density (166.18 ± 3.70 µm), on the abaxial leaf surface was recorded in R. heudelotti from DSV, while B. ferruginea from GSV recorded the lowest (100.00 ± 2.40 µm). Uniseriate glandular trichomes were in abundance in B. ferruginea and scanty in H. crepitans. Epidermal features recorded in this study could be utilized in the delimitation of the plant taxa. The occurrence of smaller apertural and stomatal density in samples from more xeric zones, no doubt justifies the low rates of transpiration found in these taxa.
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