Find in Library

Morphological and anatomical traits of the <i>Vinca</i> leaf were examined using microscopy techniques. Outdoor <i>Vinca minor</i> and <i>V. herbacea</i> plants and greenhouse cultivated <i>V. major</i> and <i>V. major</i> var. <i>variegata</i> plants had interspecific variations. All <i>Vinca</i> species leaves are hypostomatic. However, except for <i>V. minor</i> leaf, few stomata were also present on the upper epidermis. <i>V. minor</i> leaf had the highest stomatal index and <i>V. major</i> had the lowest, while the distribution of trichomes on the upper epidermis was species-specific. Differentiated palisade and spongy parenchyma tissues were present in all <i>Vinca</i> species’ leaves. However, <i>V. minor</i> and <i>V. herbacea</i> leaves had a more organized anatomical aspect, compared to <i>V. major</i> and <i>V. major</i> var. <i>variegata</i> leaves. Additionally, as a novelty, the cellular to intercellular space ratio of the <i>Vinca</i> leaf’s mesophyll was revealed herein with the help of computational analysis. Lipid droplets of different sizes and aspects were localized in the spongy parenchyma cells. Ultrastructural characteristics of the cuticle and its epicuticular waxes were described for the first time. Moreover, thick layers of cutin seemed to be characteristic of the outdoor plants only. This could be an adaptation to the unpredictable environmental conditions, but nevertheless, it might influence the chemical composition of plants.