Sycidium

Mohapatra, Abhipsa & Janarthanam, M. K., 2020, Cystolith micromorphology in selected taxa of Ficus L. (Moraceae) in India and its taxonomic implications, Phytotaxa 436 (2), pp. 167-181 : 177-178

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.436.2.6

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E587EE-0A15-FFC6-FF46-C70FB10A58A4

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Sycidium
status

 

Section- Sycidium View in CoL

Pierantoni et al. (2018) reported the deposition of the cystolith on both the layers and near the veins of the leaves of F. exasperata . They observed a unique mineral deposition of silica in the cone shaped trichomes along with cystoliths on the adaxial layer and all around above the veins of the leaves and named it as silicified trichomes or mineralized spikes. Silica protrudes into the spike completely providing scabrid texture/ rough surface to the leaf surface, probably acting against herbivory. In the present study cystoliths are observed only on the adaxial layer. They are conical shaped cystoliths with verrucate sculpture pattern projecting into the multicellular trichomes (= silicified trichomes).

Among the studied species, this type of peculiar character has been observed only in F. exasperata which is also reported in the abaxial leaf epidermis of F. pygmaea by Greuning et al. (1984) which differentiates it from other species and is placed in the subgenus Sycidium ( Figure 3B View FIGURE 3 ) as that of F. exasperata . Thus, it acts as a distinguishing character for section Sycidium .

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Charophyta

Class

Charophyceae

Order

Charales

Family

Characeae

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