The morphological characteristics and classification of vascular parenchyma cells in bamboo, Phyllostachys edulis (Carr.) J. Houz

Abstract

AbstractVascular parenchyma cells (VPCs) provide a critical metabolic and energetic link for xylem transport of water and mineral nutrients and phloem transport of photoassimilates. Understanding the morphology of these cells is required to understand their function. This study describes the morphology and classification of VPCs of moso bamboo by light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The key results revealed that vascular parenchyma could be divided into three categories according to cell geometric morphology: cells with two transverse end walls, cells with one oblique end and one transverse end walls, and cells with two oblique end walls. Additionally, there were two types of thickening patterns of the secondary wall, uniform and reticulate thickening, and both diffuse pitting and opposite-alternate pitting were observed. The average length, width, lumen diameter, double wall thickness, and area of the VPCs were 139.0 μm, 17.3 μm, 10.4 μm, 6.9 μm, and 51.1 μm2, respectively. Most VPCs were slender and thin-walled, and growth of the VPCs was not correlated in either the length or the width directions.