Sectioning and Electron Microscopy of Eucalypt Leaf Waxes

Abstract

A method is described of preparing leaf sections for electron microscopy. which preserves the surface wax structures; it involves the evaporation of gold-palladium on to the waxy leaf surface before dehydration and embedding with the usual solvents. Sections through the epidermis showed structure related to that seen in carbon replicas of the leaf surface and allowed assessment of the thickness of the wax coating. The method also allowed better preservation of cuticular structure, which in Eucalyptus cinerea is lamellar. It is suggested that, in this species at least, wax may migrate to the leaf surface through anastomosing channels between the cuticular lamellae.