Regenerative studies on the detached leaves of Echeveria elegans. Regeneration and growth in leaves

Abstract

Detached leaves of Echeveria elegans Bgr. produce both roots and shoots. However, when their bases are severed, they tend to produce only roots. It was observed that roots had to be present on detached leaves, bases removed or not, in order to have an increase in size and also in dry weight. The growth in size was found to be due mainly to enlargement of cells, and the increase in dry weight was presumably due to maintenance of normal metabolic activity in the detached leaves. Thus detached leaves of E. elegans have a greater potential for growth than is normally realized by the leaves that are mature and still attached to the parent axis. The vigorously growing shoots seem to have an inhibitory influence on growth in the detached leaves. Roots on detached leaves, on the other hand, seem to play an important role not only in the delaying of senescence but also in reducing the inhibitory influence of shoots. Roots alone appeared to bring about "uncontrolled" enlargement of cells and consequently lesions were formed on the leaves, which finally died off. Thus growth, regeneration, and senescence in the detached leaves appear to be correlative phenomena.