Leaf epidermal micromorphology in Aspidistra (Asparagaceae): diversity and taxonomic significance

Abstract

Micromorphological characters of leaf epidermis were investigated in 69 species of Aspidistra using scanning electron microscopy. Sculpture of epidermis varies from smooth to verrucose and rugose in the genus. The abaxial epidermis of some species bears papillae, whereas the adaxial surface uniformly lacks the papillae. Sculpture type of epidermis and density of papillae are generally found to be stable characters at a species level. The infraspecific variation of epidermis sculpture, where present, ranges from smooth to verrucose or from verrucose to rugose. Micromorphological characters of leaf epidermis are shown to have potential taxonomic significance in Aspidistra; in combination with the type of shoot structure, they allow to subdivide the species into 13 groups. The groups are largely incongruent with floral morphological traits. An identification key to the studied species of Aspidistra based on vegetative characters (gross leaf and shoot morphology and characters of leaf epidermis) is presented.

Leaf Epidermal Morphology of Ten Wild Tree Peonies in China and Its Taxonomic Significance

“…The results of this study showed that the number and structure of leaf epidermal appendages showed rich diversity, such as epidermal wall pattern, epidermal cell density, stomatal density and stomatal index, etc. There were some significant differences among the ten wild peonies in the epidermal morphology, which could be used to identify the wild tree peonies even if they have no flowers or fruits [46,51,52]. Besides, the morphological characteristics of the epidermis, especially the epidermal hairs and stomata, had a certain taxonomic value for the classification of wild tree peonies.…”

200 years Aspidistra (Asparagaceae), and now more than 200 species: a new comprehensive determination key, and an annotated bibliography of the genus

“…As a new attempt to bring light into the mystery of intrageneric relationships, Vislobokov et al (2021) investigated the micromorphology of the leaf epidermis in 73 species using scanning electron microscopy. Here, again, micromorphological traits show a certain degree of diversity, but are not in general congruence to floral characters or geographic distribution.…”

Comprehensive Comparative Analyses of Aspidistra Chloroplast Genomes: Insights into Interspecific Plastid Diversity and Phylogeny

“…Aspidistra (Asparagaceae) is one of the represented plant groups of evergreen perennials in limestone karsts, with a center of diversity in southwest China and northern Vietnam [7]. Over the last forty years, the number of recognized Aspidistra species has experienced a remarkable increase [8], rapidly rising from 11 (until the year 1978) [9] to more than 200 [10][11][12][13]. However, the diversity of Aspidistra is still far from being revealed, with more new species being discovered during field investigations every year [8,11,12,14].…”

“…Chun & F.C. How) [10,19]. In most cases, accurate identification of Aspidistra is almost impossible in non-flowering conditions [10].…”

“…How) [10,19]. In most cases, accurate identification of Aspidistra is almost impossible in non-flowering conditions [10]. Interspecific identification of the genus relies mainly on remarkably varied floral structures.…”