Phytochemistry and Micromorphology of Epicuticular Waxes in Four Juniper Species With Fragmented Distribution in the Balkans

Abstract

The cuticle is important in the interaction between the plant and its environment, especially in the dry areas. Four species of junipers from the section Sabina wild growing in the Balkans were selected to study leaf wax composition using GC/MS and GC‐FID and its surface morphology under SEM to understand the correlation between the distribution and/or habitat of these species and their cuticles. SEM micrographs showed continuous, smooth epicuticular layers with crusts in all species but with a species‐specific distribution of different 3D crystalloid types and different cuticle thickness. n‐C33 alkane was the most abundant compound, followed by n‐C29, n‐C31, and n‐C35, depending on the species and the site. The average chain length (N) was the lowest in J. phoenicea, but with the greatest dispersion around it. At the same time, the two most continental species (J. foetidissima and J. excelsa) show the N with the lowest dispersion around it. The statistical analyses confirmed the significance of climate on the evolution of the specific epicuticular wax composition in studied junipers.