Anatomy of the 'extreme' halophyte Arthrocnemum fruticosum (L.) Moq. in relation to its physiology
1986
Saadeddin, R. | Doddema, H.
Arthrocnemum fruticosum seeds were collected from the Jordanian coast of the Dead Sea and grown in a greenhouse. The anatomy was studied of plants of varying ages and salt treatments. The roots contained large amounts of woody tissue, both vessels and lignified parenchyma. The root cortex showed air spaces which are discussed in relation to the anaerobic conditions the plants are growing in during part of their life-cycle. The shoot consisted of a stem with two opposite, decussate leaves per node, the bases of each pair, fleshy, amplexicaul, elongated down the stem and fused to form a discontinuous succulent cylinder around the internodes. The leaves contained an assimilatory palisade layer and a water storage tissue connected with the epidermis by a number of vessel-like tracheoid idioblasts. It was suggested that these structures play a role in the uptake of dew by the stomata. The veins of the leaves were almost entirely made up of xylem and formed a reticulate closed pattern between the photosynthetic and the water storage layers of the leaf tissue. Flowers were simple, consisting of one stamen and one pistil only. One greyish-brown seed was produced per flower. Some physiological observations, relevant to the anatomy of the plant, are discussed and it was tried to relate these observations to the environmental conditions as found in the field.
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