On The Nature And Distribution Of Sclereids In Sugarcane Leaves
 

Rocío Santiago, Eva-María Díaz, Julia Quintana, Susana Rodríguez, Blanca Fontaniella, Carlos Vicente^*, María-Estrella Legaz
Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University, 2, José Antonio Novais Av., 28040 Madrid, (SPAIN)

Sugarcane leaf shows the classical arrangement of cells which defines a C4 species. The vascular bundle includes xylem, phloem and fibers. These fibers consist of outer sclereids surrounding the vascular bundle and an inner ring of stone cells involving the phloem. Some sclereids behave as docking cells since they are located below and above the vascular bundle, connecting it to the internal surface of the epidermal upper and lower layers. A compact mass of sclereids occupies the total internal volume of the leaf edge. Neither docking cells nor the more internal mass of sclereids in the edge were significantly coloured by phloroglucinol, indicating this the absence of lignin in their cell walls, whereas fibers of the vascular bundle and the most external layer of edge sclereids are strongly lignified.