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Microscopical investigation of the leaf architecture in greenhouse-cultivated Ficus (Moraceae)

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Abstract

A high diversity of leaf structural traits in the genus Ficus is often argued with regard to its taxonomic implications. Greenhouse-cultivated plants of Ficus are in special need of identification based on the vegetative organs since they rarely produce flowers. We studied the leaf anatomy in 33 Ficus species of six subgenera and 12 sections grown under greenhouse conditions, using light microscopy and SEM. A great between-species variation of the leaf traits was revealed as opposed to their stability within each species. Qualitative leaf traits were found useful for distinguishing species and some higher taxa of Ficus. Namely, the features of epidermis, mesophyll, and vein anatomy were characteristic at the level of sections and subsections. Quantitative parameters of stomata and glandular trichomes, as well as the thickness of lamina and its inner layers, separated well the species and subgenera of Ficus. The classification of the species based on the quantitative leaf parameters revealed several groups of related species, which are placed close in the existing system of the genus. New data on Ficus leaf architecture were obtained, including the presence of branched trichomes, the features of vein anatomy, and the diagnostic value of laminar hydathodes. The study shows that many characters of Ficus leaf architecture are of taxonomic value and provide support to the existing classification of the genus. The leaf anatomical and surface features analyzed may facilitate a proper identification of the species and higher taxa of Ficus if considered together in a complex.

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Acknowledgments

I am pleased to thank Dr. Andriy Prokopiv for reviewing this manuscript, constructive discussions and comments. Thanks to curators of greenhouse plant collections––Dr. Lyudmyla Buyun, Dr. Vira Nikitina, Dr. Olha Usoltseva, and M.Sc. Nadiya Lutsyshyn for providing permissions to work in greenhouses of the botanical gardens. Laboratory assistant Yuryi Datsyuk provided technical assistance in the use of scanning electron microscope. Thanks to Dr. Mariya Dyka for the help in statistical data analysis. The anonymous reviewer’s helpful comments are gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Botanical Garden of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, 44 Cheremshyna str, Lviv, 79014, Ukraine

    Yevhen Sosnovsky

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  1. Yevhen Sosnovsky
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Correspondence to Yevhen Sosnovsky.

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Handling editor: Hiroshi Tobe.

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Sosnovsky, Y. Microscopical investigation of the leaf architecture in greenhouse-cultivated Ficus (Moraceae). Plant Syst Evol 301, 1669–1692 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-014-1184-8

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