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Organization of quadrifid and bifid hairs in the trap ofUtricularia monanthos

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Summary

The ultrastructure of quadrifid and bifid hairs which line the inside of the trap in the bladderwortUtricularia monanthos are described. Both types of hair consist of a pedestal cell resting on a special epidermal cell which bears two and four terminal cells in bifids and quadrifids, respectively. The pedestal cell is a transfer cell with an extensive labyrinth of wall ingrowths and cytoplasm containing numerous well differentiated mitochondria. The wall ingrowths contain little structural material and appear to undergo changes in width depending on the activity of the trap. The proximal region of the lateral wall is devoid of ingrowths and is completely impregnated with opaque material slightly different in appearance from that of the adjoining impregnated walls. Numerous compound plasmodesmata connect the protoplast of the pedestal cell to that of the basal epidermal cell.

The terminal cells of quadrifids and bifids show a striking differentiation of protoplast and wall associated with their specialization into stalk and arms. The protoplast of the stalk is narrow and contains mostly tubular ER. Abundant simple plasmodesmata traverse the wall between the foot of the stalk and the pedestal cell. The protoplast of the arm displays a large central vacuole, with the nucleus and numerous mitochondria concentrated towards the base of the arm. The walls of the stalk are thick and heavily impregnated with cuticular material in their outer regions, but in the arms the cuticle is very thin and consists of small separate cutin cystoliths. The walls of the arms exhibit short unbranched ingrowths.

The structure and function of the hairs is discussed. Materials are probably absorbed by the arms and transported to the pedestal cell. It is suggested that once substances have passed through the cuticle of the arm they are transported by the terminal cells, either symplasticallyvia the protoplast or apoplastically through the walls into the labyrinth of the pedestal cell. Because of the continuous impregnation in the proximal half of the lateral wall of the pedestal cell, all substances must pass through the protoplast of the pedestal cell if they are to be transported into the walls of the trap.

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  1. B. A. Fineran

    Present address: Department of Botany, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

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  1. Department of Botany, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    May S. L. Lee

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Fineran, B.A., Lee, M.S.L. Organization of quadrifid and bifid hairs in the trap ofUtricularia monanthos . Protoplasma 84, 43–70 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02075942

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