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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2014, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (3): 134-138.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.20140319

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Analysis of Variation in Epidermal Structure of Picea pungens Needles

Li Zhi, Xü Li, Lin Meng, Yang Meng, Jia Guixia   

  1. National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture College of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University Beijing 100083
  • Received:2013-04-25 Revised:2013-12-26 Online:2014-03-25 Published:2014-04-16
  • Contact: 贾桂霞

Abstract:

Picea pungens has high ornamental value because of its rare blue-green needles. This paper compared colors of needles from 1-year-old seedlings, 4-year-old seedlings, 35-year-old plants of the species and 12-year-old plants of P. pungens ‘Glauca Globosa’.The result showed that needles of 1-year-old seedlings exhibited almost green, needles of new branches of some 4-year-old seedling exhibited blue, while needles of 35-year-old plants with blue needles and the‘Glauca Globosa’plants, exhibited almost all blue. Observation via a dissecting microscope found that on the epidermis of blue needles there was a layer of substance, which could be dissolved into organic solvents or be removed through physical friction. The needles became green after the layer of substance was removed. Through observation via scanning electron microscope, it was found out that the epidermis of blue needles was covered with a quantity of rod-like substances arranged intensely and irregularly, with a thickness from 1.307 65 μm to 5.014 94 μm, while there was little or none the substance in the green needles. Analysis with GC-MS showed that the substances were mainly alkanes, aliphatic compounds and cyclic compounds, which generated wax crystals on the epidermis of needles. This paper laid the foundation for analysis of P. pungens' blue-color needles.

Key words: Picea pungens, blue needles, epidermal structure, wax crystals

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