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E-ISSN No: 2455 - 7218

P-ISSN No: 0019 - 4468

Listed in UGC Care

Leaf epidermal characterization of selected species of genus Curcuma L. (Zingiberaceae)

Seema R.1*, Madhvi Singh2, Seshu Lavania3
10.61289/jibs2024.03.22.139
Abstract

The genus Curcuma (Zingiberaceae) is known for its medicinal and economic importance. The present study was to examine and establish some interspecific variations among Curcuma longa L., Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb., Curcuma amada Roxb., Curcuma aromatica Salisb., Curcuma caesia Roxb., Curcuma ecalcarata Sivar. & Balach., Curcuma haritha Mangaly & M. Sabu, and Curcuma zedoaria Roxb. by characterizing the leaf epidermal features using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which can be used as a diagnostic tool for species identification. The leaves were amphistomatic with tetracytic stomata more frequently on the abaxial surface. Trichomes were unicellular, non-glandular, conical, and densely distributed on the abaxial surface of C. aromatica and C. haritha, very few in C. longa and C. aeruginosa. Stomatal index, stomatal density, and epidermal cell size were maximum in C. aromatic and minimum in C. longa in the abaxial leaf surfaces statistically significant at p ≤ 0.001. Correlation analysis showed high positive correlation between stomatal index and density of leaf abaxial surface (r = 0.99), stomatal and epidermal cell density of adaxial and abaxial epidermal surface (r = 0.99, r = 0.95), guard cell length and epidermal cell frequency of adaxial and abaxial epidermal surface (r = 0.92, r = 0.85) among the selected species.


Keywords Amphistomatic, Curcuma, Epidermis, Tetracytic, Zingiberaceae