Authors : F.N. Mbagwu, C.I.N. Unamba and I.O. Ezeibekwe
Abstract: Leaf anatomical characteristics of five variants (A-E) of the genus Viscum (Loranthaceae) were investigated in this study to ascertain the usefulness of these characters and determine the intervariant relationships among the investigated variants. The anatomical features of the leaves showed that these variants possess useful biosystematic characters that can be used to establish intervariant relationships among investigated variants. An interesting aspect of this study is the presence of calcium oxalate crystals inside the chloroplast of variant A, C and D, which differ from the usual localization of crystals in the mesophile of leaves. Also, the presence of uniseriate epidermal cells observed in variants B and C which differ from the multiseriate epidermal cells in A, D and E coupled with the sunken stomata that characterized both variants are discussed in relation to their biosystematic significance.
F.N. Mbagwu, C.I.N. Unamba and I.O. Ezeibekwe, 2009. Leaf Anatomical Characteristics of Five Variants of the Genus Viscum L. (Loranthaceae). Agricultural Journal, 4: 161-163.