Summary
Prior to postgenital fusion the epidermal cells on the distal, adaxial faces of the carpels ofCatharanthus roseus are meristematically active but display little evidence of cell wall material deposition. The outer, tangential wall appears homogeneous except for two very thin bands at the outermost boundary. The innermost band (9–10 nm wide) is darkly staining and corresponds in position to the so-called pectin layer. In light of experiments using SEM to demonstrate a thin layer of lipid material on the cell surface, the less darkly staining, outer band (12.5 nm wide) is interpreted as the cuticle proper. The fibrillar wall material extending into the plant cuticle persisted after cuticle extraction, while a smooth, nonfibrillar surface remained after the cuticle was stabilized with osmium tetroxide. The cuticle on the fusion surfaces inC. roseus is concluded to consist only of cutin.
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Walker, D.B. Postgenital carpel fusion inCatharanthus roseus . Protoplasma 86, 29–41 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01275621
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01275621