Annals of RSCB
Vol. XVIII, Issue 2/2013
ANATOMICAL STUDY OF THE VEGETATIVE ORGANS OF
GARDENIA JASMINOIDES ELLIS (RUBIACEAE)
Rodica Bercu
FACULTY OF NATURAL AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES,”OVIDIUS”
UNIVERSITY, CONSTANTZA
Summary
[email protected]
The paper presents a detailed anatomical description of the vegetative organs of a well known
ornamental plant Gardenia jasminoides Ellis. It was observed that the root has a typical secondary
structure, such as the stem. The petiole has a one-layered epidermis, covered by cuticle, a
differentiated cortex and a stele represented by a single collateral bundle. The blade is bifacial and
hypostomatic with a heterogenous mesophyll. The mesophyll poseesses glandular and non glandular
hairs such as the petiole.
Key words: anatomical study, root, stem, leaf, Gardenia jasminoides
The fruit is used as a yellow dye,
which is used for clothes and food (Valder,
2004).
In literature is little information
concerning the anatomy of Gardenia
jasminoides,
mostly
studies
are
physiological, pharmacological or sporadic
morphometrical data (Bensky et al., 2004;
Hatzilazarou et al., 2006 Serret et al.,
1996). In Romanian literature a study on the
anatomical structure of this species lack.
Introduction
Gardenia
jasminoides
Ellis,
synonym Gardenia augusta (L.) Merr.
(common gardenia, gardenia or cape
jasmine) is an evergreen flowering plant of
the Rubiaceae family. It originated in Asia
and is most commonly found growing wild
in Vietnam, Southern China, Taiwan,
Japan, Myanmar and India. There are 200
species of gardenia, among which the best
known is the Gardenia jasminoides. With
its shiny green leaves and heavily fragrant
white summer flowers, it is widely used in
gardens in warm temperate and subtropical
climates, and as a houseplant in temperate
regions (Fig. 1). It has been in cultivation in
China for at least a thousand years, and was
introduced to English gardens in the mid
18th century. Many varieties have been
bred for horticulture, with low growing, and
large and long-flowering forms (Gilman,
1999).
The plant can reach up to 30 cm -1
m height. In our country, the gardenia is
known as pot plants. Plant life in the House
is 6 months-1 year, and in greenhouses 3-4
years (Hărăguş, 2008; Mioulane, 2004).
Gardenia jasminoides fructus (fruit) is used
within Traditional Chinese Medicine to
"drain fire" and thereby treat certain febrile
conditions (Bensky et al., 2004).
Fig. 1. Natural view of Gardenia jasminoides
Ellis (original).
The purpose of this paper is to
highlight the anatomical features of
Gardenia jasminoides and to contribute
with more information to the knowledge
concerning this species.
Material and methods
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Annals of RSCB
Vol. XVIII, Issue 2/2013
The plant was collected from S. C.
Bricostore Romania S. A., Constantza
town, in July 2013. Small pieces of leaves
were fixed in FAA (formalin: glacial acetic
acid: alcohol 5:5:90). Cross sections of the
vegetative organs were performed by the
free hand made technique (Bercu & Jianu,
2003). The samples were stained with
alum-carmine and iodine green. Anatomical
observations and micrographs were
performed with a BIOROM–T bright field
microscope, equipped with a TOPICA
6001A video camera.
vitro and ex vitro rooting conditions, was
located in the cambial ring.
Cross section of the stem has a
circular-coasted contour (Fig. 15). From the
periphery toward the center is the one
layered epidermis, covered by cuticle,
followed by a well developed cortex. It has
a xylem secondary structure due to the
cambium activity generating a well
developed secondary xylem. Phloem is poor
developed, composed of phloem vessels,
companion cells and phloem parenchyma.
Remarkable are the groups of mechanical
fibers placed narrow the phloem elements.
The secondary xylem is composed
by xylem vessels placed in a xylem
sclerenchymatous parenchyma. The pith
rays, generated by cambium, consist of 2-3
layers of elongated cells in radial
arrangement. Rare primary xylem cells are
placed to the limit of the annual ring being
represented by a few small vessels (Fig. 16)
(Fig. 4).
The centrally located pith of the
stem is made up of large parenchyma cells
with slightly thick cells. It also noted that
the secondary xylem has a single annual
ring because the plant has a short duration
of life (Bavaru & Bercu, 2002; Ciobanu,
1971) (Fig. 4).
The petiole in cross section has a
flat face and a convex one, due to the
presence of the marginal side wings (Fig. 5,
A).
The outer layer of cells is the onelayered epidermis that consists of small
cells, closely joined together, slightly
elongated, without spaces between cells,
with strong cutinized walls.
Results and Discussion
Anatomically cross section of the
root discloses a typical secondary structure
(Bavaru & Bercu, 2002). The coork is
represented by 4-5 layers of dead cells, by
tabular in shape with suberized thick walls,
followed by phelogen, and inwards
phelloderma (Fig. 2). Cambium is made up
of flattened cells with thin walls. It
generates phloem elements outwards and
inwards, secondary xylem elements
(Andrei, 1978). Cambium generates often
narrow uniseriate medullar rays (Fig. 3).
The secondary phloem is poorly developed
compared to the secondary xylem. It is
represented by phloem vessels, companion
cells and phloem parenchyma. Secondary
xylem is composed of xylem vessels with
lignified walls and xylem parenchyma
whose cells have slightly thick walls.
The centrally located pith is made up of
small round-oval cells whose walls are
slightly lignified as well. As Hatzilazarou et
al. (2006) reported for this species, the
origin of the adventitious roots, in both in
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Vol. XVIII, Issue 2/2013
Fig. 2. Secţiune transversală prin rădăcina – ansamblu (x 70): c– cortex, - co- cork, pi-pith, phphloem, x- xilem (orig.).
Fig. 3. Cross section of the root – detail (x 200): c- cortex, co- cork, cb- cambium, ph- phloem, xxylem (orig.).
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Vol. XVIII, Issue 2/2013
Fig. 4. Cross section of the stem (x 240): cr- crest, col- collenchyma, e- epidermis, f- fibers, pi- pith,
ph- phloem, px- primary xylem sx- secondary xylem (orig.).
In adaxial position are observed
numerous short one-celled non glandular
hairs. As in other species of the
Rubiacee (Toma & Rugina, 1998) in
abaxial position is notable the presence
of glandular hairs, possessing 2 basal
cell and a one-celled gland (Fig. 5, B).
From place to place few stomata are
present.
The cortex is differentiated into a
hypodermis that consists of collenchyma
tissue and a parenchymatous one, with
intercellular spaces.
In transaction the petiole has a
single open collateral vascular bundle
(one vascular bundled conductive tissue)
following the petiole general contour.
Xylem is placed to the adaxial epidermis
and phloem to the abaxial one.
Remarkable is the presence of a one
layered parenchyma sheath surrounding
the vascular bundle (Fig. 5, C).
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Vol. XVIII, Issue 2/2013
A
B
C
Fig. 5. Cross section of the petiole. Ansamble (A, x 50). Portion with glandular hairs (B, x 185). The
petiole vascular bundle (C, x 185): co- collenchyma, e– epidermis, gh- glandular hair, h- hairs, nghnon glandular hairs, ph- phloem, vb- vascularbundle, x- xylem (orig.).
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A
B
Fig. 6. Cross section of the lamina. Portion with mesophyll (A, x 165). Portion with the mid rib (B, x
165): co- collenchyma, h-hair, le- lower epidermis, ph- phloem, pt- palisade tissue, scl- sclerenchyma,
st- spongy tissue, ue- upper epidermis, x- xylem (orig.).
Gardenia jasminoides lamina cross
section presents, adaxialy, in the mid rib
zone, a ditch and a protrusion abaxialy (Fig.
6, B).
The upper epidermis consists of a
single layer of cells, closely joined together.
These cells are large, unequal, rounded and
slightly flattened, in the mesophyll regions,
whereas those of the mid rib zone are
izodiametric and small. The epidermal cells
are covered with a thick cuticle.
The mesophyll, placed beneath the
epidermises, is heterogenous with 1-2
layers of palisade and spongy tissue with
numerous intercellular spaces. Under
palisade, in the mid rib zone more or less
triangular collector cells occur one
corresponding to 2-3 cell palisade cells
(Fig. 6, A). The mid rib consists of an open
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Annals of RSCB
Vol. XVIII, Issue 2/2013
Materia Medica, 3rd ed., Edited by Eastland
Press, Inc, Seattle, Washington, 2004.
Ciobanu, I.: Morfologia plantelor, Ed. Didactică
şi Pedagogică, Bucureşti, 1971.
Gilman, E. F.: Fact Sheet FPS-222: Gardenia
jasminoides. Insititute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences, Edited by University of
Florida Press, 1999.
Hatzilazarou, S.P.; Syros, T.D., Yupsanis, T.A.,
Bosabalidis,
A.M.,
Economou
A.S.:
Peroxidases, lignin and anatomy during in
vitro and ex vitro rooting of gardenia
(Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) microshoots. J.
Plant Physiol., 163(8): 827-836, 2006.
Hărăguş, I. (Editor in Chief): Lexiconul
plantelor de apartament. Edited by Aquila`93,
Oradea, 2008.
Mioulane, P.:, Enciclopedia Truffault. Grădini
şi plante de interior. Edited by Editorial Group
RAO, Bucureşti, 2004.
Patil C. R.; Patil D. A.: Investigations on foliar
epidermis in some Rubiaceae. Journal of
Phytology, 3(12): 35-40, 2011.
Serret, M. D; Trillas, M.L. Matas, J.; Araus J.
L.: Development of photoautotrophy and
photoinhibition of Gardenia jasminoides
plantlets during micropropagation. Plant cell,
tissue and organ culture, 45: 1-16. 1996.
Toma, C.; Rugina, R.: Anatomia plantelor
medicinale, Edited by Academia Romana,
Bucuresti, 1997.
Valder, P.: Garden Plants of China.
Florilegium: 289, Glebe, New South Wales
(NSW) Sidney, Australia, 1999.
and collateral vascular bundle. The xylem
vessels radial arranged are more developed
than the phloem elements. The vascular
bundle is protected by a thin slerenchyma
sheath. Collenchyma tissue is present
beneath the mid rib and both epidermis
(Fig. 6, B).
The same types of hairs, found in
the petiole, are present on the lamina as
well.
The lower epidermal cells are the
same with those of the upper one but its
cells are smaller.
Conclusions
The root has a typical secondary
structure. The stem possesses a primary
structure with a differentiate cortex in two
zones. The stele is represented by two
concentrically rings of poor developed
close collateral vascular bundles. Toward
the center some vascular bundles occur.
The stem has a well developed
secondary xylem due to the cambium
activity. Phloem is poor developed.
Mechanical fibers occur as well.
The petiole has a differentiated
cortex and is monofascicular. The leaf is
bifacial with a hypostomatic and
heterogenous mesophyll.
The mechanical tissue, present in
the stem and less in leaf, is represented by
collenchyma
and
sclerenchymatous
elements as well.
Acknowledgement
Many thanks to S.C. Bricostore
Romania S.A., Constantza for plant vegetal
material made available to us for this study.
References
Andrei, M.: Anatomia plantelor. Edited by
Didactică şi Pedagogică, Bucureşti, 1978.
Bavaru, A.; Bercu, R.: Morfologia si anatomia
plantelor. Edited by Ex Ponto, Constantza,
2002.
Bercu, R., Jianu, D. L., Practicum de
Morfologia si anatomia plantelor. Edited by
“Ovidius” University Press, Constantza, 2003.
Bensky, D.; Gamble, A.; Clavey, S.; Stöger, E.;
Bensky L. Lai: Chinese Herbal Medicine
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