A new technique for making plant epidermal imprints using various domestic adhesives

Abstract

SUMMARYA simple, quick and easy method for making leaf surface imprints for microscopic studies by using cheap and easily available non‐toxic domestic adhesives is described. The most satisfactory results were obtained, in order of preference, by using ‘Quickfix’, ‘Stickfast’, ‘Fevicol’, ‘D.P.X. (mountant)’, ‘Camel paste’, ‘Cello‐tape’ and ‘Araldite’. These were used on the epidermis of vegetative and floral organs of a number of plants (living and dried). A semi‐transparent film was allowed to dry, which was then stripped off and mounted on a clean slide. This film records very fine structural details which are evident from the photomicrographs presented. With the help of this technique, the form, distribution and orientation of stomata, size of guard cells and their movement, size of stomatal pores, stomatal development, cell‐wall nature, stomatal frequency and indices and venation pattern can easily be studied. Repeated imprints can be made from the same surface of an organ. This method should be of great use to plant morphologists and anatomists.