Comparative Anatomical Studies of Leaves of C. sinensis Lam. as a New Record and C. myxa L., Endemic Species (Boraginaceae) from Basrah, Iraq

Abstract

In this paper, the anatomical characteristics of Cordia myxa and C. sinensis leaves was studied in Basrah in Iraq using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). C. myxa is a cultivated endemic species while C. sinensis is a wild species recorded for the first time in Iraq. Transverse sections for leaves show uniseriate Layer in upper and lower epidermis. The mesophyll was unifacial and the midrib have many vascular bundles and the dimensions of these characteristics vary between both species. In C. sinensis, stomata and unicellular hairs were distributed in both upper and lower epidermis, while in C. myxa, they were distributed in the lower epidermis only. Epidermis has two types of stomata: Anomocytic and Hemiparacytic.