Scanning Electron Microscope Observations on the Vessels of Ferns: Adiantum, Matteuccia, and Osmunda from Heilongjiang Province, China

Abstract

SEM observations of tracheary elements of three leptosporangiate ferns, Adiantum pedatum, Matteuccia struthiopteris, and Osmunda cinnamomea var. asiatica, show that tracheary elements in both roots and rhizomes are vessel members. In A. pedatum and M. struthiopteris, end walls are markedly differentiated from lateral walls, especially in roots. In O. cinnamomea var. asiatica, there is little differentiation between end walls and lateral walls. In A. pedatum and M. struthiopteris, most perforations of end walls, especially in the middle portion, lack pit membranes, but porose pit membranes occur toward the ends of the perforation plates. Striations, which represent thickening of the primary cell wall, characterize end walls and lateral walls of vessels in M. struthiopteris and O. cinnamomea var. asiatica; striations of the secondary cell wall are found in the latter. Matteuccia struthiopteris and O. cinnamomea var. asiatica are adapted to wet habitats. The difference in degree of vessel specialization betw...