Abstract
The occurrence, type and location of calcium oxalate crystals in the leaves of 14 species belonging to the family Araceae were studied by light microscopy. The Pizzolato test and the Rubeanic acid-silver nitrate test, used to chemically identify and locate the crystals in cross sections of laminae, showed the presence of four types of crystals: druses, raphides, prismatics and crystal sand. Styloids were not observed in any of the species. Crystals identified as calcium oxalate were observed in each tissue layer of the leaf blade, druses occurring more frequently in the palisade mesophyll layers, raphides more often in the spongy mesophyll. Prismatics were sparse, occurring in the mesophyll of only two species. Specialized spindle-shaped crystal idioblasts, located in the spongy mesophyll in all cases, were observed in seven of the 14 aroids. Crystal sand and variations in crystal forms were most frequently observed to be calcium compounds other than calcium oxalate.
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