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Leaf trichomes of Portuguese Lavandula species: a comparative morphological study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 August 2009

M. R. Zuzarte
Affiliation:
CEF/Laboratório de Farmacognosia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de S. Comba 3000-354, Portugal Departamento de Botãnica, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas 3001-455, Portugal
A. M. Dinis
Affiliation:
CEF/Laboratório de Farmacognosia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de S. Comba 3000-354, Portugal Departamento de Botãnica, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas 3001-455, Portugal
J. Canhoto
Affiliation:
CEF/Laboratório de Farmacognosia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de S. Comba 3000-354, Portugal Departamento de Botãnica, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas 3001-455, Portugal
L. Salgueiro
Affiliation:
CEF/Laboratório de Farmacognosia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de S. Comba 3000-354, Portugal

Abstract

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Lavandula species are aromatic plants that produce and accumulate essential oils in different types of glandular trichomes. The oils protect the aerial parts of the plant against herbivores and pathogens, and are of great economic value for fragrance, pharmaceutical, food and flavour industries. In Portugal there are five spontaneous species of Lavandula which are included in three different sections: Section Lavandula (L. latifolia), Section Pterostoechas (L. multifida) and Section Stoechas (L. luisieri, L. pedunculata, L. viridis). Our preliminary observations showed that these species have a high diversity of trichomes. This, associated with the fact that trichome morphology is often referred as an useful characteristic for systematic purposes, led us to investigate leaf trichome morphology in the five Portuguese species, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Type
Life Sciences
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2009