| Abstract Detail
Developmental and Structural Section Nowak, Julia [1], Cronk, Quentin [2]. Morphological Oddity of the Krishna Fig. Krishna Fig was noticed by the scientific community in the early 1900s for its unique cup-shaped leaves. There was initial debate as to whether this was a newly discovered species, but was finally decided this was a mutation and thus named Ficus benghalensis var. krishnae. Ficus benghalensis is the well-known Banyan tree which develops typical flat bifacial leaves. This quality is also manifested in the anatomical features of the leaf, particularly in the collateral pattern of the vascular bundles. The vascular bundles in the petiole are also collateral and are arranged in a ring with the petiolar surface consisting primarily of abaxial surface.
The leaf blade anatomy of a Krishna fig is identical to F. benghalensis. Although the leaf shape is different from the bifacial leaf, the vascular bundles appear to be similarly collateral with xylem being associated with the adaxial surface and phloem with the abaxial. The vascular bundles in Krishna fig petiole are in a ring pattern, but some bundles appear to be amphivasal in arrangement where the xylem is surrounding the phloem and the abaxial domain is greatly reduced primarily to the areas of the phloem in the vascular bundles. The cup-shaped ‘adaxialized’ leaves of Krishna fig develop with the top adaxial leaf surface on the outside of the cup and the bottom abaxial on the inside of the cup. This is highly unusual in nature although similar to the Arabidopsis REVOLUTA mutant as well as in the Brassica napus LIP mutant.
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1 - University of British Columbia, Botany, 6270 University Ave., Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
2 - University of British Columbia, Botany, Centre for Plant Research, MacMillian Building, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
Keywords:
Adaxialization
Unifacial
Ficus benghalensis
Ficus benghalensis var. krishnae.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for BSA Sections
Session: 50
Location: Wasatch B/Cliff Lodge - Level C
Date: Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Time: 2:00 PM
Number: 50002
Abstract ID:279 |
