Paracytic stomata
-
Title
Paracytic stomata
-
Definition
Referring to a stomatal type in which the two subsidiary cells are parallel to the long axis of the guard cells. The brachyparacytic type is the same as the paracytic type.
-
Notes
In neotropical Lecythidaceae, the arrangement of the subsidiary cells can be used to help circumscribe genera and to identify species to genus, e.g., most species of Gustavia have anomocytic or anisocytic subsidiary cells and many species of zygomorphic-flowered genera have paracytic (= brachyparacytic) subsidiary cells. See image illustrating what we hypothesize are the difference in the stomatal type of species of Allantoma and species of Cariniana.
-
Related Terms
- *For more educational content, please visit The Hand Lens and explore our herbarium collections and the stories they tell.