Term:

Anisocytic stomata

Definition:

Referring to a stomatal type in which one of the subsidiary cells surrounding a stomate is smaller than the other epidermal cells.

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 or brachyparacytic subsidiary cells.