Am. J. Bot. Plant Physiology
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(American Journal of Botany. 2006;93:1731-1739.)
© 2006 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Anatomy and Morphology

Oil bodies in leaf mesophyll cells of angiosperms: overview and a selected survey1

Nels R. Lersten, Albert R. Czlapinski, John D. Curtis, Robert Freckmann and Harry T. Horner

Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011-1020 USA; 3Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, Wisconsin 54481-3897 USA; and 4Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Microscopy and Nanoimaging Facility, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011-1020 USA

ABSTRACT

Neutral (storage) oil bodies occur in leaf mesophyll cells of many angiosperms, but their literature has been largely forgotten. We review this literature and provide a survey of 302 species and hybrids from mostly north-central US species representing 113 families. Freehand cross sections of fresh leaves stained with Sudan IV verified the presence of oil. In 71 species from 24 families we observed 1–15 oil bodies per mesophyll cell. The eudicot families Asteraceae, Caprifoliaceae, Lamiaceae, and Rosaceae had the highest number of species with oil bodies, whereas few or no species in the Apiaceae, Betulaceae, Fabaceae, and Scrophulariaceae had them. Only three of 19 monocot species sampled had oil bodies. Repeat sampling of a Malus (crabapple) cultivar and a Euonymus species showed conspicuous oil bodies in mid-summer and also in mid-autumn in both attached and recently shed leaves. Oil bodies in leaf mesophyll cells are conspicuous (visible in hand cross sections using moderate magnification in unstained water mounts) in numerous species, and they occur throughout the growing season in at least some species. Neutral oil bodies in leaf mesophyll cells are not mentioned in contemporary textbooks and advanced works, but they deserve recognition as significant cellular components of many taxa, in which they may be significant sources of commercial oils.

Key Words: angiosperms • leaf anatomy • mesophyll cells • neutral oil bodies • oleosomes • spherosomes • triacylglycols • triglycerides






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