Study on leaf epidermis of some plants of Theaceae

The epidermal morphology of 25 species in 10 genera of Theaceae was observed under light microscope . Three major types of stomata were recognized: cyclocytic type (Gordonia, Schima ), paracytic type (Tutcheria), anomocytic type (Apterosperma, Ternstroemia, Adinandra, Cleyera, Euryodendron, Eurya, Anneslea). The evolutionary trend of stamata was from cyclocytic to paracytic or anomocytic. Anomocytic of Ternstroemoideae was the most advanced type in Theaceae. The epidermal morphology of 16 species in 10 genera was observed under scanning electron microscope. The cuticle patterns varied with genera from multi-layered and discontinuous ringes in Camellia and Gordonia to a few continuous and branched rings in Tutcheria, Schima and Apterosperma, or the ring outside the pore was from separated ( Temstroemia, Adinandra and Cleyera ) to being merged with cuticular layer ( Euryodendron, Anneslea and Eurya ) . The result showed that Tutcheria was different from Pyrenaria in leaf stomatal types. Apterosperma had anomocytic stomata, which was different from other taxa in Theoideae, but similar to those in Ternstroemoideae. Therefore, it may be the transitional type between two subfamilies.