Insolubilization of potassium chloride crystals in Tradescantia pallida

Summary. Calcium oxalate crystals are by far the most prevalent and widely distributed mineral deposits in higher plants. In Tradescantia pallida, an evergreen perennial plant widely used as an ornamental plant, calcium oxalate crystals occur in the parenchymal tissues of stem, leaf, and root, as well as in flower organs, in the form of either raphides or tetragonal prismatic crystals or both. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis revealed that C, O, and Ca were the main elements; and K, Cl, and Si, the minor elements. Infrared and X-ray analyses of crystals collected from these tissues detected the coexistence of two calcium oxalate chemical forms, i.e., whewellite and weddellite, as well as calcite, opal, and sylvite. Here, we show for the first time the occurrence of epitaxy in mineral crystals of plants. Epitaxy, which involves the oriented overgrowth of one crystal onto a second crystalline substrate, might explain how potassium chloride (sylvite) – one of the most water-soluble salts – stays insoluble in crystal form when coated with a calcium oxalate epilayer. The results indicate the potential role of crystals in regulating the ionic equilibrium of both calcium and potassium ions. Correspondence and reprints: Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.