| Abstract: | The morphology of mesophyll sclerids for twenty-two varieties of tea is dealt with in this article. A thorough study of both serial sections and macerations revealed that the morphological characters of their sclereids are divided into two types, namely, type Ⅰ (trichosclereids) and type II (polymorphic sclereids). Type Ⅰ has rather uniform sclereids encountering in the diaehyma. The fusiform sclereid or osteosclerids of type Ⅱ (polymorphic sclereids) are forked and this type of dendroid sclereids has elongated main body with less branches, as seen in Camellia sinensis CV. fangfungensis and most of wild varieties of tea. The stellate sclereids having profuse branches occur in C. sinensis CV. Yunnanensis, Assam tea, Taiwan tea, Burma tea and Viet-Nam tea. The fusiform and osteosclereids are found in C. sinensis CV. hananensis, C. sinensis CV. xiaoye, C. sinensis CV. laschangensis and one of the wild variety of tea growing in Sichuan and Guanghxi province. |
