On the pigmented spherical bodies and crystals in tepals of cactaceous species in reference to the nature of betalains or flavonols

Red pigmented bodies were found in tepal cells of threeRebutia species, i.e.,R. grandiflora, R. hyalacantha andR. krainziana. The pigmented body within the vacuole was spherical and normally one per cell. It contained betalains which were validated from the visible spectra of tepal extracts and microspectrophotometric survey on vacuoles. Such a particular red pigmented body has already been found in some anthocyanin-producing plants, and called “anthocyanoplast”. Now, a similar structure has also been found for the first time in betalain-producing plants. Therefore, it may be called “betalainoplast”. InR. grandiflora, yellow pigmented bodies which were not well characterized due to their minimal size were also present as a betalainoplast. On the other hand, pigment-crystals were frequently present in the cells having flavonols such as those in pale yellow tepals of fourAstrophytum species, namely,A. asterias, A. capricorne, A. myriostigma andA. ornatum, with or without a trace of betalains. Yellowish crystals were determined as the crystal mass of quercetin by the UV spectral analysis and careful comparison of chromatographic properties with an authentic specimen. Contribution from the Research Institute of Evolutionary Biology, No. 86.