ULTRASTRUCTURAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE TRICHOBLASTS OF EQUISETUM

Equisetum trichoblasts are densely cytoplasmic, containing numerous starch-containing plastids, mitochondria, and concentrations of rough endoplasmic reticulum with attached polysomes. Numerous vesicles of Golgi origin are present, containing a lightly staining fibrillar material; these vesicles appear to fuse with the wall. The outer tangential and radial walls become thickened while the inner tangential wall remains thin with numerous plasmodesmata. As the trichoblasts develop into root hairs, vacuolation occurs, resulting in large vacuoles. This may represent autolytic vacuolation. The cytoplasm of the root hairs is similar to that of the trichoblasts.