Anatomical structure of the leaves and shoots of Sophora japonica grown under cultivation in Aktau (Mangistau Region)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31489/2026feb2/208-214Keywords:
Sophora japonica, shoot, leaf, subtropical plant, anatomical study, Hedysarum gmelinii, morphological and anatomical structure, aboveground and underground organs, diagnostic signs, adaptation to arid climateAbstract
Selecting an adaptive plant assortment under conditions of global climate change and increasing aridification is a critical task for modern botanical science. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anatomical structure of young shoots and leaves of Sophora japonica to assess their adaptability to the arid conditions of the city of Aktau. Plant samples grown in the Mangyshlak Experimental Botanical Garden were collected for the study. Leaves and shoots were fixed, examined using a freezing microtome, and subsequently described in terms of their anatomical structure, with measurements taken of individual tissues. The results revealed that the leaf of Sophora japonica is of the light-type, with a clear division of the mesophyll into palisade and spongy tissues, the presence of a cuticle, and single- and multicellular trichomes on the epidermis; the stomata are of the anomocytic type, and based on their arrangement, the leaf is of the amphistomatic type. The mesophyll contains numerous calcium oxalate druses, localized primarily along the leaf veins. One-year-old shoots have a secondary anatomical structure, featuring a wide zone of chlorenchyma and a narrow zone of parenchyma. Xylem elements are small. The shoot epidermis exhibits a significant cuticle layer and soft trichome pubescence. This set of microscopic characteristics confirms the species’ adaptation to the arid conditions of the city of Aktau
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