The anatomy of the leaf, stem and rhizome of Digitaria insularis was studied, evaluating characteristics that could be related to its tolerance to glyphosate. Seeds and rhizomes of adult plants were collected in the field, area of no-till system, where the herbicide glyphosate had been repeatedly used for several years. The plants derived from these seeds and rhizomes were cultivated in 0.003 m³ vases, containing soil, under a greenhouse conditions. When the plants reached the preflowering stage, three totally expanded leaves were collected per plant, between the third and fifth nodes. Fragments of the internodes covered by the sheaths of the sampled leaves were collected together with the rhizomes. The samples were fixed in FAA50 and embedded in ethanol to obtain histological sections and mount the slider, according to the methodology. Leaf samples were diaphanized, following the usual methodology, to obtain the stomatal index and stomatal density at the epidermal surfaces. Plants derived from rhizomes had higher stomatal index and larger number of stomata per mm², thicker adaxial and abaxial epidermis faces and thicker leaf lamina. The intense coloration in the rhizomes treated with lugol indicated the presence of a great amount of starch, regardless of the origin of the material.
sourgrass; anatomy; glyphosate; starch
