Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

On the true identity of Mendoncia “stellate” trichomes

ABSTRACT

The present survey of leaf-blade trichomes of Mendoncia used SEM and light microscopy to investigate the diversity of trichome types in Neotropical and Paleotropical species of the genus. The eglandular trichomes are filiform, uniseriate, with asymmetric epidermal cells arranged radially around the trichome, these epidermal cells may be short or elongated, oriented in two groups. These cells, when elongated, are covered with epicuticular wax, forming smooth thick plates. African species have dendritic but not stellate trichomes. Character states such as number and length of basal cells were shown to overlap within the same species and therefore their use in isolation is not recommended for subgeneric classification of Mendoncia. Neotropical Mendoncia trichomes with well-developed epidermal cells arranged radially around the trichome appear to be unique to this group, without parallel in other plant families.

Keywords:
Acanthaceae; anatomy; hair types; indumentum; micromorphology; SEM; taxonomy; Thunbergioideae

Introduction

Acanthaceae Juss. is a large, pantropical family with 191 genera and c. 4900 species, displaying notable habit and habitat diversity (Manzitto-Tripp et al. 2022Manzitto-Tripp EA, Darbyshire I, Daniel TF, Kiel CA, McDade LA. 2022. Revised classification of Acanthaceae and worldwide dichotomous Keys. Taxon 71: 103-153. doi: 10.1002/tax.12600
https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12600...
). Among the varied characters of the family, reproductive features such as corolla aestivation, and pollen (Scotland & Vollesen 2000Scotland RW, Vollesen K. 2000. Classification of Acanthaceae. Kew Bulletin 55: 513-589.) and seed morphology (Manzitto-Tripp et al. 2022Manzitto-Tripp EA, Darbyshire I, Daniel TF, Kiel CA, McDade LA. 2022. Revised classification of Acanthaceae and worldwide dichotomous Keys. Taxon 71: 103-153. doi: 10.1002/tax.12600
https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12600...
) have featured often in studies, however leaf indumentum has been less studied at the family level. Ahmad (1978Ahmad KJ. 1978. Epidermal hairs of Acanthaceae. Blumea 24: 101-117.) performed the only family-wide study of Acanthaceae leaf indumentum; he examined 109 species in 38 genera and recorded both glandular and eglandular trichomes.

Only a few groups in subfamily Acanthoideae Eaton are reported as having stellate trichomes, such as a section of Barleria L. (Darbyshire 2008Darbyshire I. 2008. New Species in Barleria Sect. Stellatohirta (Acanthaceae) from Africa. Kew Bulletin 63: 261-268.) and some species of Whitfieldia Hook. (Grall & Darbyshire 2021Grall A, Darbyshire I. 2021. A synopsis of the African genus Whitfieldia (Acanthaceae: Whitfieldieae) and a key to the species. Kew Bulletin 76: 191-221. doi: 10.1007/s12225-021-09941-8
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-021-09941...
). The taxonomic revision of 26 species of Duosperma Dayton (Acanthoideae) (Vollesen 2006Vollesen K. 2006. A taxonomic revision of the genus Duosperma (Acanthaceae). Kew Bulletin 61: 289-351.) recorded stellate trichomes in four taxa, and this indumentum was used as a distinctive taxonomic feature. In Thunbergioideae T.Anderson, this type of trichome is present in a few species of Thunbergia Retz., and Mendoncia Velloso ex Vand. (Breteler & Wieringa 2018Breteler FJ, Wieringa JJ. 2018. A synopsis of Mendoncia (Acanthaceae) in continental Africa including the description of two new species from western Central Africa and a new subspecies from West Africa. Blumea 63: 109-119. doi: 10.3767/blumea.2018.63.02.03
https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2018.63.0...
), while only in Pseudocalyx Radlk. the stellate trichomes are found in all species (Manzitto-Tripp et al. 2022Manzitto-Tripp EA, Darbyshire I, Daniel TF, Kiel CA, McDade LA. 2022. Revised classification of Acanthaceae and worldwide dichotomous Keys. Taxon 71: 103-153. doi: 10.1002/tax.12600
https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12600...
). Oersted (1854Oersted AS. 1854. Mexicos og Centralamerikas Acanthaceer. Vidensk. Meddel. Naturhist. Foren. Kjøbenhavn 12: 113-114.) described stellate hairs in Mendoncia costaricana Oerst. Ahmad (1978Ahmad KJ. 1978. Epidermal hairs of Acanthaceae. Blumea 24: 101-117.) sampled only two Neotropical species of Mendoncia, reporting eglandular uni- or multicellular uniseriate trichomes with stellate bases, and glandular trichomes with globular or disc-shaped heads that may frequently appear quadrangular or triangular in surface view.

Basally branched trichomes in Mendoncia were first noticed by Turrill (1919Turrill WB. 1919. A Revision of the Genus Mendoncia. Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Gardens, Kew) 1919: 407-425.), who stated that these were “pilis simplicibus vel e basi stellata orientibus” (simple trichomes with stellate base, somehow oriented, perhaps referring to the fact that the “arms” of the stars are not radially symmetric). The leaf-indumentum of Mendoncia was studied in detail by Bremekamp (1938Bremekamp CEB. 1938. Notes on the Acanthaceae of Surinam. Recueil des Travaux Botaniques Neerlandais 35: 130-174.), who described “hairs anchored in the epidermis with a kind of stolons (sic.)” and urged that they not be called stellate hairs, as these trichomes have a base that is imbedded in the epidermis and are not free. Bremekamp (1938)Bremekamp CEB. 1938. Notes on the Acanthaceae of Surinam. Recueil des Travaux Botaniques Neerlandais 35: 130-174. recognized three species of Mendoncia for Suriname using the basal cells of the trichomes as a taxonomic character. Leaf-blade trichomes were given special importance by Rizzini (1948Rizzini CT. 1948. Disquisito circa acanthacearum aliquot genera brasilienses. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 8: 294-372.), who used two trichome types (basally branched and glandular) to segregate 18 species of Mendoncia into 4 subgenera (Dialyactinocithus Rizz. with separate ray cells; Gamoactinocithus Rizz., with fused ray cells; Anactinocithus Rizz., without ray cells and Bremekampia Rizz. with separate ray cells above and cells with smaller rays beneath), and 9 sections. Profice (1988Profice SR. 1988. Mendoncia Vell. ex Vand. (Acanthaceae) espécies ocorrentes no Brasil. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 29: 201-279.) roughly followed Rizzini´s subgenera, repositioning several species from one subgenus into another (Tab. 1). After concluding that the density of glandular trichomes was very variable even within species, Profice (1988)Profice SR. 1988. Mendoncia Vell. ex Vand. (Acanthaceae) espécies ocorrentes no Brasil. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 29: 201-279. decided to abandon the sectional classification proposed by Rizzini (1948)Rizzini CT. 1948. Disquisito circa acanthacearum aliquot genera brasilienses. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 8: 294-372.. Finally, Breteler and Wieringa (2018Breteler FJ, Wieringa JJ. 2018. A synopsis of Mendoncia (Acanthaceae) in continental Africa including the description of two new species from western Central Africa and a new subspecies from West Africa. Blumea 63: 109-119. doi: 10.3767/blumea.2018.63.02.03
https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2018.63.0...
) have observed stellate to dendritic trichomes in African Mendoncia. We studied leaf-blade trichomes throughout Mendoncia under SEM and light microscopy in order to understand their morphology, specifically ascertaining whether they can be considered stellate or not, and also to investigate their taxonomic value as part of an ongoing revision of the Neotropical species of the genus.

Table 1
Neotropical and Paleotropical species of Mendoncia samples analysed under Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Light Microscopy (LM). Subgeneric classification follows *Rizzini (1948Rizzini CT. 1948. Disquisito circa acanthacearum aliquot genera brasilienses. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 8: 294-372.) and + Profice (1988Profice SR. 1988. Mendoncia Vell. ex Vand. (Acanthaceae) espécies ocorrentes no Brasil. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 29: 201-279.); vouchers for SEM and LM are noted.

Material and methods

Taxon sampling.-Mendoncia is represented by c. 90 species, with the greatest diversity in Central and South America, where about 80 species are distributed. The remaining species are native to Africa or Madagascar (Magnaghi & Daniel 2017Magnaghi EB, Daniel TF. 2017. Systematics of Mendoncia (Acanthaceae: Thunbergioideae) in the Paleotropics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 64: 37-94.). In the present study, 31 Neotropical and 10 Paleotropical species were analysed (Tab. 1).

Light microscope examination.-Fully expanded leaf tissue was sampled for herbarium specimens (about 2 cm2) were rehydrated (Smith & Smith 1942Smith FH, Smith EC. 1942. Anatomy of the inferior ovary of Darbya. American Journal of Botany 29: 464-471. doi: 10.2307/2437312
https://doi.org/10.2307/2437312...
) and stored in 70% ethanol. Fragments from the middle and basal portion of the leaf blade (including midrib and margin) were cleared with 5% sodium hydroxide and 20% hypochlorite solutions, stained with 50% ethanol-diluted fuchsin (Shobe & Lersten 1967Shobe WR, Lersten NR. 1967. A technique for clearing and staining gymnosperm leaves. Botanical Gazette 127: 150-152. doi: 10.2307/4118776
https://doi.org/10.2307/4118776...
) and mounted in glycerinated gelatin (Kaiser 1880Kaiser E. 1880. Verfahren zur herstellung einer tadellosen glycerin-gelatine. Botanisch Zentralb 80: 25-26.). Three reagents were used to detect cell wall composition. 1) Toluidine blue (O’Brien et al. 1964O’Brien TP, Feder N, McCully ME. 1964. Polychromatic staining of plant cell walls by toluidine blue O. Protoplasma 59: 367-373. doi: 10.1007/BF01248568
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01248568...
) is a metachromatic dye that exhibits different colours according to the substrate it reacts to. Mucilage and walls rich in pectin stain purple, cellulosic walls stain blue, and lignified walls and non-structural phenolic contents stain green. 2) Sudan Black B stains suberin blue to black (Pearse 1972Pearse AGE. 1972. Histochemistry: Theoretical and applied, vol. II, 3st edn. Baltimore, The Williams & Wilkins Company.). 3) Phloroglucinol-HCl stains lignin pink to red (Johansen 1940Johansen DA. 1940. Plant microtechnique. New York, McGraw-Hill Books.). Observations and photographic documentation were performed with a light microscope (Axio Scope. A1, ©Carl Zeiss) equipped with a digital camera (AxioCam HRc, ©Carl Zeiss). Macro images were obtained using a stereomicroscope (SteREO Discovery. V8, ©Carl Zeiss) with a coupled digital camera (AxioCam ICc5, ©Carl Zeiss).

Scanning Electron Microscopy.-Samples were obtained from herbarium specimens and placed onto stubs with the adaxial side up using double-sided stick carbono tape. The stubs were sputter-coated with gold in an Emitech K550 sputter coater and were then examined and photographed at different magnifications in a TESCAN MIRA3 scanning electron microscope at 15 kV acceleration voltage.

Description and analysis of anatomical characters.-Anatomical descriptions were based on terms from a set of diagnostic parameters for the classification of trichomes drawn from relevant plant anatomy literature (Metcalfe & Chalk 1975Metcalfe CR, Chalk L. 1975. Anatomy of the dicotyledons I and II. Oxford, Oxford Claredon Press.; 1979Metcalfe CR, Chalk L. 1979. Anatomy of the Dicotyledons. vol. I. Oxford, Oxford Claredon Press .; Evert 2006Evert RF. 2006. Esau’s plant anatomy. Meristems, cells, and tissues of the plant body -their structure, function and development. 3rd edn. Hoboken, Wiley.), as well as studies including trichome micromorphology (Ahmad 1978Ahmad KJ. 1978. Epidermal hairs of Acanthaceae. Blumea 24: 101-117.; Wurdack 1986Wurdack JJ. 1986. Atlas of Hairs for Neotropical Melastomataceae. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 63: 1-80. doi: 10.5479/si.0081024X.63
https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.63...
; Pinto-Silva et al. in pressPinto-Silva NP, Souza KF, Silva OLM et al. (in press). Trichomes in the megadiverse genus Croton (Euphorbiaceae): Revised classification, identification parameters and terminology. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.).

Results

The eglandular trichomes are filiform, uniseriate, and can be uni- to tricellular, with asymmetric epidermal cells arranged radially around the trichome. The epidermal cells may be short or elongated, and are often oriented in two groups. These radially asymmetric epidermal cells, when elongated, are covered with epicuticular wax, forming smooth thick plates, evidenced by scanning electron microscopy (Fig. 1). The epidermal cells can also be conical or rosulated (Fig. 1A⎼E). In some cases the epidermal cells are free and not organized symmetrically, and are oriented in roughly two groups, bilaterally rather than radially disposed (Fig. 1F⎼K). Dendritic trichomes without thickened epidermal cells were observed in African species (Fig. 1L). Optical microscope observations of cleared leaf fragments were used to ascertain the epidermal origin of those cells (Fig. 2). The pectic composition of the cell wall of the epidermic cells, together with the absence of suberin and lignin were made evident in our analyses (Fig. 2J⎼L).

Figure 1
Types of trichomes on the adaxial surface of the leaf-blade in species sampled from Mendoncia. A. M. bivalvis. B. M. hymenophyllacea. C. M. mollis. D. M. camerounensis. E. M. cowanii. F. M. riedeliana. G. M. pilosa. H. M. squamuligera. I. M. meyeniana. J. M. multiflora. K. M. gigas. L. M. camerounensis. Scale bars: A-J, L= 50 µm; K= 0.5 mm (Specimens analysed in Table 1).

Figure 2
Types of trichomes on the adaxial surface of the leaf-blade in species sampled from Mendoncia. A. M. hymenophyllacea. B. M. mollis. C. M. puberula. D. M. glabra. E. M. hoffmannseggiana. F. M. pilosa. G. M. meyeniana. H. M. gigas. I. M. glabra. J-L. M. hymenophyllacea. J. Trichome stained with toluidine blue. K. Trichome with reaction to Sudan Black B. L. Trichome with reaction to Phloroglucinol-HCl. Scale bars: 50 µm (Specimens analyzed in Table 1).

Summarizing our findings, a total of 41 species (31 Neotropical and 10 Paleotropical) were examined and the following eglandular trichome types were detected:

Type 1. Filiform trichomes with (5-)6-18 radially disposed, united basal cells (Fig. 1A⎼E and Fig. 2A⎼C) were observed in 8 Neotropical and 7 Palaeotropical species (Tab. 2).

Table 2
Types of trichomes found in sampled species of Mendoncia.

Type 2. Filiform trichomes with 3-8 bilaterally disposed, free basal cells (Fig. 1F⎼H and Fig. 2D⎼F) were observed in 18 Neotropical species (Tab. 2).

Type 3. Filiform trichomes with 2(-3) Y or V-shaped basal cells (Fig. 1I⎼K and Fig. 2G⎼I) were found in 19 Neotropical species (Tab. 2).

Type 4. Dendritic trichomes (Fig. 1L) were found in three Palaeotropical species; these were associated with Type 1 filiform trichomes in two species (M. camerounensis, M. phytocrenoides) (Table 2).

In our sample, only M. pedunculata, M. flagellaris and M. lindaviana lacked eglandular trichomes.

Glandular trichomes were observed in the majority of species and were generally more abundant near the midrib and the margin rather than than in the intercostal area of the leaf-blade and, in some species, they were confined to the veins and the margin. The glandular trichome type observed was capitate and peltate, with 2 to 4 secretory head cells (Fig. 3, Table 2).

Figure 3
Types of glandular trichomes on the adaxial surface of the leaf-blade of Mendoncia. A. M. riedeliana. B. M. blanchetiana. C. M. cowanii. D. M. puberula. E. M. rizziniana. F. Mendoncia sp.. Scale bars: 10 µm (Specimens analysed in Table 1).

Discussion

Thus far, only filiform uniseriate trichomes with asymmetric epidermal cells arranged radially around the trichome have been found in Neotropical Mendoncia species, and true stellate trichomes are absent. African species have dendritic trichomes (tree-like trichomes with multiple lateral branches); these lack enlarged basal cells. However, they also lack true stellate trichomes (i.e. star-shaped trichomes with several arms arising from a common, either stalked or sessile base according to Simpson 2010Simpson MG. 2010. Plant Systematics. 2nd edn. Amsterdam, Elsevier.). Technical limitations of magnification instruments used in the past may have led to difficulty in clearly distinguishing details of trichomes, with possible confusion between these epidermal radiate cells covered in epicuticular wax and true stellate trichomes. Our observations using different chemical reagents clearly established that the cells below the trichomes follow a distinct cellular pattern and are not associated with the trichome structure. The role of such epidermal cells remains to be researched.

Trichome type and taxonomic value

Stellate trichomes in Mendoncia were first referred to by Oersted (1854Oersted AS. 1854. Mexicos og Centralamerikas Acanthaceer. Vidensk. Meddel. Naturhist. Foren. Kjøbenhavn 12: 113-114.). Turrill (1919Turrill WB. 1919. A Revision of the Genus Mendoncia. Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Gardens, Kew) 1919: 407-425.), possibly using better magnification tools, made a careful description of the stellate or branched base of the egladular trichomes of Mendoncia, and was followed by Bremekamp (1938Bremekamp CEB. 1938. Notes on the Acanthaceae of Surinam. Recueil des Travaux Botaniques Neerlandais 35: 130-174.) and Rizzini (1948Rizzini CT. 1948. Disquisito circa acanthacearum aliquot genera brasilienses. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 8: 294-372.). This type of trichome (types 1 to 3) was found here in Neotropical and in some Paleotropical species. Leonard (1961Leonard EC. 1961. Acanthaceae Americanae Novae vel criticae ii seven new species from Colombia and some additional notes. Wrightia 2: 142-157.) mistakenly called the branched base of these trichomes cystoliths in Neotropical Mendoncia tetragona Leonard and M. caquetensis Leonard. We verified that these are actually Type 3 trichomes as seen in M. multiflora Poepp. & Endl. (Fig. 1J).

Apart from the work of Rizzini (1948Rizzini CT. 1948. Disquisito circa acanthacearum aliquot genera brasilienses. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 8: 294-372.) and Profice (1988Profice SR. 1988. Mendoncia Vell. ex Vand. (Acanthaceae) espécies ocorrentes no Brasil. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 29: 201-279.) on Neotropical species Mendoncia, there are no infrageneric classifications dealing with the whole genus. Some of the African species were formerly segregated into Monachochlamys Baker and Afromendoncia Gilg (Baker 1883Baker JG. 1883. Contributions to the Flora of Madagascar Part 2: Monopetalae. The Journal of the Linnean Society. Botany 20: 159-236. ; Lindau 1893Lindau G. 1893. Übersicht Über die bisher bekannten Arten der Gattung Thunbergia L.f. Botanische Jahrbücher fur Systematik 41: 31-41.; Moore 1906Moore S. 1906. Alabastra diversa. Part XIII. Acanthaceae. Journal of Botany 44: 150-151. ; Moore 1929Moore S. 1929. Some new or rare African Acanthaceae. Journal of Botany 67: 225-231.), both of which were later subsummed into Mendoncia by Benoist (1944Benoist R. 1944. Contribution a la connaissance des Acanthacées africaines et malgaches. Notulae Systematicae 11: 137-151.). Phylogenetic studies of subfamily Thunbergioideae (Borg et al. 2008Borg AJ, McDade LA, Schönenberger J. 2008. Molecular phylogenetics and morphological evolution of Thunbergioideae (Acanthaceae). Taxon 57: 811-822. doi: 10.1002/tax.573012
https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.573012...
; Borg 2012Borg AJ. 2012. Evolutionary relationships in Thunbergioideae and other early branching lineages of Acanthaceae. MSc Thesis, Stockholm University, Stockholm.) indicate that Mendoncia is monophyletic, revealing a strong biogeographic segregation of species groups, suggesting two Paleotropical groups and one large Neotropical clade but with very low resolution.

The subgeneric classification proposed by Rizzini (1948Rizzini CT. 1948. Disquisito circa acanthacearum aliquot genera brasilienses. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 8: 294-372.) and followed by Profice (1988Profice SR. 1988. Mendoncia Vell. ex Vand. (Acanthaceae) espécies ocorrentes no Brasil. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 29: 201-279.) for Neotropical Mendoncia species was based solely on their indumentum. Our analysis of this character shows that it may be variable within and between species, and thus it is not sufficient to segregate species groups. For instance, according to Profice (1988)Profice SR. 1988. Mendoncia Vell. ex Vand. (Acanthaceae) espécies ocorrentes no Brasil. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 29: 201-279., Mendoncia pilosa belongs to subgenus Dialyactinocithus while M. hoffmannseggiana is placed in subgenus Bremekampia (Table 1). Taxonomic studies (FAdS PhD, in prep.) reveal that these taxa are very similar and often confused in herbaria, as they share subcylindric to cylindric branches, membranaceous leaf-blades with eucamptodromous venation, subfalcate bracteoles and red corollas. Moreover, the characterization offered by Profice (1988)Profice SR. 1988. Mendoncia Vell. ex Vand. (Acanthaceae) espécies ocorrentes no Brasil. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 29: 201-279. for the subgenera overlaps in trichome basal-cell number between 2-6 in Dialyactinocithus and 2-4 in Bremekampia.

Our results show that glandular trichomes present in almost all surveyed species do not present enough discrete variation to be of taxonomic value, confirming Profice´s (1988Profice SR. 1988. Mendoncia Vell. ex Vand. (Acanthaceae) espécies ocorrentes no Brasil. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 29: 201-279.) view, who discarded the sections defined by Rizzini (1948Rizzini CT. 1948. Disquisito circa acanthacearum aliquot genera brasilienses. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 8: 294-372.).

Trichome diversity in Paleotropical species

Dendritic trichomes without enlarged basal cells were observed in three of the African and Madagascan species. However, true stellate trichomes (sensuWurdack 1986Wurdack JJ. 1986. Atlas of Hairs for Neotropical Melastomataceae. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 63: 1-80. doi: 10.5479/si.0081024X.63
https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.63...
; Simpson 2010Simpson MG. 2010. Plant Systematics. 2nd edn. Amsterdam, Elsevier.; Pinto-Silva et al. in press) are absent in the studied species. Breteler and Wieringa (2018Breteler FJ, Wieringa JJ. 2018. A synopsis of Mendoncia (Acanthaceae) in continental Africa including the description of two new species from western Central Africa and a new subspecies from West Africa. Blumea 63: 109-119. doi: 10.3767/blumea.2018.63.02.03
https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2018.63.0...
) reported stellate to dendritic trichomes in Paleotropical Mendoncia, and Magnaghi and Daniel (2017Magnaghi EB, Daniel TF. 2017. Systematics of Mendoncia (Acanthaceae: Thunbergioideae) in the Paleotropics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 64: 37-94.) used this character in their identification key to separate M. combretoides and M. phytocrenoides from the other eight species that occur in Africa. However, their descriptions used the term “branched trichomes” rather than stellate or dendritic trichomes. Our detailed observations have not disclosed the presence of stellate trichomes, but rather a combination of stellate-based trichomes (Type 1) and dendritic trichomes without enlarged basal cells (Type 4) in two African species [M. camerounensis (Fig. 1L) and M. phytocrenoides]. One African species has only dendritic trichomes (M. combretoides). Trichome types 2 and 3 are so far restricted to Neotropical species. Interestingly, one of the Paleotropical clades recovered by Borg (2012Borg AJ. 2012. Evolutionary relationships in Thunbergioideae and other early branching lineages of Acanthaceae. MSc Thesis, Stockholm University, Stockholm.) has species with dendritic trichomes (M. combretoides + M. phytocrenoides) suggesting the importance of this trichome type as a potential synapomorphy for this group.

Trichome basal cells in other plant groups

Despite the importance of the indumentum in the evolution of plant species, few plant groups have been surveyed regarding these structures and their taxonomic significance. A few examples include Melastomataceae (Wurdack 1986Wurdack JJ. 1986. Atlas of Hairs for Neotropical Melastomataceae. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 63: 1-80. doi: 10.5479/si.0081024X.63
https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.63...
), megagenus Croton L. in the Euphorbiaceae (Webster et al. 1996Webster GL, Del-Arco Aguilar MJ, Smith BA. 1996. Systematic distribution of foliar trichome types in Croton (Euphorbiaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 121: 41-57.; Feio et al. 2018Feio AC, Meira RMSA, Riina R. 2018. Leaf anatomical features and their implications for the systematics of dragon’s blood, Croton section Cyclostigma (Euphorbiaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 187: 614-632. doi: 10.1093/botlinnean/boy038
https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boy03...
; Pinto-Silva et al. in press) and Neotropical Bignoniaceae (Nogueira et al. 2013Nogueira A, El Ottra JHL, Guimarães E, Machado SR, Lohmann LG. 2013. Trichome structure and evolution in Neotropical lianas. Annals of Botany 112: 1331-1350. doi: 10.1093/aob/mct201
https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mct201...
). Apart from the branched, basally stellate trichomes recorded for Arabidopsis thaliana Schur (Perazza et al. 1999Perazza D, Herzog M, Hülskamp M, Brown S, Dorne AM, Bonneville JM. 1999. Trichome Cell Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana Can Be Derepressed by Mutations in at Least Five Genes. Genetics 152: 461-476. doi: 10.1093/genetics/152.1.461
https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/152.1.4...
), we were unable to find trichomes with well developed basal cells in other plant families. We highlight that types 2 and 3 appear to be restricted to Neotropical Mendoncia.

Conclusion

Mendoncia species lack true stellate trichomes. Whereas Paleotropical Mendoncia have dendritic trichomes, the Neotropical species have only asymmetric epidermal cells arranged radially around the base of uniseriate trichomes. These epidermal cells may be prolonged to a lesser (M. bivalvis - Fig. 1A), or a more dramatic (M. meyeniana - Fig. 1I) extent. Characters such as number and length of radiated epidermal cells have shown some overlap within the same species and the different types were not easily distinguished between morphologically similar species. Therefore, the use of trichome characters in isolation is not recommended for subgeneric classification of Neotropical Mendoncia. Neotropical Mendoncia trichomes with well developed, bilaterally oriented epidermal cells appear to be unique to this group, without equal in any other plant family.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the herbarium curators (CEPEC, HUA, INPA, K, MBM, MG, R, RB, SP) who kindly hosted us and allowed the removal of leaf fragments for this study. We would like to thank the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG) for logistic support during the SEM and LM study; Hilton Tulio for the SEM photograph. We also thank Dr Nigel Taylor for checking the English and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive criticism and positive input to the manuscript. DCZ holds a productivity grants from CNPq (304178/2021-7). The Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - finance code 001, is thanked for providing FAdS with a grant to develop his PhD at UFRA/MPEG.

References

  • Ahmad KJ. 1978. Epidermal hairs of Acanthaceae. Blumea 24: 101-117.
  • Baker JG. 1883. Contributions to the Flora of Madagascar Part 2: Monopetalae. The Journal of the Linnean Society. Botany 20: 159-236.
  • Benoist R. 1944. Contribution a la connaissance des Acanthacées africaines et malgaches. Notulae Systematicae 11: 137-151.
  • Borg AJ, McDade LA, Schönenberger J. 2008. Molecular phylogenetics and morphological evolution of Thunbergioideae (Acanthaceae). Taxon 57: 811-822. doi: 10.1002/tax.573012
    » https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.573012
  • Borg AJ. 2012. Evolutionary relationships in Thunbergioideae and other early branching lineages of Acanthaceae. MSc Thesis, Stockholm University, Stockholm.
  • Bremekamp CEB. 1938. Notes on the Acanthaceae of Surinam. Recueil des Travaux Botaniques Neerlandais 35: 130-174.
  • Breteler FJ, Wieringa JJ. 2018. A synopsis of Mendoncia (Acanthaceae) in continental Africa including the description of two new species from western Central Africa and a new subspecies from West Africa. Blumea 63: 109-119. doi: 10.3767/blumea.2018.63.02.03
    » https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2018.63.02.03
  • Darbyshire I. 2008. New Species in Barleria Sect. Stellatohirta (Acanthaceae) from Africa. Kew Bulletin 63: 261-268.
  • Evert RF. 2006. Esau’s plant anatomy. Meristems, cells, and tissues of the plant body -their structure, function and development. 3rd edn. Hoboken, Wiley.
  • Feio AC, Meira RMSA, Riina R. 2018. Leaf anatomical features and their implications for the systematics of dragon’s blood, Croton section Cyclostigma (Euphorbiaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 187: 614-632. doi: 10.1093/botlinnean/boy038
    » https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boy038
  • Grall A, Darbyshire I. 2021. A synopsis of the African genus Whitfieldia (Acanthaceae: Whitfieldieae) and a key to the species. Kew Bulletin 76: 191-221. doi: 10.1007/s12225-021-09941-8
    » https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-021-09941-8
  • Johansen DA. 1940. Plant microtechnique. New York, McGraw-Hill Books.
  • Kaiser E. 1880. Verfahren zur herstellung einer tadellosen glycerin-gelatine. Botanisch Zentralb 80: 25-26.
  • Leonard EC. 1961. Acanthaceae Americanae Novae vel criticae ii seven new species from Colombia and some additional notes. Wrightia 2: 142-157.
  • Lindau G. 1893. Übersicht Über die bisher bekannten Arten der Gattung Thunbergia L.f. Botanische Jahrbücher fur Systematik 41: 31-41.
  • Magnaghi EB, Daniel TF. 2017. Systematics of Mendoncia (Acanthaceae: Thunbergioideae) in the Paleotropics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 64: 37-94.
  • Manzitto-Tripp EA, Darbyshire I, Daniel TF, Kiel CA, McDade LA. 2022. Revised classification of Acanthaceae and worldwide dichotomous Keys. Taxon 71: 103-153. doi: 10.1002/tax.12600
    » https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12600
  • Metcalfe CR, Chalk L. 1975. Anatomy of the dicotyledons I and II. Oxford, Oxford Claredon Press.
  • Metcalfe CR, Chalk L. 1979. Anatomy of the Dicotyledons. vol. I. Oxford, Oxford Claredon Press .
  • Moore S. 1906. Alabastra diversa. Part XIII. Acanthaceae. Journal of Botany 44: 150-151.
  • Moore S. 1929. Some new or rare African Acanthaceae. Journal of Botany 67: 225-231.
  • Nogueira A, El Ottra JHL, Guimarães E, Machado SR, Lohmann LG. 2013. Trichome structure and evolution in Neotropical lianas. Annals of Botany 112: 1331-1350. doi: 10.1093/aob/mct201
    » https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mct201
  • O’Brien TP, Feder N, McCully ME. 1964. Polychromatic staining of plant cell walls by toluidine blue O. Protoplasma 59: 367-373. doi: 10.1007/BF01248568
    » https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01248568
  • Oersted AS. 1854. Mexicos og Centralamerikas Acanthaceer. Vidensk. Meddel. Naturhist. Foren. Kjøbenhavn 12: 113-114.
  • Pearse AGE. 1972. Histochemistry: Theoretical and applied, vol. II, 3st edn. Baltimore, The Williams & Wilkins Company.
  • Perazza D, Herzog M, Hülskamp M, Brown S, Dorne AM, Bonneville JM. 1999. Trichome Cell Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana Can Be Derepressed by Mutations in at Least Five Genes. Genetics 152: 461-476. doi: 10.1093/genetics/152.1.461
    » https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/152.1.461
  • Pinto-Silva NP, Souza KF, Silva OLM et al (in press). Trichomes in the megadiverse genus Croton (Euphorbiaceae): Revised classification, identification parameters and terminology. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.
  • Profice SR. 1988. Mendoncia Vell. ex Vand. (Acanthaceae) espécies ocorrentes no Brasil. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 29: 201-279.
  • Rizzini CT. 1948. Disquisito circa acanthacearum aliquot genera brasilienses. Arquivos do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro 8: 294-372.
  • Scotland RW, Vollesen K. 2000. Classification of Acanthaceae. Kew Bulletin 55: 513-589.
  • Shobe WR, Lersten NR. 1967. A technique for clearing and staining gymnosperm leaves. Botanical Gazette 127: 150-152. doi: 10.2307/4118776
    » https://doi.org/10.2307/4118776
  • Simpson MG. 2010. Plant Systematics. 2nd edn. Amsterdam, Elsevier.
  • Smith FH, Smith EC. 1942. Anatomy of the inferior ovary of Darbya American Journal of Botany 29: 464-471. doi: 10.2307/2437312
    » https://doi.org/10.2307/2437312
  • Turrill WB. 1919. A Revision of the Genus Mendoncia Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Gardens, Kew) 1919: 407-425.
  • Vollesen K. 2006. A taxonomic revision of the genus Duosperma (Acanthaceae). Kew Bulletin 61: 289-351.
  • Webster GL, Del-Arco Aguilar MJ, Smith BA. 1996. Systematic distribution of foliar trichome types in Croton (Euphorbiaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 121: 41-57.
  • Wurdack JJ. 1986. Atlas of Hairs for Neotropical Melastomataceae. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 63: 1-80. doi: 10.5479/si.0081024X.63
    » https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.63

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    03 Apr 2023
  • Date of issue
    2023

History

  • Received
    27 Sept 2022
  • Accepted
    02 Mar 2023
Sociedade Botânica do Brasil SCLN 307 - Bloco B - Sala 218 - Ed. Constrol Center Asa Norte CEP: 70746-520 Brasília/DF. - Alta Floresta - MT - Brazil
E-mail: acta@botanica.org.br