• Applied Microscopy
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.13-31
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• 1994

The fine structure of palisade chloroplasts has been studied in the mature leaves of 3 Dubautia species (D. scabra var. leiophylla, D. knudsenii and D. scabra var. leiophylla${\times}$D. knudsenii) to explore variation at the ultrastructural level, since the parental species exhibit quite different morphological and anatomical features. Types of thylakoidal membrane systems, occurrence and distribution of phytoferritin-like structures, lipid droplets, starch grains, mitochondria and microbodies were examined. Four different types of thylakoidal membranes were found in D. scabra var. leiophylla, 2 rather uniform types in D. knudsenii and 3 intermediate types in their hybrid. D. scabra var. leiophylla and the hybrid were marked by statistically significant differences in mean numbers of thylakoids per granum, while no significant difference was found between D. knudsenii and the hybrid. Phytoferritin-like structures which were about $100-120{\AA}$ in diameter as a whole particle each were found in all 3 species. The amount and distribution of particles varied by species. Lipid droplets, plastoglobuli, and starch grains occurred in all 3 species, but the frequency of starch grains also varied with the species. More frequent and larger starch grains were observed in D. knudsenii than in the other two species. Microbodies, or peroxisome, were observed throughout all species. They occurred, either with or without crystalline inclusions, around the chloroplasts.