Research Article - (2011) Volume 2, Issue 4
Cuticular study of the foliar epidermis of four species of Dioscorea was carried out in order to supplement our present taxonomic knowledge of the four members of this genus. Dioscorea alata, D. cayenensis, D. domentorum and D. rotundata were collected from farmland within Kogi State University Campus. Five leaf samples of each species were harvested, from which cuticular samples were prepared by maceration, stained and mounted on slides. Abaxial and adaxial cuticles were prepared separately. A total of 40 slides were prepared and viewed in 10 fields of view using Leica binocular microscope at x40 objective. Collected data for numbers and types of Trichome and stomata were subjected to one way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Descriptive analysis, Test of Homogeneity and Multiple comparison tests. There were significant variations in all the species for all the parameters studied. The possibility of the use of these parameters in taxonomic delineation was discussed.
