Comparative Study On Plant Morphology And Micro Characteristics Of Chrysanthemum Wild Medicinal Plants From Anhui Province

[Objective] Five Chrysanthemum wild medicinal plants from Anhui have been used asChrysanthemi Flos、Chrysanthemi Indici Flos and Chrysanthemi Indici Herb. The plantsmorphology of Chrysanthemum are variation with different distribution or ecologicalenvironment, which brings difficulties to the plant taxonomy and medicinal materialsidentification. In order to provide basis for accurate plant taxonomy and medicinalmaterials identification of Chrysanthemum wild medicinal plants, the purposes of theresearch topic are to investigate distribution area、ecological environment and plantmorphology of five species of Chrysanthemum wild medicinal plants from AnhuiProvince, to research leaf abaxial epidermal micro features, inflorescence stemtransverse section structure, each part of the capitulum and pollen grainsultra-morphology differences of five species of Chrysanthemum wild medicinal plantsfrom Anhui Province, to explore plant morphology、inflorescence stem transversesection structure、leaf abaxial epidermal and each part of the capitulum microscopiccharacteristics differences and pollen grains ultra-morphology of Chrysanthemumindicum Linnaaeus from four different distribution areas in Anhui Province.[Methods] For the five species of Chrysanthemum wild medicinal plants and C.indicum from four different distribution areas in Anhui Province, the study adopted thefollowing methods:①By consulting documents and field investigation to study theirdistribution area and ecological environment.②Through observation and measurementto research the plant organs features of plants morphology and size.③Using routineslide processing to leaf abaxial epidermal and each component part of the capitulum, themicro-characteristics under light electron microscope were observed and compared.④Micro-cross section of inflorescence stem, which were made by LEICA VT1200Ssimple vibratory microtome, were observed and compared the micro-characteristicsunder light electron microscope.⑤By means of scanning electronic microscope, pollengrains ultra-morphology were observed and compared. [Results] The result from resource investigation and plant morphology observation, thethree species (C.indicum，C.lavandulifolium and C.nankingense)were medium-low-altitude distribution type, and the other two species (C.vestitum and C.zawadskii) weremedium-high-altitude distribution type. They had their own optimum ecologicalenvironment and respective typical morphological characteristics in their suitablegrowth environment. With the change of the ecological environment, plant morphologyvariation showed on the five species of Chrysanthemum wild medicinal plants.The differences among them, were reflected in height、the degree of leaf division、leaf thickness and density of hair, capitulum size、the number of layer and shape ofinvolucre and ray floret color, related to the ecological environment. Plant height andaltitude factor negatively correlated for the genus Chrysanthemum plants.C.lavandulifolium living in semiarid areas and C.zawadskii living in alpine, were thegreatest degree of leaf division, and the minimum degree of leaf division was C.vestitum.The thickest leaves were C.vestitum and C.zawadskii living in medium-high-altitudedistribution and C.indicum of heliophyte. The thinnest leaf was C.nankingense living inshade and humid environment. The genus Chrysanthemum plants had more hair in thesun, and had less sparse hair in shade and humid environment. The species of biggestcapitulum were C.vestitum and C.zawadskii living in medium-high-altitude which hadfour or five layers phyllary that were fleshy or part of fleshy, smaller one were the threespecies in medium-low-altitude with three or four layers phyllary.There were significant differences among the five wild plants in shape, size, anddensity of glandular hairs and non-glandular hairs, density of stomatal apparatus,epidermal cell size and texture of horniness of leaf abaxial epidermal features, whichwere related to distribution and ecotope of the plants, which has been reported, alsocould provided basis for plant taxonomy. Light intensity and water had impact in leaftrichomes density, non-glandular hairy size, wall thickness and cuticular veins ofepidermal cells. C.nankingense and C.zawadskii living in shade and humid environmenthad the lower trichomes density, smaller and thinner non-glandular hair, while C. indicum, C.vestitum of heliophyte and C.lavandulifolium living in semi-xericenvironment, had higher density and thicker cell wall of non-glandular hairs, especiallyC.lavandulifolium had the thickest cell wall of non-glandular hairs in semi-xericenvironment. The glandular hair and epidermal cell size, were positive correlation,negatively related with the stomata density. The glandular hairs of C.vestitum andC.zawadskii living in medium-high-altitude were larger than the other three species, andstomata density of them were lower than the other three species. C.lavandulifoliumliving in semi-xeric environment had smallest stomata.Micro-cross section of inflorescence stem, such as the number of vascular bundle,collenchyma thickness, having phlom fiber or none etc, could be used as an importantdistinction between5species. C.vestitum and C.zawadskii had more count of vascularbundle and had leaf trace bundle. C.lavandulifolium in semi-xeric environment hadmore layers of collenchyma and cortex proportion than others. C.lavandulifolium andC.zawadskii had the thickest collenchyma and had no phlom fiber. C.indicum, C.nankingense and C.vestitum had phlom fiber, and C.vestitum had the most. The resultsthrough observation to each part of capitulum, displayed micro characteristics ofouter-phyllary were similar to leaf abaxial epidermal which had significant differencesin five species. But the micro characteristics differences of non-glandular hairs reducedfrom outer-phyllary to ray floret, and the micro-morphology began to converge. Thedensity of non-glandular hairs also was lower and lower. The counts of glandular hairsreduced from outer-phyllary to inner-phyllary, but slightly increased and grew up on rayfloret and tubular flower. Ultra-morphology of five species of pollen grains was slightlydifferent. Ultra-morphology of pollen grains of C.zawadskii was quite distinctive toother four species.The plant morphology and microstructure of C.indicium in Huaibei plain andC.lavandulifolium were similar, which demonstrates C.indicium in Huaibei plain was atransitional type to C. lavandulifolium. The plant morphology and microstructure of C.indicium in Tianzhu Mountain and C.vestitum were also similar, which indicated C. indicium in Tianzhu Mountain was a transitional type to C.vestitum. Some parts of plantmorphology and microstructure of C.indicium in Yellow Mountain liked C. nankingense,some parts liked C.zawadskii.[Conclusion]①Initially proved main distribution areas, suitable ecologicalenvironment and typical plants morphology of five species of Chrysanthemum wildmedicinal plants from Anhui Province, distribution and ecological environment hadimpacted in plants morphology, which could provided basis for plant taxonomy.②Leafabaxial epidermal features, micro characteristics of outer-phyllary, micro-cross sectionof inflorescence stem could be used as important distinction between five species plantsand medicinal materials.③To explore great differences about the plant morphologyand microstructure in different distributions and ecological environment of C.indiciumfrom four different distribution areas in Anhui Province, which provide a reference forthe genus Chrysanthemum transition and genetic exchange among species.④Combined with ecological environment, plants morphology and micro characteristics, C.nankingense was proposed to support the classification of independence.