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Image Title: Light micrograph of the vein pattern of a New World endemic, Flaveria trinervia (Spreng.) C. Mohr.
Image Credit: Athena McKown, University of Toronto
AJB Editor: Judy Jernstedt, University of California - Davis
Intended End User: Teacher, Student
License Details: BSA - Terms for Image Use
Copyright held by: McKown, BSA
Date Created: 1/1/2007
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About the Image

Light micrograph of the vein pattern of a New World endemic, Flaveria trinervia (Spreng.) C. Mohr., a pantropical weedy C4 species. Flaveria is of special interest because of its diversity in photosynthetic types; it has species classified as having C3, C4, or intermediate photosynthesis. This clearing of a mature leaf of F. trinervia, viewed with differential interference contrast optics, shows a reticulate pattern with high vein density and distinctive bundle sheath tissue. These two features are part of a critical suite of anatomical characteristics (Kranz anatomy) that has evolved independently many times to support C4 biochemical functioning; many variations of Kranz anatomy exist, especially in the eudicots.

National Science Foundation  Development Supported by the National Science Foundation