Organography and Plant Histology of Pistias stratiotes (Araceae)
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Introduction
The aquatic macrophyte Pistia stratiotes, is qualified as an invasive species, because of the problems it causes in the countries located in all the Pantropical zone of the planet; however, it is considered less important than other free floating aquatic arvenses such as E. crassipes and Lemna sp., whose proliferation causes considerable socioeconomic and environmental losses.
Pistia stratiotes, presents appreciable advantages, in comparison to other aquatic macrophytes, this for the pharmacological properties, that possess their vegetative structures, of there, the necessity to realize investigations of botanical cut, it is for that reason, that the present post, pursues to realize an organographic and histological description of the Pistia, considered as promissory resource for the South American countries.
Biological Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus: Pistia
Species: stratiotes
Common names
Cabbage of water, is the name used in Venezuela to refer to the Pistia stratiotes, in Spain receives the name of Lechugilla de agua, in the United States Water lettuce, while in Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico is designated as cabbage or water lettuce.
Pharmacological properties
Fig. 2 Pharmacological properties and potentials of the aquatic macrophyte Pistia stratiotes. Author: @lupafilotaxia.
The phytochemical components of Pistia stratiotes have turned it into the main aquatic macrophyte, with pharmacological properties from the curative point of view, among them:
A. Antidiabetic activity: Infusions or preparations, based on vegetative tissue of Pistia stratiotes, produces diuretic effects that besides eliminating substances with high carbohydrate content in the body, retain some ability to inhibit the absorption of sugar.
B. Skin conditions: The analgesic anti-inflammatory effect of Pistia stratiotes extracts has been reported on skin problems such as inflammation (dermatitis), the most commonly used conventional form, is the addition of an infusion of Pistia leaves, plus coconut oil, to the injured skin.
C. Nervous disorders: Pistia stratiotes, contains phytochemical substances, which act on disorders of the spinal cord, causing problems of extreme nervousness, to treat this type of condition, a concoction is prepared, based on honey and leaves of Pistia.
D. Syphilitic eruptions: The extracts of this aquatic macrophyte present antifungal effects on diseases that report fungal symptoms such as syphilis.
E. Fever: Pistia stratiotes, it has properties of antipyretic nature, reason why, from the ancestral point of view, foliar extracts are prepared to treat affections related to the persistent appearance of fever.
Other properties: Other pharmacological effects of Pistia stratiotes have been reported, such as; antioxidant function, antitumor, in addition to its healing potential, to reverse and heal diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy and ulcerous lesions of chronic appearance.
Origin and distribution
The origin of the aquatic macrophyte Pistia stratiotes is uncertain, it is believed to originate from Africa, it has a pantropical distribution, in South America it is naturally found in numerous swampy ecosystems in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela.
Genus Pistia in Venezuela
The genus Pistia, is monotypic, which indicates that the taxon has only one species, therefore the aquatic macrophyte Pistia stratiotes, is the only species of this genus belonging to the family Araceae, in Venezuela is widely distributed, is usually found in aquatic environments swamps, pipes, reservoirs and drainage channels in animal and plant production units.
Botanical description
Way of life
Pistia stratiotes, belongs to the group of free floating macrophytes, with reproductive and vegetative structures on the water surface, can survive, for long periods of time, in substrates that present low moisture content.
Fig. 3 Organographic structures of the aquatic macrophyte Pistia stratiotes. Author: @lupafilotaxia.
Root
It has roots of adventitious origin, fibrous, long and in the form of feathers, hanging over the sheet of wate.
Stem
It has a fleshy stem, with horizontal development, of stoloniferous morphology, where new vegetative structures sprout.
Leaves
It presents thick foliar laminae; sessile, pubescent in beam and back, short trichomes, parallel nerve, of ovada morphology to spatulate, with a relation of growth of widened form, from the base towards the apex, of light green color, it shows a phyllotaxy of circular disposition, that offers him a morphological exterior in rosette.
Inflorescence
Exhibits inflorescence, spadix-type spike, diminutive flowers, with a single pistilada (female) flower at the base and several staminates (male) at the apex of the floral axis, wrapped in a broad, spata-like, white bract.
Fig. 4 Inflorescence of Pistia stratiotes, enveloped in a broad, spata-like, white bract. Author: @lupafilotaxia.
Flower
The aquatic macrophyte, Pistia stratiotes presents unisexual flowers, staminated and pistilized with unilateral ovary, with absence of calyx and carola.
Fruit
The fruit of this aquatic macrophyte is berry-shaped, approximately 1 cm long and light green in colour.
Seeds
It possesses numerous seeds, of oblong morphology, rough aspect and small.
Reproduction
Sexual reproduction
Pistias stratiotes, is a perennial macrophyte that reproduces sexually, seeds sink to the bottom of water bodies, forming a bank of reproductive material, after drying of aquatic environments in the dry season, seeds germinate easily when rehydrated with rainwater at temperatures above 20°C.
Asexual reproduction
The vegetative propagation, is by means of stolons, producing multiple small plants equal to the mother, that allows her to cover the bodies of water by means of a dense layer, that causes adverse effects on the
Fig. 5 Estolonifera zone, of vegetative reproduction of Pistias stratiotes. Author: @lupafilotaxia.
Growth
It presents habit of accelerated growth, in regions with temperatures between 20 and 30°C, the eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems turns it into an invasive macrophyte, it presents a moderate exposure to the sun with favorable growth to the shade, the seedlings can reach 10 and 30 cm of height.
Life cycle
It is a perennial macrophyte, phenologically it can produce seeds more than once during its life cycle.
Ecology
Flotation mechanism
Herringimatic histological architecture, exhibited by Pistia stratiotes, allows it to float in the same conditions as aquatic macrophytes such as Eichhornia crassipes and Limnocharis Flava, on the other hand, spongy and pubescent morphology, which have rosette leaf blades, facilitate and improve its flotation mechanism.
Habitat and invasive condition
Pistia stratiotes is an aquatic macrophyte present in almost all tropical and subtropical freshwater courses, either naturally or through the introduction of human activities, it prefers relatively immobile or stagnant waters, it is characterized by floating on the surface layers of freshwater bodies, allowing its adventitious roots to hang beneath foliar structures.
Fig. 6 Pistia stratiotes, floating in bodies of still and stagnant water. Author: @lupafilotaxia.
The high volumes of biomass that it generates tend to obstruct the lacustrine pathways, cause interference with the hydroelectric systems of artificial lakes, hinder fishing, favor the creation of favorable habitats for the transmission of diseases.
Histology and organography
Microscopic study
The microscopic study, for the histological characterization of Pistia stratiotes, was carried out in the Botany laboratory of UNESUR.
Fig. 7 Aquatic macrophyte Pistia stratiotes, as fresh material for histological study. Author: @lupafilotaxia.
Collection
The fresh biomass, from the aquatic macrophyte Pistia stratiotes, was collected from the main drainage channel of the production unit "Guadalupe", located in the municipality Catatumbo of the state of Zulia – Venezuela.
Fig. 8 Biomass of Pistia stratiotes, collected from the U.P. "Guadalupe", located in the municipality Catatumbo in the state of Zulia - Venezuela. Author: @lupafilotaxia.
Histological identification
The plants collected from Pistia stratiotes were transported in containers with water to the UNESUR Botany laboratory facilities in order to maintain the active and turgid state of the plant material.
Materials and reagents used
- Plants of Pistia stratiotes (Cabbage of water)
- Carrier sheets and coverslips
- Botanical dissection team
- Petri dishes
- Optical microscope
- Distilled water
- Lugol
- Safranin
- Floroglucin
Tissue observation
For the observation and identification of the histological structures of Pistia stratiotes; epidermal tissue, trichomes, parenchyma, arenchyma, transverse, longitudinal and tangential cuts were made to the foliar laminae, first focused on 4x to locate tissues and then changed to 10x for morphological characterization.
As for the observation of tissues; mechanical, xylematic and phloematic, transverse cuts were made, to petioles and adventitious roots of Pistia stratiotes, giving priority to the methodology previously described.
Epidermal characterization
The adaxial and abaxial epidermis of Pistia stratiotes, consist of a single layer of cells of rectangular morphology, with parasitic stomas, visible on the face of the beam and on the underside.
Parenchymal characterization
The mesophil of the leaf of Pistia stratiotes, presented parenchyma palisade of rectangular aspect, in whose cellular interior, crystals in the form of needles could be appreciated.
Fig. 9 On the right side, there is a detailed cross section of Pistia stratiotes foliar leaf, on the left side there is an indication of the location of the adaxial epidermis, parenchyma in palisade, and crystals in the form of needles. Author: @lupafilotaxia.
Identification of trichomes
Excresences in the form of pluricellular trichomes were observed on the epidermal lamina of this aquatic macrophyte.
Fig. 10 On the right side, pluricellular trichomas Pistia stratiotes are detailed, on the left side, the morphological parts of the trichoma are indicated. Author: @lupafilotaxia.
Anechymatic characterization
The transverse cuts, made to the petioles of Pistia stratiotes, allowed the identification of pluricellular trichomes, epidermal cells, followed by cortical parenchyma of polygonal morphology, dispersed vascular bundles and arenquimatic chambers with the presence of crystals in the form of needles.
Fig. 11 On the left side, there is a detailed cross-section of the petiole Pistia stratiotes, on the right side, there are epidermis, parenchymal cortical, vascular bundles and arenquimatic chambers with crystals. Author: @lupafilotaxia.
Xylematic and phloematic characterization
The transversal section, of the adventitious roots of Pistia stratiotes, showed external rhizodermal cells, parenchymal cells of elongated aspect and with crystals in the interior, separated by chambers of arachimatic tissue, the vascular bundles composed by xylem and phloem, are in radial disposition around the medulla.
Fig. 12 On the left side, a transversal section of adventitious roots of Pistia stratiotes is detailed. On the right side, the following tissues are identified in order: epidermis, bark, crystals, sandstone chamber, phloem, xylem and parenchyma. Author: @lupafilotaxia.
SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS OF THIS PUBLICATION
- In the manuscript, contributions of botanical order are distinguished, as far as the organographic and morphohistological characterization, that are of great help for biological studies, where it is pursued to know in detail aspects that identify to this species of aquatic macrophyte, in addition the information related to the properties and pharmacological potentialities, encourages to realize future phytochemical investigations, with the purpose of standardizing medical formulas that allow, to include treatments based on foliar tissue of Pistia stratiotes.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES CONSULTED AND CITED:
[1] Attionu R. Some effects of water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes, L.) on its habitat. Hydrobiologia. 1976; 50, 245–254.
[2] Cai L. Impact of floating vegetation in Shuikou impoundment, Minjiang River, Fujian Province. Hupo-Kexue. 2006; 18, 250–254.
[3] Croat T., and Carlsen M. Araceae. Flora del Bajío y de regiones adyacentes. Instituto de Ecología, A. C., Fascículo. 2003; 114:35.
[4] Cronquist A. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants. Columbia University Press. New York. 1981; 1262p.
[5] Gordon E. Cambios de la vegetación durante 45 años (1947–16 1992) en Laguna Grande (Estado Monagas, Venezuela). Acta 17 Botánica Venezuelica. 2001; 24, 37–57.
[6] Mukhtar M., and Tukur A. In-vitro screening for antimicrobial activity of Pistia stratiotes L. extract. J. Exp. Biol. 2000; 1(1): 59-69.
[7] Premkumar V., Shyamsundar D. Antidermatophytic activity of Pistia stratiotes. Indian J Pharmacol. 2005; 37:127-8.
[8] Renner S., and Zhang L. Biogeography of the Pistia 4 clade (Araceae): based on chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA 5 sequences and Bayesian divergence time inference. Systematic 6 Biology. 2004; 53, 422–432.
[9] Sharma B. Productivity of Pistia stratiotes. Environ Pollut. 1981;24:277-89.
[10] Tarlyn N., and Kostman T. Axenic culture of Pistia stratiotes for use in plant biochemical studies. Aquatic Bot. 1998; 60: 161-8.
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