Subject: saltbush

From: [email-masked] (Arthur Schwarz)
Date: 20 Mar 1995 17:15:09 GMT

Hi,
You are right.  The particular kind of leaf anatomy that C4 species 
possess, Kranz anatomy, can be seen by scraping away the epidermis and 
holding the leaf up to strong light.  Magnification helps, but is not 
necessary in some dicots.  The pattern to look for is a heavy 
concentration of chlorophyll around the veins in the area known as the 
bundle sheath.  The pattern can be seen in C4 grasses under 
magnification, and appears as narrow streaks of light between the bundle 
sheaths where chlorophyll is relatively absent.  I would not use this 
technique to verify the C4 pathway in grasses, but Bassett et al (1983) 
promote this technique to distinguish among C3 and C4 saltbush species.  
They use this characteristic among the species they consider in their 
monograph.  They have a brief discussion about the utility of the 
technique along with photographs.

Bassett, I.J., C.W. Compton, J. McNeill, P.M. Taschereau.  1983.  The 
genus Atriplex (Chenopodiaceae) in Canada.  Monograph No. 31, Agriculture 
Canada.

I have no idea what you are talking about with regard to the herbicide.

I hope I have helped.

Art Schwarz
Canadian Circumpolar Institute
University of Alberta
[email-masked]