Abstract:

In order to reveal the relationship between the structure and color of chimeric leaves from ornamental bamboos, the appearance and structure of chimeric leaves from two ornamental bamboos (Hibanobambusa tranquillans f. shiroshima H. Okaura and Sasaella.glabra f. albo-striata Muroi) were observed under light-microscopy and electron-microscopy through epidermis slice, paraffin section and ultra-thin section of leaves. The epidermis structure showed that the two bamboos were characterized as oryzoid type and there was no distinction between the green band and white band. Nevertheless, different variation levels of chloroplast in mesophyll cells were found in both of the two bamboos, in which part of grana lamella were dissolved and amount of osmiophilic granules were formed. The tissue with variant chloroplasts in one or two stratums made it light green, while chloroplast variations which took place in all mesophyll stratums made the leaf color white or light yellow. The leaf with normal chloroplasts in mesophyll cells was green. It was indicated that the extent of chloroplast variations in mesophyll cells was significant for leaf color, which made the bamboo appearance colorful.