Electron Microscope Studies on the Fine Structure of Plastids in Normal and Variegated Tissues in Liriope Plant

Abstract

1. The fine structures of mature plastids present in normal green and variegated tissues in Liriope platyphylla Wang et Tang form. variegata Hort. were comaparatively studied by means of electron microscope.
2. Green and albicated plastids were covered with definite membrane, but were considerably different from each other in their submicroscopic structure.
3. The mature chloroplasts in normal green tissues had lamellar structure which differentiated into two elements: grana lamellae and stroma lamellae. The former were combined with the latter and piled up to form a grana stack appearing rod-like as a whole. The grana stacks were arranged at random within a single chloroplast in Liriope.
4. Albicated plastids in variegated tissues were found to be spherical or ellipsoidal, or sometimes amoeboid. They contained a prolamellar body, a number of osmiophilic granules, large or small vacuoles, and sometimes incomplete lamellae, but none of the typical grana.
5. Probable role of prolamellar body in lamellar formation was briefly discussed, and it was concluded that the incompleteness or lacking of lamellar system makes the albicated plastids chlorophyll deficient in variegated Liriope.