DEVELOPMENTAL ANATOMY AND HISTOCHEMISTRY OF STYLE AND STIGMA IN CORNUS OFFICINALIS

The histological and histochemical changes during the development of the stigma and style have been investigated in Comus officinalis, using light and electron microscopy. The mature stigma is of the dry type with the unicellular papillae that originate from the epidermis. Before the stigma accept pollen grains, the top of the papillose cells sunk in The papillose cells wither immediately after the pollen grains touch with them. During the development of the style, at first, it has a stylar canal, i. e. the open type style, but later the stylar canal disappear and it becomes a special solid style. The mature style is composed of the epidermis, the cortex in which there are three vascular bundles, and the special transmitting tissue has two rows of glandular inner epidermis that stains intensely for total proteins, RNA, DNA and polysaccharides.