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'ie 'ie -2 (Freycinetia arborea)  Root Directory |
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'ie 'ie -2 (Freycinetia arborea) Root Directory |
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 Cross Section of 'ie 'ie root seen with crossed polarizers: Note the abundance of birefringent cell walls. What does this tell you concerning the mechanical properties of this root?
The root has a stem-like anatomy. There is a vascular cylinder with a Pith. The Xylem has large Vessel Members and a lot of Fibers. The Phloem is surrounded by Fibers. |
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 Cross Section of 'ie 'ie root stained with phloroglucinol: Lignified Cell Walls stain Red-Orange.
The degree of staining with Phloroglucinol shows that the Xylem is heavily lignified. |
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 Unstained |
 Unstained with Crossed Polarizers |
 Stained with Phloroglucinol |
| The images above
show the upper left part of the root cross section.They allow us to clearly delimit
the Xylem and Phloem. The xylem contains highly
birefringent cells which stain positively for lignin with Phloroglucinol. The
phloem is unstained but lies between the xylem and
the highly birefringent fibers in the outer cortex |
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 Cross Section Stained with Toluidine Blue
The Xylem stains blue with Toluidine Blue. This is another indication that Xylem cell walls are heavily lignified. Cells in the Phloem and Pith stain Pink. This indicates an absence of Lignin and the presence of Pectins. |
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| Now that you have seen the anatomy of the root, you should be able to understand why this material could be used to make fish traps and other sturdy, durable materials by ancient Hawaiians! | ||
