The epicuticular waxes of glumes of Avena: a scanning electron microscopic study of the morphological patterns in all the species
The epicuticular waxes of glumes of 357 samples, representing all the 27 species of the genus Avena. were examined under the scanning electron microscope. Three basic patterns were discerned, plates, knobs, and filaments, and each sample has been scored for the types found. A fourth category of unstructural pattern has also been scored. Variability within patterns was observed but not scored. It is concluded that epicuticular waxes on glumes in Avena cannot be used for identification of specimens to species except for various special cases when the choice to be made is between two or three alternatives. The main finding is that the degree of variability of the patterns is inversely proportional to the ploidy level. The hexaploid species consist almost exclusively of filaments: the other species have all the three basic patterns, with some species possessing a high proportion of only two patterns.