Sedum Telephium or Orpine

Details in the epidermis of the marvelous plant

Sedum Telephium is an herbaceous perennial plant from the Sedum genus, in flower from July to August and the seeds ripen from August to September. The Plants grow to form clumps providing good ground cover during the growing season. 

Photo: Bff / Wikimedia Commons

Also known as Orpine, it tolerates drought and shade. However, dry or moist soil are good conditions for them. Late in the season, Orpine delivers delightful clusters of purple flowers providing a great source of nectar for the Bees.  

In this simple handmade coupe of the epidermis of a leaf of the Sedum telephium or orpine, a few special things can be seen for which the 'Wageningen University & Research' (WUR) in the Netherlands was consulted.

The transport through the trans-vacuolar cytoplasmic wires is very nice to see.

At detail A:

Fig. 1 - Sedum Telephium leaf epidermis. Motic Panthera U Plan UC 60X.

Moticam 1080. Image credit: Willem Cramer

As for the mysterious spheres; these are so beautifully arranged in a circle that at first sight, it looks like a kind of algae. But if we look more closely, the nucleus seems to lie in the middle of it. Since these epidermis cells mainly consist of vacuoles and there is little space for cytoplasm, you often see that the cytoplasm, and thus the organelles, is concentrated around the nucleus. That is why they may be plastids and because they are green, chloroplasts.

At detail B:

Fig. 2 - Sedum Telephium leaf epidermis. Motic Panthera U Plan UC 60X.

Moticam 1080. Image credit: Willem Cramer

These are beautiful, round chloroplasts. Sometimes those in the guard cells of the stomata can grow quite large.

With thanks to Peter van Gisbergen PhD, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands.

Sample: Sedum Telephium leaf epidermis viewed through Motic Panthera U Plan UC 60X. Recorded with Moticam 1080. 

© willemsmicroscope.com

The Pacinian Bodies

It records vibrations

Pacinian bodies are rapidly adapting receptors that detect gross pressure changes and vibrations in the skin.

The Pacinian bodies (corpuscles) which are part of the nervous system, consist of 20 to 70 layers of fibroblasts, which form concentric spheres, between which there are layers of liquid and thin collagen fibers. 

Fig. 1 - Pacinian corpuscle c.s. Motic AE31E PlanApo 20X.

Moticam 10+. Image credit: Willem Cramer

Fig. 2 - Pacinian corpuscle c.s. Motic AE31E PlanApo 40X.

Moticam 10+. Image credit: Willem Cramer

A body can be up to 1 mm in size. In a cross-section, such a body looks like the cut surface of a sliced onion. Central is a dendrite. A Pacinian body registers vibrations of 50-700 Hz. They are numerous in, for instance, the dermis of the fingers.

• Fibroblasts ensure tissue retention. The largest function is the production of collagen.
• Collagen fibers are responsible for the firmness and resilience of tissue.
• A dendrite is a branched extension of a nerve cell.

Sample: Pacinian corpuscle viewed through Motic AE31E PlanApo 20X and 40X. Recorded with Moticam 10+. 

© willemsmicroscope.com