The incorporation of lipid into both the outer and inner epicuticle during deposition is described. Waterproofing of the epicuticle by secretion of the wax layer, and sclerotization with or without melanization, are controlled from a distance by the epidermal cells by way of the pore canals. The pore canals gradually narrow as they approach the epicuticle. On reaching the inner epicuticle the c...

Epicuticular leaf waxes of Ginkgo biloba, Magnolia grandiflora and Liriodendron tulipifera contain homologous series of hydrocarbons, wax esters, benzyl acyl esters, aldehydes, primary alcohols, and fatty acids. None of these lipid classes is found to contain any main component dominating. In addition to these usual wax lipids, in G. biloba leaf wax a secondary alcohol namely nonacosan-10-ol (1...

The dried aerial parts of scutellaria lateriflora L. (family Labiatae), have been used for many years as a domestic remedy for epilepsy, hysteria, and nervous tension states. Although several phytochemical investigations have been made regarding the constituents present in this species (i. e. flavonoids, iridoids), none has been recorded concerning the cuticular wax. Using thin-layer chroma...

Eucalyptus gunnii leaves can appear as green or glaucous phenotypes with the latter more desirable for floriculture. The epicuticular wax from these two types were compared morphologically using environmental scanning electron microscopy, chemically using gas chromatography, and molecular markers were found to distinguish the two types using RAPDs and bulked segregant analysis. Both phenotypes ...

In this issue of Journal of Experimental Botany (pages 2715–2730) Schneider et al. report the identity of three genes from barley described in the 1970s as important for the synthesis of β-diketone cuticular waxes, thereby revealing a novel polyketide synthase pathway responsible for their production. It is a perfect example of how modern sequencing technologies can resolve age-old questions on...

The slippery zone situated below the peristome inside pitchers of most carnivorous plants from the genus Nepenthes is covered with a thick layer of epicuticular wax. This slippery zone is reported to play a crucial role in animal trapping and prey retention. In N. alata, the wax coverage consists of two clearly distinguished layers. These layers differ in their structure, chemical composition a...