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Detail of an open stomata of the privet
Legend:
1 spongy parenchyma
3 epidermis
4 cuticle
5 stoma
7 epidermal cell with extending wall thickening
2 intercellular space
6 guard cells
English name: American privet
Scientific name: Ligustrum sp.
Familia: Oleaceae
Classis: Dicotyledonas
Phylum: Angiospermae
Regnum: Plantae
The leaf of the privet has a multilayered under epidermis with a thick cuticle (xeromorph characteristics; the plant is a xerophyte). The stomata are enclosed and show a complex anatomy, the so-called double-door system: not only the guard cells but also the subsidiary cells are involved in the closing mechanism of the stomata. The typical ledges of the subsidiary cells form a kind of chamber that limits desiccation.
