A multidisciplinary approach—anatomy, histochemistry and phytochemistry—was used to investigate the leaf structure, the content and the storage location of barbaloin in the leaves of Aloe vera L. var. chinensis (Haw.) Berg. Xeromorphic characteristics including secondary thickened epidermal cell walls, thicker cuticle, ambiguous differentiation of spongy and palisade tissues in the chlorenchyma, and well-developed aquiferous tissue could be seen in the leaves. Several large parenchymatous cells were observed at the phloem pole of the first ring of vascular bundles. The secondary ring of vascular bundles in the leaf base and the stomata, which are surrounded by five cells, have some classification significance in this species. The density of vascular bundles, the content of barbaloin and the intensity of histochemical reaction differed among leaf numbers L1 (annual leaf), L2 (biennial leaf), L3 (triennial leaf) and L4 (quadrennial leaf), and in different parts of the leaf. These three factors were highest in the youngest leaf, L1, and top parts of all the leaves and lowest in the basal parts and the oldest leaf, L4. The density of vascular bundles had a positive correlation to the content of barbaloin. The histochemical results revealed that the small sheath cells that surrounded the bundles might be the location of barbaloin synthesis and the large parenchymatous cells beneath the sheath might be the storage places of this metabolite.
中华芦荟叶的解剖学、组织化学和植物化学研究
沈宗根1,2 Elena CHAUSER-VOLFSON2 Yitzchak CUTTERMAN2 胡正海1*
（1. 西北大学植物研究所，西安710069；2.Ben-Gurion Unixersity of the Negev,Jacoob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research and Department of Life Sciences,Sede Boqer Gampus 84990,Israel)
关键词： 中华芦荟；叶结构；芦荟素含量；维管束密度；组织化学反应
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