Organization of the stigma and transmitting tissue of rice, Oryza sativa (L.)

Abstract

The stigma of Oryza sativa (L.) is typically dry and plumose. The pistil is bifurcated just above the ovary. The distal parts of the two main branches are densely covered by multicellular, multiseriate papillae. The papillae are covered by a cuticle - pellicle layer. The pecto-cellulosic wall of the papillae is distinctly three-layered. The transmitting tracts of the two main axes are not clearly demarcated, and are made up of several compactly arranged cell layers around the vascular bundle. The cells of the transmitting tissue are polygonal, narrow and elongated. They show plasmodesmata on the transverse, as well as longitudinal walls. The extracellular matrix in the transmitting tissue, containing polysaccharides and pectic substances, is restricted to the corners of the cells, forming long, narrow, linear canals along the axes.