Characterization of biominerals in species of <i>Canna</i> (Cannaceae)

Plant biominerals are not always well characterized, although this information is important for plant physiology and can be useful for taxonomic purposes. In this work, fresh plant material of seven wild neotropical species of genus Canna, C. ascendens, C. coccinea, C. indica, C. glauca, C. pluritub...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Barán, Enrique José, González Baró, Ana Cecilia, Ciciarelli, María de las Mercedes, Rolleri, Cristina Hilda
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2010
País:Argentina
Institución:Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Repositorio:SEDICI (UNLP)
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/40514
Acceso en línea:http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/40514
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Ciencias Naturales
Botánica
Plantas
Minerales
Canna
biogenic
opal
X-ray powder diffractometry
infrared spectroscopy
biominerals
Cannaceae
Descripción
Sumario:Plant biominerals are not always well characterized, although this information is important for plant physiology and can be useful for taxonomic purposes. In this work, fresh plant material of seven wild neotropical species of genus Canna, C. ascendens, C. coccinea, C. indica, C. glauca, C. plurituberosa, C. variegatifolia and C. fuchsina sp. ined., taken from different habitats, were studied to characterize the biominerals in their internal tissues. For the first time, samples from primary and secondary veins of leaves were investigated by means of infrared spectroscopy, complemented with X-ray powder diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. The spectroscopic results, supported by X-ray powder diffractometry, suggest that the calcium oxalate is present in the form of whewellite (CaC2O4×H2O) in all the investigated samples. It is interesting to emphasize that all IR spectra obtained were strongly similar in all species studied, thus indicating an identical chemical composition in terms of the biominerals found. In this sense, the results suggest that the species of Canna show similar ability to produce biogenic silica and produce an identical type of calcium oxalate within their tissues. These results can be an additional trait to support the relationship among the families of Zingiberales.