young leaf

Light micrograph of a young leaf of lace plant at the perforation stage of leaf development. The blue cells within three perforation sites that are undergoing programmed cell death (PCD) are stained specifically for cell wall pectins by alcian blue as a result of cuticle degradation. Adjacent living cells with intact cuticle are not stained. The resculpting of a simple leaf blade is a unique use of developmental PCD, known only for this species and for a handful of genera in the aroid family. The accessibility and predictability of perforation formation in lace plant leaves and the ability to propagate lace plant in sterile conditions make the lace plant an attractive model for the study of developmental PCD in plants. Scale bar = 100 µm.