Coverage and composition of cuticular waxes on the fronds of the temperate ferns Pteridium aquilinum Cryptogramma crispa Polypodium glycyrrhiza Polystichum munitum and Gymnocarpium dryopteris

摘要

Background and AimsThe cuticular waxes sealing plant surfaces against excessive water loss are complex mixtures of very-long-chain aliphatics, with compositions that vary widely between plant species. To help fill the gap in our knowledge about waxes of non-flowering plant taxa, and thus about the cuticle of ancestral land plants, this study provides comprehensive analyses of waxes on temperate fern species from five different families.