Lab 9 Angiosperm Anatomy: Primula vulgari

T.A.: Spencer
Ega Prima
Student Number: 210554509

Introduction
Plimura vulgaris is a flowering plant that is native to western and southern Europe,
northwest Africa, and southwest Asia and is under the family of Primulaceae (Valdes and Garcia
2013). Primula vulgaris is an angiosperm type of plant also known as flowering plants. This
means that they are seed producing plant. In appropriate conditions, the primrose can cover the
ground in open woods and shaded hedgerows. In more populated areas it has sometimes suffered
from over-collection so that few natural displays of primroses can now be found. Primula
vulgaris comes in a variety of colors and that certain colors are more in abundance in certain
region. However, their diversity in colors does not mean that they are of different species and
that color alone is not enough to identify whether two Primula vulgaris of different color are of
different species(Volkova and Schanzer 2013). Plimura vulgaris doesnt ask much in terms of its
environment. Mainly, it needs sunlight to grow with a moist but well drained soil. In this lab,
Primula vulgaris will be dissected. Observations of the plant structure and its specialized cell
will be noted down and will be used to understand how its used to maintain itself in the
environment.
Materials and Methods
The plant Primula vulgaris is needed for it to be observed and dissected. Razor is needed to cut
cross sectional parts of the plant to observe. Tweezers will also come in handy to grab small
pieces. Toluidine Blue O is also needed to stain different cell types with different colors. This is
used to identify parenchyma cells and treachery elements of the xylem. Nail polish is also used
on parts of the leaf to observe the stomata on the leaf. Iodine solution is also used to stain parts

of the plan to identify starch and storage tissue. In addition, microscope will also be crucial in
identifying the different cells from the dissected plant parts.
Result and Discussions
Leaf

Flower

Observation

Observation

Root

Leaf tip is classified as an

- Stigma in the middle
Obtuse.
- Anthers are in pairs of 2
Leaf edges are finely dentate
- Flower inflorescence type is raceme
Leaf outline is obovate
Surface area of the leaf is large
for more efficiency in photosynthesis
Leaf is about 3 inches long

Flower (diff view)

Observation
-

Observation

Root hair are present

- Anther is located below the stigma
Xylem is situated in the middle
Phloem is situated by the xylem

Structure & Functions

Stomata are pores found in the epidermis of leaves and are used to control gas exchange. The
pore is guarded by parenchyma cells for regulating the size of its opening. Air containing carbon
dioxide and oxygen goes through these pores and these gases in turns are used for the plant
photosynthetic activity. In Primula vulgaris, parts of its leaf were coated with nail polish to make
the stomata observable under microscope. It is found that more stomata were observed on the
bottom side of the leaf compared to the top of the leaf. In addition, most of the stomata were
observed to be closed.
Xylem is one of the two types of transport tissue in vascular plants. Its function is to transport
water and nutrients. Xylem was identified in the roots of the plant by using Phloroglucinol-HCL
stain.
Phloem is the other type of transport tissue in vascular plants. It is the living tissue that carries
organic nutrients in particular sucrose or sugar to all parts of the plants. Phloem was identified in
the roots of the plant by using Toluidine blue 0.

Flower/Pollen Morphology

The flowers of Primula Vulgaris is clustered in a type of inflorescence called raceme which
means that the flower have short floral stalks and are organized closely together. The stalks of the
leaf are also independent of the flower. The pollen is round shaped and clear. In addition, the
grains are single. Apperture such as furrows or pores were absent or very hard to see.

References
Volkova PA, Schanzer IA, Meschersky IV. (2013). Colour polymorphism in common
primores(primula vulgaris Huds.): many colours-many species. Plants Systematics and
Evolution. 299(6): 1075-1087.
Valdes A, Garcia D. (2013). Recruitment Limitations in Primula Vulgaris in a fragmented
landscape. Basic and Applied Ecology. 14(7): 565-573.