COMPARISON OF EPICUTICULAR WAX ON NEEDLES AND STEMS OF Pinus eldarica WITH ITS TWO NATURALLY GENERATED FORMS

Plant cuticles are covered by epicuticular waxes with considerable ultrastructural and chemical diversity and have great systematic significance. Pinus elderica is a rare pine found naturally only in desert environment southeast of Tbilisi (Georgia). This tree have been probably introduced to Iran about 800 years ago and gradually altered in both shape and size in Nashtifan-Khaf, and changed into two forms of conical and ball-shaped with smaller stature, which are known as these names. This study, was conducted on wax and cuticle micromorphological features of aforesaid pines needles and stems. SEM results showed that, stem and epistomatal chambers surface was covered with tubular wax crystalloids in all three pines. The abaxial surface of needles, covered by amorphous or layers wax structures, was different in ball-shaped pine with others.