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Ultrastructure of Silica Deposits in Higher Plants

  • Chapter
Silicon and Siliceous Structures in Biological Systems

Abstract

The element silicon enters plants as a component of water-soluble monosilicic acid, Si(OH)4 (Barber and Shone, 1966), which is transported subsequently through the root, stem, and leaves. In any of these organs, polymerization to the solid, hydrated oxide SiO2 · nH2O, known as opaline silica or as silica gel (Kaufman et al, 1970), may occur at tissue sites, frequently in close proximity to the transpiration stream (Frey-Wyssling, 1930) in diverse groups of vascular plants ranging from the horsetails, representing the Pteridophyta, to many families of flowering plants in the Spermatophyta. This chapter includes a selective review of the literature on silicification emphasizing anatomical and ultrastructural aspects of the process.

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Authors
  1. A. G. Sangster
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  2. D. W. Parry
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Hartford, West Hartford, Connecticut, 06117, USA

    Tracy L. Simpson

  2. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California, 92093, USA

    Benjamin E. Volcani

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Sangster, A.G., Parry, D.W. (1981). Ultrastructure of Silica Deposits in Higher Plants. In: Simpson, T.L., Volcani, B.E. (eds) Silicon and Siliceous Structures in Biological Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5944-2_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5944-2_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-5946-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-5944-2

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