Trichome
Definition
A hair-like or scale-like epidermal outgrowth. Trichome morphology is highly variable between species and families, making it one of the most reliable surface characters for class-level identification of plant fragments.
Related terms
- Cuticle
- The waxy, polymer layer covering the outer surface of leaf epidermal cells. It protects against water loss and herbivory but, forensically, it...
- Parenchyma
- Thin-walled, roughly spherical or elongated cells that form the bulk of soft plant tissues, including the leaf mesophyll. They are the most...
- Sclerenchyma
- A plant tissue composed of thick-walled, lignified cells including fibres and stone cells (sclereids). Sclerenchyma cells are physically resistant to digestion and...
- Tracheid
- The primary water-conducting and mechanical cell of softwoods (conifers). Elongated, pointed at both ends, and lacking a perforation plate: water passes through...
- Vessel element
- A wider, shorter water-conducting cell found in hardwoods (flowering plants). Vessel elements join end-to-end through perforations to form vessels. Their arrangement, diameter,...
Explained in
- Plant Anatomy and Morphology for IdentificationA hair-like or scale-like epidermal outgrowth. Trichome morphology is highly variable between species and families, making it one of the most reliable surface...