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.
- Definition
- Hair-like or scale-like epidermal outgrowth on plants
- Variability
- Highly variable between species and families
- Forensic use
- Class-level identification of plant fragments
- Field
- Plant anatomy and morphology
Common questions
Why are trichomes considered a reliable identification feature compared to other plant tissue?+
Their shape, branching pattern, and density are under strong genetic control and survive fragmentation and some degradation better than softer tissue, so a small plant fragment can often still be assigned to a family or genus by trichome morphology alone.
Can trichome examination identify a plant fragment down to the species level?+
Usually not by itself. Trichome morphology is most reliable for narrowing identification to class level such as family or genus, and species-level confirmation typically needs additional anatomical or molecular evidence.
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