Timber Bamboo Longitudinal Section

This is an image from a stained standard section of Timber bamboo. It has been stained with safranin and astra blue. Safranin stains the cellulose red and astra blue stains the lignin blue. This shows the skin of the bamboo. The outermost layer of the skin stains dark blue because of its high lignin content. Inside that surface layer is a layer of dense cells that make up the tough outer skin of the bamboo. The concentric layers of the cell walls alternate red and blue as they vary in high and low lignin content. The inner wall around the lumen of these cells tends to be high in lignin content.