Calcium Oxalate Phytoliths from Wild Rose (Rosa nutkana) leaves
This is one of the rhomboid habits of whewellite from the leaves of wild rose (Rosa nutkana). These phytoliths were collected by digesting wild rose leaves in sodium hypochlorite solution (Bleach).
Transmitted Circular Polarized Light Illumination
2. Franceschi, Vincent R. and Harry T. Horner Jr., "Calcium oxalate crystals in plants", THE BOTANICAL REVIEW, vol. 46, No. 4, Oct-Dec 1980, pp. 361-427.
3. Piperno, Dolores R., PHYTOLITHS, AltaMira Press, 2006.
4. Rapp, George Jr. and Susan C. Mulholland (eds), PHYTOLITH SYSTEMATICS, Plenum Press, 1992.
5. Madella, M., A. Alexandre, and T Ball, "International Code for Phytolith nomenclature 1.0", ANNALS OF BOTANY, 2005,available on line at http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/mci172v1
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoliths
Definition/Function:
KINGDOM: Plantae UNRANKED: Angiosperms UNRANKED: Eudicots UNRANKED: Rosids ORDER: rosales FAMILY: Rosaceae GENUS: Rosa SPECIES: nutkana
Calcium oxalate phytoliths of wild rose are whewellite, CaC2O4-H2O. They commonly form in prisms and druse crystals or aggregates.Significance in the Environment:
This form or whewellite crystal habit is near an optic axis view.Characteristic Features:
Whewellite is monoclinic with a beta angle of 107 degrees. The ratio of the cell parameters is 0.862 : 1 : 1.371, a:b:c. "b" = 7.29 Angstroms. The refractive indices are 1.490, 1.553, and 1.650 for a birefringence of 0.160. Whewellite is optically positive with a 2V of about 84 degrees.
The angles here are 80 and 100 degrees approximately. One of the optic axes is visible with the Bertrand Lens when viewed with an NA of 0.65.
Associated Particles:
References:
1. Blinnikov, Mikhail, "Phytoliths in plants and soils of the interior Pacific Northwest, USA", REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY & PALYNOLOGY, vol. 135, pp. 71-98, 20052. Franceschi, Vincent R. and Harry T. Horner Jr., "Calcium oxalate crystals in plants", THE BOTANICAL REVIEW, vol. 46, No. 4, Oct-Dec 1980, pp. 361-427.
3. Piperno, Dolores R., PHYTOLITHS, AltaMira Press, 2006.
4. Rapp, George Jr. and Susan C. Mulholland (eds), PHYTOLITH SYSTEMATICS, Plenum Press, 1992.
5. Madella, M., A. Alexandre, and T Ball, "International Code for Phytolith nomenclature 1.0", ANNALS OF BOTANY, 2005,available on line at http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/mci172v1
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoliths
