Hello,
As the question shows, I'm looking for methods, preferably inexpensive and nontoxic, to remove leaf trichomes without damaging the leaf stomata.
I am working with leaves from the woody genus Metrosideros, and I want to make nail-polish molds of the leaf epidermis to view under a light microscope. As the attached image shows, the leaf pubescence varies from short fine hairs to relatively long hairs, yet all are too densely packed to view any stomatal structures.
Without success, I have tried pulling the trichomes off with adhesive tape or nail polish as well as razor shaving. From your experiences dealing with similar leaves, what methods would you suggest?
Thanks,
Gary
Hello Gary,
Try gentel scratching with your nails of the leaf surfaces. I've been working with olive leaves, I used to scratch the leaves with a blade. It worked for me. Good luck
Hi Safia,
Pardon my late reply. While that method will work for some leaves, where the leaf hairs of some samples can even be rubbed off, it would not apply to the leaves above. The trichomes are so small and densely packed that it's like the leaves are covered in felt. Also, my attempts at making nail polish casts have failed because the nail polish gets absorbed into any cut epidermis, making it impossible to remove the dried nail polish casts.
I am now thinking that I need to lightly apply vegetable oil to the shaved epidermis to reduce the nail polish's adherence.
Having the same problem with Quercus geminata. So far no "obvious" approach (scraping, shaving, tape, "wax job") works without ruining the underlying tissue.
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