Morphological Comparison on the Leaf Epidermis and Glandular Hairs in 11 Medical Plants from Labiatae

[Objective] The purpose of the study was to lay a foundation for distinguishing labiatae plants on the basis of the morphological characters of leaf epidermis and glandular hairs.[Method] Eleven familiar medial plants from labiatae were selected,their morphological characters of leaf epidermis and glandular hairs were observed by scanning electron microscope and compared.[Result] There was a moderately thick cuticle covering the surface of leaf epidermis cells and it had striped texture to different degrees.The lower epidermis cells were smaller than the upper epidermis cells.There were stomata,glandular hairs and non-glandular hairs on leaf epidermis and that on the lower leaf epidermis were more than that on the upper leaf epidermis.The stomata varied from circular to ellipse,the cuticle covering the surface of subsidiary cell often bulged to be bracteal.There was striped texture around stomata and it was often radial with stomata as center.There were branches on non-glandular hairs or not and the striped cuticle textures on their bases were radial or crossing.The glandular hairs were peltate or capitate and the shape,sizes,densities and capitulum numbers of glandular hairs had obvious difference.[Conclusion] The study supplied new basis for the glassification and utilization of medical plants from labiatae.