Abstract:Anatomical structure of adhesive disc of three species of Parthenocissus were observed by using paraffin slice method. The results showed that the characters of adhesive disc, including the parts of adhesive disc enlargement, absorption model, tendril length and stipule, could be used as taxonomy basis for Parthenocissus. Adhesive disc of all the three species was composed of epidermis, cortex, and vascular cylinder, the anticlinal wall of epidermal cells without adhesion in adhesive disc was thickened, and the cells of adhesive disc had stratum corneum. Adhesive disc enlargement mainly was caused by vascular cylinder enlargment, not by epidermis cells. There were many crystals in cells of cortical layer without adhesion. Vascular cylinder of adhesive disc turned into vascular bundles while adhesive disc enlarged, and the active stage of vascular cambium was short. The adhesive disc of the three species of Parthenocissus was composed of several layers of finger cells developed from the epidermis cells and cortical cells dedifferentiation.
