@article{b06f84e7e5384fd9b72c20a51b87acb7,
title = "Light and SEM observation of opal phytoliths in the mulberry leaf",
abstract = "Biogenic mineral deposits 25-100 μm in diameter were observed by microscopic examination of the leaf of mulberry (Morus alba) 'Ichinose'. Using chemical mapping with scanning electron microscope, the deposits were determined to be opal phytoliths, composed largely of biogenic silica. Phytoliths varied in diameter and were distributed heterogeneously within a leaf. Many phytoliths were observed in close proximity to small veins. Phytolith growth in the mulberry leaf proceeds by deposition of silicon compounds transferred via the network of cell walls.",
keywords = "Microfossil, Microscopy, Mulberry, Opal phytolith",
author = "O. Tsutsui and R. Sakamoto and M. Obayashi and S. Yamakawa and T. Handa and D. Nishio-Hamane and I. Matsuda",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported as part of the Super Science High School program of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan and partly performed using a facility at the Synchrotron Radiation Research Organization, the University of Tokyo. The authors acknowledge T. Kanai, H. Arai, K. Yano, K. Suminokura, and H. Matsushita for assisting with polarizing microscopy. The authors thank M. Hattori and K. Hasegawa for initiating the research and M. Mochizuki for revising the English in the manuscript. The authors appreciate Kaori Takeuchi for her experimental support for the SEM observation. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2015 The Authors.",
year = "2016",
doi = "10.1016/j.flora.2015.11.006",
language = "English",
volume = "218",
pages = "44--50",
journal = "Flora: Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants",
issn = "0367-2530",
publisher = "Urban und Fischer Verlag Jena",
}