Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) has epidermal bladder cells and exhibits characteristics of a facultative halophyte.

ABSTRACT: While epidermal bladder cells (EBCs) have been well documented in quinoa, their presence in spinach has not been previously reported. Spinach is traditionally classified as a glycophyte but our previous and current results strongly suggest otherwise. In this study, we compared two quinoa with two spinach cultivars grown under low (2 dS m⁻¹) and high (25 dS m⁻¹) irrigation-water salinities. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), we demonstrated that spinach has EBCs that accumulate mostly Cl, followed by K, and to a lesser extent Na, while quinoa EBCs showed no detectable Na signal. Morphologically, quinoa EBCs have single-celled stalks while spinach EBCs have multicellular stalks; both feature globular heads approximately 150 µm in d

SUBMITTER: Vieira CB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12727796 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature