Onion Root Tip Mitosis (Longitudinal Section)
Allium cepa
This longitudinal section of an onion root tip (Allium cepa l.s.) captures the active regions of plant development, providing a classic model for studying somatic mitosis and root tissue zonal architecture. At the distal terminus, a protective root cap shields the apical meristem, which consists of small, densely cytoplasmic, rapidly dividing cells undergoing various stages of the cell cycle, including interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Proximal to the meristematic zone, cells transition into the zone of elongation, where vacuolation drives longitudinal growth and distinct cell walls delineate developing protoderm, ground meristem, and procambium. Stained prominently with iron hematoxylin or acetocarmine, condensed chromatin patterns, aligned equatorial chromosomes, and separated sister chromatids stand out against the surrounding cellular walls.
- Category
- Cell Biology
- Magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Iron Hematoxylin
- Tags
- onion root tip, Allium cepa, mitosis, longitudinal section, apical meristem, root cap, zone of elongation, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, chromatin pattern, chromosomes, procambium, protoderm, ground meristem, plant histology, botanical microtechnique, iron hematoxylin stain, brightfield microscopy, somatic cell division, plant cell wall
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