Research Training Program

I Gusti Raka Panji Tisna
Colorado College
Colorado Springs, CO

Robert Faden, Ph.D.
Department of Botany

"This program provides an important first real taste for undergraduate students of what scientific research is all about."

Plant Anatomy of Stanfieldiella and Polyspatha in the Commelinaceae

This project concentrated on developing a technique that will best reveal the anatomical structures of both adaxial and abaxial layers of leaves from the genera Stanfieldiella and Polyspatha, in the plant family Commelinaceae. It is part of on-going research by Dr. Robert Faden to develop a new system of classification to further regroup the tribe Commelineae based on morphological and anatomical characteristics.

18 slides were prepared of the five species (six individuals) that were assigned and photomicrographs were taken of their epidermal structures. The total amount of photos taken included eight rolls of color slides and three rolls of black and white. In addition, a report was completed on the process of developing the epidermal scrape technique which also contains the different anatomical structures observed in the five species.

This research was supported by a grant from the Educational Outreach Fund.