Observations on Variations in Tendrils: Contributions from Cucurbitaceae

A comparative study of the morphological and anatomical features of tendrils of eight economically important genera of Cucurbitaceae: Coccinia, Cucumis, Cucurbita, Lagenaria, Luffa, Momordica, Telfairia and Zehneria was carried out. The study showed distinct variations in budding, stomatal size and arrangement and branching pattern. Scanning electron microscope and light microscopic studies of tips and strips of tendrils of Telfairia species revealed several anomalous features such as giant and contiguous stomata. The species studied were observed to exhibit variations that ranged from single unbranched tendrils in Momordica and Zehneria to three to four multiple tendril-branching patterns in Luffa. These variations may be employed in the elucidation of the morphological origin of tendrils. The observation of a bud at the bifurcation between two branches of a tendril of Telfairia Hooker is remarkable in respect of the nature of tendrils.