The objective of the present work is to make a study of leaf anatomy through optic microscopy and eletronic microscopy of scanning in Mentha spicata L. and Mentha spicata X suaveolens, characterizing the leaf blade histology. Cross and paradermic sections of the leaf, showed the presence of uniseriate epidermal cells covered by a fine cuticle layer, presenting gland trichomes of multicellular type capitate and peltate and no gland trichomes, not ramified. The mesophyll of both species mantain with uniseriate palisade parenchyma only in high epidermal, prolonged cells, and rich in cytoplasmic inclusions. Lacunary parenchyma is formed by 3 to 4 layers of irregular cells. The capitate trichomes are classified as type I they presented with a basal, a pedunculary and a great apical cell, whose format varies from circular to periform. Peltate trichomes consist of a basal cell, a short, wide and unicellular stalk cell, with cutinized external walls and one great multicellular head with 12 secretory cells distributed in two concentrical circles. The trunk has 4 cells and the external one 8 cells, which accumulate the product of the secretion in a cavity between cuticle and the secretor cells, as the foot of glandular trichomes is inserted in 11 epidermal cells. There is a predominance of capitate trichomes in relation to peltate trichomes in both species of Mentha.
Mentha; trichomes; leaf anatomy
