New approach for raphide crystals in some orchids

Crystals are stored in different forms in plants' vegetative and reproductive organs. One of these storage forms is raphide crystals, frequently encountered in monocots. Plants have developed effective methods of using these crystals to their advantage. In addition, raphide reveals morphological differences in different plant groups and shows taxonomically usable characters. In our study, raphide crystals found in tuber and root structures of some orchids were examined. Elemental analysis (EDS) was carried out to determine the elemental content of the raphides studied. In addition, a detailed examination of the raphide crystals was carried out using electron microscopy. The analyses included comparisons of length, width, aspect ratio and surface area. Differences in the hill and edge structures of the raphide crystals were also determined. Detailed studies of raphide crystals, especially the hill and edge structures, will contribute to the emergence of important characters.