Grassland: Marram Grass - Leaf (TS)

Marram Grass has the ability to roll and unroll its leaves. This is controlled by the amount of water absorbed by specialised epidermal cells at the base of each indentation.

The cost of having stomata deeply sunken inside a rolled leaf is that it limits diffusion of carbon dioxide into the leaves for photosynthesis. As a result, such plants are slow growing.

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Examine the cross-section of this Marram Grass leaf. Note how the leaf is rolled.

Inner region

Vascular bundle

Inner epidermis

Outer epidermis