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Volume 14
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10.3390/plants14152377
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Histological Features Detected for Separation of the Edible Leaves of Allium ursinum L. from the Poisonous Leaves of Convallaria majalis L. and Colchicum autumnale L

by
Márta M-Hamvas
1,*,
Angéla Tótik
1,2,
Csongor Freytag
1,3,
Attila Gáspár
4,
Amina Nouar
1,
Tamás Garda
1 and
Csaba Máthé
1
1
Plant Cell and Developmental Biology Research Group, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem Tér 1, H4032 Debrecen, Hungary
2
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei Körút 98, H4032 Debrecen, Hungary
3
One Health Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei Krt. 98, Theoretical Building, 6th Floor, H4032 Debrecen, Hungary
4
Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem Tér 1, H4032 Debrecen, Hungary
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2025, 14(15), 2377; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152377 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 3 June 2025 / Revised: 10 July 2025 / Accepted: 25 July 2025 / Published: 1 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microscopy and Histochemistry in Plant Structural and Functional Analysis)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Allium ursinum (wild garlic) has long been collected and consumed as food and medicine in the north temperate zone, where its popularity is growing. Colchicum autumnale and Convallaria majalis contain toxic alkaloids. Their habitats overlap, and without flowers, their vegetative organs are similar. Confusing the leaves of Colchicum or Convallaria with the leaves of wild garlic has repeatedly led to serious human and animal poisonings. Our goal was to find a histological characteristic that makes the separation of these leaves clear. We compared the anatomy of foliage leaves of these three species grown in the same garden (Debrecen, Hungary, Central Europe). We used a bright-field microscope to characterize the transversal sections of leaves. Cell types of epidermises were compared based on peels and different impressions. We established some significant differences in the histology of leaves. The adaxial peels of Allium consist of only “long” cells without stomata, but the abaxial ones show “long”, “short” and “T” cells with wavy cell walls as a peculiarity, and stomata. Convallaria and Colchicum leaves are amphystomatic, but in the case of Allium, they are hypostomatic. These traits were confirmed with herbarium specimens. Our results help to clearly identify these species even in mixed, dried plant material and may be used for diagnostic purposes.
Keywords: Allium ursinum; Convallaria majalis; Colchicum autumnale; medicinal plants; epidermal peel; epidermal impression; plant identification; poisonous plants; wild garlic Allium ursinum; Convallaria majalis; Colchicum autumnale; medicinal plants; epidermal peel; epidermal impression; plant identification; poisonous plants; wild garlic

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MDPI and ACS Style

M-Hamvas, M.; Tótik, A.; Freytag, C.; Gáspár, A.; Nouar, A.; Garda, T.; Máthé, C. Histological Features Detected for Separation of the Edible Leaves of Allium ursinum L. from the Poisonous Leaves of Convallaria majalis L. and Colchicum autumnale L. Plants 2025, 14, 2377. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152377

AMA Style

M-Hamvas M, Tótik A, Freytag C, Gáspár A, Nouar A, Garda T, Máthé C. Histological Features Detected for Separation of the Edible Leaves of Allium ursinum L. from the Poisonous Leaves of Convallaria majalis L. and Colchicum autumnale L. Plants. 2025; 14(15):2377. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152377

Chicago/Turabian Style

M-Hamvas, Márta, Angéla Tótik, Csongor Freytag, Attila Gáspár, Amina Nouar, Tamás Garda, and Csaba Máthé. 2025. "Histological Features Detected for Separation of the Edible Leaves of Allium ursinum L. from the Poisonous Leaves of Convallaria majalis L. and Colchicum autumnale L" Plants 14, no. 15: 2377. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152377

APA Style

M-Hamvas, M., Tótik, A., Freytag, C., Gáspár, A., Nouar, A., Garda, T., & Máthé, C. (2025). Histological Features Detected for Separation of the Edible Leaves of Allium ursinum L. from the Poisonous Leaves of Convallaria majalis L. and Colchicum autumnale L. Plants, 14(15), 2377. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152377

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