# Cystolith

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{{Short description|Mineral formation within a leaf}}
thumb|Cystolith from leaf of ''Ficus elastica''
thumb|Drawing of a cystolith from leaf of ''Ficus elastica''

'''Cystolith''' (Gr. "cavity" and "stone") is a [botanical](/source/botanical) term for outgrowths of the epidermal [cell wall](/source/cell_wall), usually of [calcium carbonate](/source/calcium_carbonate) but sometimes of [silicon dioxide](/source/silicon_dioxide) also, formed in a [cellulose](/source/cellulose) matrix in special [cell](/source/cell_(biology))s called lithocysts, generally in the [leaf](/source/leaf) of [plants](/source/plants).<ref>{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Cystolith|volume=7|page=709}}</ref>

Cystoliths are present in certain [families](/source/Family_(taxonomy)), including in many [genera](/source/Genus) of [Acanthaceae](/source/Acanthaceae). Plants in the family [Urticaceae](/source/Urticaceae), known as [stinging nettle](/source/Urtica_dioica)s, also form leaf cystoliths, but only during their later flowering and seed setting stages. Other examples include [Cannabis](/source/Cannabis) and other plants in the family [Cannabaceae](/source/Cannabaceae), which produce leaf and flower cystoliths, and ''[Ficus elastica](/source/Ficus_elastica)'', the Indian rubber plant of the family [Moraceae](/source/Moraceae). 

From a 1987 article on cystolith development and structure:

{{blockquote|... The cystolith is a spindle-shaped body composed of concentric layers of longitudinally oriented cellulose [microfibril](/source/microfibril)s associated with [pectin](/source/pectin)s and other cell wall polysaccharides. At maturity it is heavily impregnated with calcium carbonate. Some cystoliths also contain silicon and are covered in a sheath of siliceous material. Cystolith formation occurs at the tip of a peg that grows in from the lithocyst wall. Evidence from ultrastructure suggests that the lithocyst cytoplasm transports carbohydrates to the cystolith via [Golgi vesicle](/source/Golgi_apparatus)s, and organizes the deposition of cystolith cellulose microfibrils via a system of [microtubule](/source/microtubule)s lying beneath the plasma membrane that envelopes the growing cystolith. The peg is composed of heavily staining amorphous material like that of an apoplastically sealed cell wall. It is incapable of supporting the migration of lanthanum ions into the cystolith.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Watt, W.M.|author2=Morrell, C.K.|author3=Smith, D.L.|author4=Steer, M.W.|year=1987|title=Cystolith development and structure in Pilea cadierei (Urticaceae)|journal=Annals of Botany|volume=60|issue=1|pages=71–84|url=http://academic.oup.com/aob/article-abstract/60/1/71/251264/Cystolith-Development-and-Structure-in-Pilea|doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a087424|url-access=subscription}}</ref>}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

Category:Cell anatomy
Category:Plant anatomy

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