Environmental Pollution and Leaf Cuticular Variations in Newbouldia laevis Seem. ex Bureau

Matured leaves of Newbouldia laevis were randomly collected from polluted and non-polluted habitats in two areas of Edo state. Microscopic examination of their epidermis revealed that the stomatal apertures in leaves from polluted habitats were closed while those from non-polluted habitats were opened. Also, epidermal cell aberrations and erosion were noticed in polluted specimens while the non-polluted specimens had normal tissue arrangements. Leaves from both populations were hypostomatic consisting of anisocytic stomatal type. The frequency of stomata for polluted and non-polluted samples was estimated to be 66.6 and 25.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the polluted population had an average leaf area of 54.98 cm2 while the non-polluted population had 126.36 cm2. It was suggested that foliar morphology of Newbouldia laevis could serve as a Phytometer to gauge the effects of air pollutants on the environment.