Trichodiadema setuliferum bud in bladder cells
Author: Ivan Lätti
Photographer: Thabo Maphisa
The specialised water-storing cells, also known as bladder cells, glisten on the sepal surfaces of this Trichodiadema setuliferum plant. Such cells are found on leaf and sepal surfaces of several species in the genus. In the case of T. setuliferum the cells end in a distinct point. Catching sunlight the sparkling suggests the presence of crystals.
The distribution of this plant lies in the interior of the Eastern Cape in the eastern Karoo (Smith, et al, 1998).