Abstract: Cyperus pangorei is a sedge extensively and exclusively used in silk mat weaving. It is a plant that grows along river banks and canals in rice fields and is considered as a weed, expect for its use in silk mat weaving. The objective of the present study was to analyze the chemical composition and wax micro morphology on the culms (stems) of Cyperus pangorei to decipher its role in silky texture of the mats and to know the abundance of waxes that may find use in commercial applications. Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) and GC-MS studies revealed several new chemical entities and their accumulation as cuticular wax layers. The analysis of components and morphological features of epicuticular waxes have provided information on four different classes of waxes and one very long chain wax ester-nona-hexacontanoic acid ester (C69). The epicuticular waxes determined in this sedge also form first of its kind in Cyperaceae. The wax morphologies observed over the culm do not vary among the different culm regions. Wax morphologies such as thick amorphous film, fissured layers, thick crusts, platelets with orthorhombic symmetry and granules were observed.
Subscribe Today 
