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Hi everyone, my bio teacher wants to know is there any thing else we can use to make slides for showing xylem and phloem other than celery . I think she needs a change ... don't we all ,cheers Sue

Hi Sue the only thing I can think of is spinach stalk or rhubarb but you could not pick up eiosen stain in rhubarb!
Cheers Graeme

Thanks Graeme - I'll give them a try

I asked my Bio teacher. She just buys prepared slides.
Science Supply Australia (ph. 1300 857 544, web. http://www.chemtalk.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=451) have a good range of monocots, dicot stem ts's for about $7.50 each
Regards,
Ian

Thanks Ian ,yes they're good. They will look at those but they also make their own. cheers Sue

Hi Sue... you can also use stems of coleus, geranium, wandering Jew, Impatiens and squash. Just make sure that its newer growth... woody not good. I have heard that privet can also be used, but I think thats toxic (and noxious!)

Hi Sue,

We use bok choy instead of celery. It comes in twos from the supermarket & & I put one in eosin & the other in methylene blue.

Give it a try - it's softer than celery making it easier for the students to get a thinner section & the methylene blue shows the phloem structures better than the eosin.

regards
Judy

Thanks for all these great suggestions - will use

Hi, we use nasturtium stems. If you cut them on a 45 degree angle you see the spring shape of the xylem. Water and air bubbles are sometimes visible.
We also use the leaves when testing plants for starch and for printing negatives with silver nitrate. We have some groing near the staff car park, it's very handy.

This sounds great and I usually have a lot of nastursiums in my garden , Thanks