Patterns of leaf surface wetness in some important medicinal and aromatic plants of Western Himalaya

The present study aims at investigating the role of leaf morphological features and their relation to leaf surface wettability for important medicinal and aromatic plants of Western Himalaya. The surface features related to leaf wettability were studied in 30 plant species representing 21 different families growing under open and shade conditions. The leaf surfaces with the highest density of trichomes and stomata per unit area were found to be the least wettable, regardless of condition type. Most of the species of both conditions were hypostomatic, and per unit area concentration of stomata contributes more than stomatal size to stomatal area index. Leaf surfaces of open condition species were more water repellent with higher stomatal density, and had lower water droplet retention than shade species. It is suggested that leaf morphological features (stomata and trichome) had a strong influence in reducing the leaf area with surface moisture, which could be correlated with the frequency and duration of leaf wettability in a given condition.