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Abstract
This study describes the leaf morphology and anatomy of the xerohalophyte Tamarix laxa Willd. collected from natural populations of the Almaty region (Kerbulak gorge, Ili district) inhabiting saline sandy–gravelly sites. Samples were fixed using the Strasburger–Flemming method (ethanol:glycerol:water = 1:1:1); transverse leaf sections were prepared with a freezing microtome (TOS-2) at 10–15 µm thickness. Microscopic observations were performed by light microscopy; linear measurements were taken with an ocular micrometer and the data were processed statistically. Leaves were glabrous; the epidermis was single-layered with a well-developed cuticle. Stomata were mainly confined to the abaxial surface, indicating a hypostomatic leaf type. The thickness of the upper epidermis cells was 14.8±1.7 µm and the lower epidermis 10.2±1.81 µm. The mesophyll was differentiated into palisade and spongy parenchyma of an isolateral/central type, 2–3 layers thick; palisade cell thickness was 23.5±0.4 µm and spongy parenchyma 27.1±1.08 µm. Water-storage tissues were observed in the abaxial epidermal region and within the palisade zone; solitary idioblasts and clusters of secretory cells occurred among the assimilatory parenchyma. Vascular bundles were surrounded by a two-layer chlorenchymatous sheath, with partially succulent cells concentrated around the conducting tissues. Salt accumulation was recorded in marginal leaf cells and salt crystals were observed on the leaf surface; dehydration may cause detachment or rupture of these cells, facilitating removal of excess salts and representing an important adaptive mechanism. Overall, the presence of water-storing structures and salt-secretion traits confirms a succulent xeromorphic leaf syndrome that supports gas exchange with minimal water loss and contributes to population persistence under arid and saline conditions.