. |
| The difference between these two is nothing more than an ability to
cope with crystals of ice, within the plant cell. . |
|
The cell of a winter hardy plant possesses a porous membrane,
that allows the cell to shed water during the cold weather season. In the cell remains
thus a high concentration of sugars, and therefore has now a lower freezing-point. |
The plant cell (A) displayed here, is one from a plant, not able
to withstand cold conditions. The plasma membrane is situated close to the cell's walls.
|
|
|
The membrane of the non-winter-hardy plant is relatively
watertight, so the water remains and will freeze. This will create the ice-crystals in the
whole of the cell, thus breaking the plasma-membrane and destroying the other parts of the
cell (B). |
| The winter hardy plant cell protects itself against frost. As the cold
weather approaches, it secretes water trough its menbrane-walls. Inside the cell remains a
concentrated level of sugar, so reducing freezing-point. The water removed from the cell,
remains around but outside those cells. There it freezes, but whwn thaw sets in, the cells
will not be destroyed, but are only deformed a little. |
| . |
'Gelderse Fuchsia Info-site' -
 november
2008 |
|
