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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Whole-mount Clearing and Staining of Arabidopsis Flower Organs and Siliques
Published on: April 12, 2018
The use of an optical brightener in the study of plant structure
Abstract:
An optical brightener Calcoflour White M2R New has been used to stain cell walls of higher plants. It can be used either as a vital stain for intact plants or for hand sections and plastic-embedded thin sections. Walls are brilliantly fluorescent while most cytoplasmic components are normally unstained. The brightener binds strongly to cellulose, carboxylated polysaccharides, and callose. Staining for 20 sec to 2 min in a 0.01% solution of the brightener is preferred for most purposes.
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