Cystolith (Gr. "cavity" and "stone") is a
botanical term for the
inorganic concretions, usually of
calcium carbonate, formed in a
cellulose matrix in special
cells, generally in the
leaf of
plants of certain families, e.g.
Ficus elastica, the Indian rubber plant of the family
Moraceae. Plants in the family
Urticaceae, also known as
Stinging Nettles, also form leaf cystoliths, but only during their later flowering and seed setting stages.
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