“Sticky invasion” – the physical properties of Plantago lanceolata L. seed mucilage

• Agnieszka Kreitschitz,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1918–1927, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.183

• water loss from the cellulose mucilage was more rapid. The obtained different values can result from the presence of cellulose fibrils and their interaction with pectins in the mucilage. Because of this feature the mucilage of P. lanceolata may represent a more regularly ordered and stabile system than

• mucilage against loss from the seed surface. Keywords: adhesion; cellulose mucilage; desiccation; friction; Plantago lanceolata; Introduction The ability of seeds and fruits (diaspores) to form mucilage after hydration is known as myxospermy [1][2]. The mucilaginous diaspores are particularly

• composed mainly of pectins is described as pectic type ("true slime") and is typical of, e.g., Linaceae, Plantaginaceae and Poaceae seeds [1][12]. Often mucilage possesses an additional cellulose skeleton and is then classified as cellulose mucilage, characteristic of taxa from many diverse families like