Abstract: Microscopic research has been made with cv. Huaizhi of litchi (Litchi chineasis Sonn. ) , using 7022LH (Leica 7022 histeresin embedding kit) plastic embedding and half2thin slice2up techniques. Ovary and pericarp collected before and after anthesis served as materials. The exocarp was the outermost layer consisting of uniseriate epidermis , cuticle on the epidermis and in the tubercles , and parenchyma cells in the epidermis of the crackles. The mesocarp, being the main body of a pericarp , contained sclerenchyma , upper-mesocarp and lowermesocarp. The endocarp was composed of unsuberized small and thin-walled epidermal cells. Cell division in the pericarp proceeded mainly during the period prior to anthesis , and continued after anthesis while the dates of cessation were different in endocarp , mesocarp and exocarp ; the cell division in the lower mesocarp ceased as early as about 19 days , that in the upper mesocarp ceased about 32 days , and that in the endocarp and the epicarp in the crackles ceased about 47 days after anthesis. Cell expansion in the pericarp exhibited roughly a single sigmoid pat2tern , with some differences for different parts of tissues and different types of cells.

Key words: Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn. ), Pericarp development, Cytology