Staining Starch with Iodine Solution

Starch is important material in plant tissues, especially for storage tissues. Starches from different plant resources or tissues vary in morphology, content, and physicochemical properties. Starch and iodine can bind specifically to present the shapes and sizes of starch granules in plant tissues. Here, we describe some methods for staining starch in leaf, pollen grain, and starchy seeds with iodine solution. In addition, the isolated starch can also be stained with iodine solution to exhibit its shape and size.