Abstract: Cytochemical and ultrastructural studies indicated that compound spherical bodies observed near the sieve plate in the sieve tube members during the period of cambial dormancy in the shoots of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. were polysaccharide bodies different from the polysaccharide grains in other parenchyma cells in shoots, and were similar to cell walls in their staining properties. The compound spherical bodies occurred in the sieve elements during the period of cambial rest and disappeared in the sieve elements during the period of cambial quiescence and activity.

Key words: ultrastructure, polysaccharide grains, sieve tube member, dormancy, Eucommia ulmoides