Abstract: Aided by the techniques of thin and ultrathin sectioning and electron microscopy, the characteristic of structures in the cortical cells of Gastrodia elata was further investigated after infection of Armillaria mellea. It was found that the “hyphal coils”, observed with light microscope, in the cortical cells of G. elata were saccate structures deriv- ed from the cytoplasm of cortical cells and enclosed hyphae. And the cell walls of hyphae were digested in these sacs. Then, these hyphae without cell wall were cut into protoplast fragments in inner-most cortical cells. The results indicated that the cortical cells of G. elata possess digestive function.

Key words: Gastrodia elata, Armillaria mellea, Infection, Cortical cell