Abstract: In order to reveal the difference of leaf anatomical structure characteristics between Amomum villosum and Amomum tsao-ko, the nail polish and the ultrathin slice methods were used to study the leaves. The results showed that the leaves of the two species were very similar in the distribution of stomatal organs, the structure of stomatal organs, the structure of leaf cross section, and the ultramicrostructure of mesophyll cells, but there were differences in the number of stomatal organs, the size of stomatal organs, the structure of chloroplasts, and the nutrients stored in mesophyll cells： The upper and lower epidermal stomata of Amomum tsao-ko leaves were larger than those of Amomum villosum leaves; the number of stomata in the upper and lower epidermis of the leaves of Amomum villosum was higher than that in the leaves of Amomum tsao-ko; the differentiation of palisade tissue and spongy tissue was not obvious in the leaves of Amomum villosum, but the differentiation of palisade tissue and spongy tissue was more obvious in the leaves of Amomum tsao-ko, and the palisade tissue was more orderly and regular; the chloroplasts of Amomum villosum contained starch grains and osmophilic granules, and the cytoplasm contained endophytes. The chloroplasts of Amomum tsao-ko leaves contained lipid droplets.

Key words: Amomum villosum Lour, Amomum tsao-ko Crevost et Lemaire, anatomical structure of leaves