Micromorphological and phytochemical profiling of Delphinium suave Huth. from Hindukush range, Lower Dir Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan.

This is a very first attempt to study various parameters of a medicinal plant, Delphinium suave Huth. The plant is erect, geophytic, herbaceous, with tuberous root, trifid in a palmatipartite, strigose cuneate leaf and white spurred zygomorphic flower. The root was isodiametric phellem with single non-glandular trichomes. The stem revealed single-layered cuticle, multiseriate epidermis, cortex, pith ray and uniserate bowed non-glandular trichomes. The leaf was amphistomatic, showed tapering trichomes, prismatic crystals and ranunculaceous stomata with circumference 144.66-182.67 µm. Pollen grains in Light Microscopy (LM), were prolate, spheroidal trizonocolpate, isopolar, radiosymmetric, scabrate, elliptic and monads. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) pollen surface was scabrate, monad, size varied from 18.06 to 16.67 µm, colpus to inaperturate, tricolpate, ornamented, echinus, isopolar, isodiametric and circular. SEM roots showed sclerenchymatic tissues, stellate, glandular, non-glandular trichomes and crystals. The stem showed scalariform, pitted vessels, warty protuberances, unicellular, silicified, non-glandular trichomes. Leaves powder revealed, simple, unicellular, tapered headed, uniseriate, sessile, capitate, unbranched glandular, non-glandular, trichomes with crystals. Capitate, stellate, circular, unicellular, branchy trichomes were observed for the first time through SEM. Powder drug study of root, stem leaves through LM revealed different tissues. Preliminary phytochemical revealed alkaloids, anthocyanins, anthraquinones, coumarins, flavones, mucilages, saponins, steroids, terpenoids, volatile oils and proteins. GC/MS showed 36 compounds in roots, 33 in stem while 40 in leaves. Fluorescence analysis of roots, stem and leaves showed variations in color when treated with chemicals. This study will assist pharmacognostic exploration, authentication from adulterants/allied species for consistent quality, resulting in safe use, preservation and efficacy. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: This was first attempt on pharmacognostic study on D. suave Huth. which could be used as a foundation for identifying and authenticating the specie from other allied species by these morphological, anatomical, GC/MS profiling, phytochemical analysis and fluorescence analysis.

Leaf and stem micromorphology of Jacquemontia evolvuloides (Moric.) Meisn. (Convolvulaceae) populations: New insights for taxonomic classification using light and scanning electron microscopy.

Morphoanatomical studies can provide useful and relevant information to support taxonomic groupings. Jacquemontia evolvuloides shows great morphological variability, which has led to numerous taxonomic classifications. To determine if anatomical characters can be used to recognize operational taxonomic units within populations of that species, we analyzed the leaves and stems of 22 populations using light and scanning electron microscopy. The variability of the analyzed characters allowed the grouping of these populations into five morphotypes. The presence of paracytic stomata, laticiferous canals, and stellate trichomes can be considered diagnostic characters of J. evolvuloides. The presence and types of epicuticular waxes, as well as a layer similar to palisade parenchyma in the petioles and stems, the classifications of glandular trichomes, and new types of stomata (anomocytic, anomotetracytic, and brachyparatetracytic) are reported here for the first time for Jacquemontia. The results discussed here help clarify the classification of this species complex and contribute to the taxonomy of Jacquemontia-a genus that has historically been difficult to define due to its wide morphological variation at the species level. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Seven types of epicuticular waxes were identified among J. evolvuloides specimens: granules, threads, entire platelets, coiled rodlets, fissured layers, membranous platelets, and tubules. Six types of trichomes were observed among J. evolvuloides populations: stellate, malpighiaceous, sessile peltate glandular, short pedunculate glandular, stipitate-glandular, and capitate glandular. We observed that six populations of Jacquemontia evolvuloides located in the Brazilian Caatinga domain have unprecedented sessile peltate trichomes restricted to the main leaf midrib, which were only observed under light microscopy.

An automatic method to quantify trichomes in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Trichomes are unicellular or multicellular hair-like appendages developed on the aerial plant epidermis of most plant species that act as a protective barrier against natural hazards. For this reason, evaluating the density of trichomes is a valuable approach for elucidating plant defence responses to a continuous challenging environment. However, previous methods for trichome counting, although reliable, require the use of specialised equipment, software or previous manipulation steps of the plant tissue, which poses a complicated hurdle for many laboratories. Here, we propose a new fast, accessible and user-friendly method to quantify trichomes that overcomes all these drawbacks and makes trichome quantification a reachable option for the scientific community. Particularly, this new method is based on the use of machine learning as a reliable tool for quantifying trichomes, following an Ilastik-Fiji tandem approach directly performed on 2D images. Our method shows high reliability and efficacy on trichome quantification in Arabidopsis thaliana by comparing manual and automated results in Arabidopsis accessions with diverse trichome densities. Due to the plasticity that machine learning provides, this method also showed adaptability to other plant species, demonstrating the ability of the method to spread its scope to a greater scientific community.

Sulfur Induces Resistance against Canker Caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidae via Phenolic Components Increase and Morphological Structure Modification in the Kiwifruit Stems.

Bacterial canker caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) has led to considerable losses in all major kiwifruit-growing areas. There are no commercial products in the market to effectively control this disease. Therefore, the defense resistance of host plants is a prospective option. In our previous study, sulfur could improve the resistance of kiwifruit to Psa infection. However, the mechanisms of inducing resistance remain largely unclear. In this study, disease severity and protection efficiency were tested after applying sulfur, with different concentrations in the field. The results indicated that sulfur could reduce the disease index by 30.26 and 31.6 and recorded high protection efficiency of 76.67% and 77.00% after one and two years, respectively, when the concentration of induction treatments was 2.0 kg/m3. Ultrastructural changes in kiwifruit stems after induction were demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and the accumulation of lignin were determined by biochemical analyses. Our results showed that the morphological characteristics of trichomes and lenticels of kiwifruit stem were in the best defensive state respectively when the sulfur concentration was 3.0 kg/m3 and 1.5 kg/m3. Meanwhile, in the range of 0.5 to 2.0 kg/m3, the sulfur could promote the chloroplast and mitochondria of kiwifruit stems infected with Psa to gradually return to health status, increasing the thickness of the cell wall. In addition, sulfur increased the activities of PAL, POD and PPO, and promoted the accumulation of lignin in kiwifruit stems. Moreover, the sulfur protection efficiency was positively correlated with PPO activity (p < 0.05) and lignin content (p < 0.01), which revealed that the synergistic effect of protective enzyme activity and the phenolic metabolism pathway was the physiological effect of sulfur-induced kiwifruit resistance to Psa. This evidence highlights the importance of lignin content in kiwifruit stems as a defense mechanism in sulfur-induced resistance. These results suggest that sulfur enhances kiwifruit canker resistance via an increase in phenolic components and morphology structure modification in the kiwifruit stems. Therefore, this study could provide insights into sulfur to control kiwifruit canker caused by Psa.

The scarecrow-like transcription factor SlSCL3 regulates volatile terpene biosynthesis and glandular trichome size in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) type VI glandular trichomes that occur on the surface of leaves, stems, young fruits and flowers produce and store a blend of volatile monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. These compounds play important roles in the interaction with pathogens and herbivorous insects. Although the function of terpene synthases in the biosynthesis of volatile terpenes in tomato has been comprehensively investigated, the deciphering of their transcriptional regulation is only just emerging. We selected transcription factors that are over-expressed in trichomes based on existing transcriptome data and silenced them individually by virus-induced gene silencing. Of these, SlSCL3, a scarecrow-like (SCL) subfamily transcription factor, led to a significant decrease in volatile terpene content and expression of the corresponding terpene synthase genes when its transcription level was downregulated. Overexpression of SlSCL3 dramatically increased both the volatile terpene content and glandular trichome size, whereas its homozygous mutants showed reduced terpene biosynthesis. However, its heterozygous mutants also showed a significantly elevated volatile terpene content and enlarged glandular trichomes, similar to the overexpression plants. SlSCL3 modulates the expression of terpene biosynthetic pathway genes by transcriptional activation, but neither direct protein-DNA binding nor interaction with known regulators was observed. Moreover, transcript levels of the endogenous copy of SlSCL3 were decreased in the overexpression plants but increased in the heterozygous and homozygous mutants, suggesting feedback repression of its own promoter. Taken together, our results provide new insights into the role of SlSCL3 in the complex regulation of volatile terpene biosynthesis and glandular trichome development in tomato.

A SNP of HD-ZIP I transcription factor leads to distortion of trichome morphology in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

BACKGROUND: Trichomes are excellent model systems for the analysis of cell differentiation and play essential roles in plant protection. From cucumber inbred line 'WD1', we identified an EMS-induced trichome abnormally developing mutant, nps, which exhibited smaller, denser and no pyramid-shaped head trichomes. RESULTS: Using F2 and BC1 populations constructed from a cross between nps and '9930', the genetic analysis showed that the nps trait is controlled by a single recessive nuclear gene. We identified CsNps by map-based cloning with 576 individuals of the F2 population generated from the cross of nps and inbred line '9930'. The CsNps was located at a 13.4-kb genomic region on chromosome 3, which region contains three predicted genes. Sequence analysis showed that only one single nucleotide mutation (C → T) between 9930 and nps was found in the second exon of Csa3G748220, a plant-specific class I HD-Zip gene. The result of allelism test also indicated that nps is a novel allelic mutant of Mict (Micro-trichome). Thus, nps was renamed mict-L130F. By comparing the transcriptome of mict-L130F vs WD1 and 06-2 (mict) vs 06-1 (wildtype, near-isogenic line of 06-2), several potential target genes that may be related to trichome development were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that Mict-L130F is involved in the morphogenesis of trichomes. Map-based cloning of the Mict-L130F gene could promote the study of trichome development in cucumber.

Introduction, adaptation and characterization of monk fruit (Siraitia grosvenorii): a non-caloric new natural sweetener.

Siraitia grosvenorii, an herbaceous perennial plant, native to the southern parts of China, is commonly used as a low-calorie natural sweetener. It contains cucurbitane-type triterpene glycosides known as mogrosides. The extract from monk fruit is about 300 times sweeter than sucrose. In spite of its immense importance and International demand, Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) is not commercially cultivated outside China since scientific information for cultivation of this species is lacking. Planting material of monk fruit plant was not available in India. Thus, the seeds of monk fruit were introduced in India from China after following International norms. Then the experiments were conducted on different aspects such as seed germination, morphological and anatomical characterization, phenology, flowering and pollination behaviors, and dynamic of mogroside-V accumulation in fruit. The hydropriming at 40 °C for 24 h was found effective to reduce the germination time and to increase the germination rate (77.33%). The multicellular uniseriate trichomes were observed in both the leaf surfaces, however, higher trichomes density was observed in the ventral surface of males compared to females. The microscopic view revealed that the ovary was trilocular (ovary consists three chambers) having two ovules in each chamber or locule. Most of the fruits were globose or oblong type with 5-7 cm in length and 4-7 cm diameter. Mogroside-V content in fruit at 80 days after pollination was 0.69% on dry weight basis. The rate of increase of mogroside-V accumulation from 50 to 70 days was very slow, whereas a sharp increase was observed from 70 to 80 days. The higher receptivity of stigma was observed with fully open flowers. The floral diagram and formula have also been developed for both male and female flowers. Our results highlighted that monk fruit can be grown in Indian conditions.

Analysis and review of trichomes in plants.

BACKGROUND: Trichomes play a key role in the development of plants and exist in a wide variety of species. RESULTS: In this paper, it was reviewed that the structure and morphology characteristics of trichomes, alongside the biological functions and classical regulatory mechanisms of trichome development in plants. The environment factors, hormones, transcription factor, non-coding RNA, etc., play important roles in regulating the initialization, branching, growth, and development of trichomes. In addition, it was further investigated the atypical regulation mechanism in a non-model plant, found that regulating the growth and development of tea (Camellia sinensis) trichome is mainly affected by hormones and the novel regulation factors. CONCLUSIONS: This review further displayed the complex and differential regulatory networks in trichome initiation and development, provided a reference for basic and applied research on trichomes in plants.

The MIXTA-LIKE transcription factor CsMYB6 regulates fruit spine and tubercule formation in cucumber.

Cucumber fruit wart composed of tubercule and spine (trichome on fruit) is not only an important fruit quality trait in cucumber production, but also a well-studied model for plant cell-fate determination. The development of spine is closely related to the initiation and formation of tubercule. The spine differentiation regulator CsGL1 has been proved to be epistatic to the tubercule initiation factor CsTu, which is the only connection to be identified between spine and tubercule formations. Our previous studies found that the MIXTA-LIKE transcription factor CsMYB6 can suppress fruit spine initiation, which is independent of CsGL1. How the formation of spine and tubercule is regulated at the molecular level by CsMYB6 remains poorly understood. In this study, we characterized cucumber 35S:CsMYB6 transgenic plants, which displayed an obvious reduction in the number and size of fruit spines and tubecules. Molecular analyses showed that CsMYB6 directly interacted with the key spine formation factor CsTTG1 in regulating the formation of fruit spine, and CsTu in regulating the initiation of fruit tubercule, respectively. Based on these evidences, a novel regulatory network is proposed by which CsMYB6/CsTTG1 and CsMYB6/CsTu complexes play an important role in regulating epidermal development, including spine formation and tubercule initiation in cucumber.

Transpiration from Tomato Fruit Occurs Primarily via Trichome-Associated Transcuticular Polar Pores.

Nonstomatal water loss by transpiration through the hydrophobic cuticle is ubiquitous in land plants, but the pathways along which this occurs have not been identified. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) provides an excellent system in which to study this phenomenon, as its fruit are astomatous and a major target for desiccation resistance to enhance shelf life. We screened a tomato core collection of 398 accessions from around the world and selected seven cultivars that collectively exhibited the lowest and highest degrees of transpirational water loss for a more detailed study. The transpirational differences between these lines reflected the permeances of their isolated cuticles, but this did not correlate with various measures of cuticle abundance or composition. Rather, we found that fruit cuticle permeance has a strong dependence on the abundance of microscopic polar pores. We further observed that these transcuticular pores are associated with trichomes and are exposed when the trichomes are dislodged, revealing a previously unreported link between fruit trichome density and transpirational water loss. During postharvest storage, limited self-sealing of the pores was detected for certain cultivars, in contrast with the stem scar, which healed relatively rapidly. The abundance of trichome-associated pores, together with their self-sealing capacity, presents a promising target for breeding or engineering efforts to reduce fruit transpirational water loss.

A novel study approach on Scutellaria altissima L. cultivated at the Ghirardi Botanic Garden (Lombardy, Italy).

Within an Open Science project, research was carried out to describe to the public of the Ghirardi Botanic Garden (BS, Lombardy, Italy) the invisible features of plants. This work is dedicated to Scutellaria altissima L. (Lamiaceae). Micromorphological, histochemical and phytochemical investigations were conducted on the vegetative and reproductive organs to correlate the structures involved in the emission of substances and their unique productivity. This work reports volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles of leaves and flowers and the composition of essential oil (EO) obtained from aerial parts of plants cultivated in Italy that have never been described before. Three morphotypes of glandular trichomes were observed: peltate, short-stalked capitate and long-stalked capitate. Peltate trichomes were the main producers of terpenes, short-stalked capitates of polysaccharides and long-stalked capitates of terpenes and polyphenols. The leaf VOC profile showed heterogeneous composition, with non-terpene derivatives as the major chemical class (71.04%), while monoterpene hydrocarbons represented almost the totality of the flower (99.73%). The leaf presented a higher number of total (37 versus 11) and exclusive (33 versus 7) compounds. (Z)-3-Hexenol acetate was most abundant in the leaf and (E)-ß-ocimene in the flower. Four common compounds were detected: ß-pinene, ß-caryophyllene, γ-muurolene and germacrene-D. The EO contaied 21 compounds, dominated by ß-caryophyllene, linalool and hexahydrofarnesyl acetone. This research allowed us to correlate morphotypes of the secretory structures with the production of secondary metabolites, with the aim of providing the public of the Ghirardi Botanic Garden with a dedicated iconographic approach, which accounts for olfactory perception linked to S. altissima.

Gymnosperm glandular trichomes: expanded dimensions of the conifer terpenoid defense system.

Glandular trichomes (GTs) are defensive structures that produce and accumulate specialized metabolites and protect plants against herbivores, pathogens, and abiotic stress. GTs have been extensively studied in angiosperms for their roles in defense and biosynthesis of high-value metabolites. In contrast, trichomes of gymnosperms have been described in fossilized samples, but have not been studied in living plants. Here, we describe the characterization of GTs on young stems of a hybrid white spruce. Metabolite and histological analysis of spruce GTs support a glandular function with accumulation of a diverse array of mono-, sesqui- and diterpenes including diterpene methylesters. Methylated diterpenes have previously been associated with insect resistance in white spruce. Headspeace analysis of spruce GTs showed a profile of volatiles dominated by monoterpenes and a highly diverse array of sesquiterpenes. Spruce GTs appear early during shoot growth, prior to the development of a lignified bark and prior to accumulation of terpenes in needles. Spruce GTs may provide an early, terpene-based chemical defense system at a developmental stage when young shoots are particularly vulnerable to foliage and shoot feeding insects, and before the resin duct system characteristic of conifers has fully developed.

Light and scanning electron microscopy-based foliar micro morphological tools for the identification of fodder grass taxa.

Fertile plain of Central Punjab Pakistan is rich with fodder grasses and from centuries the local inhabitants of this area have been using their regional grasses for ruminant feeding. However, they always faced difficulties in identification because of their overlapping vernacular names, more or less identical leaf shapes, indefinite variations in stem branching pattern, and reduced floral parts. Hence, the current study has provided a detailed and comprehensive micro-morphological analysis of 53 ethnobotanical fodder grass taxa. A variety of quantitative and qualitative leaf epidermal micromorphological traits was studied and results reported epidermal characters like stomatal index, silica bodies, prickles, microhairs, hook cells as most diagnostic in delimitation of species, and genera. As stomatal index was 79% in Poa annua while in its closely related species Poa infirmai was 85%. Similarly, Cenchrus ciliaris can be differentiated from Cenchrus pennisetiformis on the basis of silica body shape as butterfly shaped in former and dumbbell shaped in later one. Moreover, prickles were present in Chrysopogon aucheri while absent in Chrysopogon zizanioides. Hence, overall this study declared that diversity and variations in foliar micromorphological characters are valuable and supportive in the identification of grasses at the specific and generic level.

Foliar micromorphology and its role in identification of the Apocynaceae taxa.

In the present study, we evaluate the importance of foliar epidermal micromorphological characteristics of Apocyanaceae for accurate identification and classification. The species were collected from the University of Peshawar's main campus in the spring season to observe its qualitative and quantitative features. The length and width of guard cells, stomatal pore and subsidiary cells, trichomes, and crypts on both sides of the leaf were examined. Many species were observed to be hypostomatic. Plumeria rubra, Raulfia serpentine, Thevetia peruviana, Trachelospermum lucidum, Alstonia scholaris, and Catharanthus roseus demonstrated hypostomatic leaves. Nearly all the investigated species had anisocytic type of stomata only or in combination with other types of stomata on the upper and lower epidermis. Carissa carandas had anomocytic, anisocytic, and cyclocytic type of stomata on the upper epidermis, and the lower epidermis showed variations in stomatal type, such as anomocytic, stephanocytic, brachyparacytic, and hemiparacytic. Nerium oleander had no specific shape of stomata but showed stomatal crypts in which the stomata were enclosed inside many trichomes. The taxonomic key based on stomatal types, epidermal cells, stomatal index value, and statistical analysis, along with the variations in the epidermal cells, shows the link between the selected plants species, which will provide a baseline for future anatomical studies. This study highlights many undocumented micromorphological characteristics. The anatomical characteristics observed in this study will be helpful for taxonomic identification and species delimitation of the family Apocynaceae.

Effect of trichome structure of Tillandsia usneoides on deposition of particulate matter under flow conditions.

The removal of particulate matters (PM) has emerged as one of the most significant issues in public health and environment worldwide. Environmentalists have proposed the use of indoor air-purifying plants as an eco-friendly strategy to resolve PM-related problems and effectively remove fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Among air-purifying plants, Tillandsia usneoides (L.) L. (T. usneoides) has been used as a biomonitor for heavy metals and air pollutants. However, the PM removal effect of T. usneoides and its primary mechanism remain unclear. Here, we investigated the PM removal performance of T. usneoides in a closed chamber under flow conditions, the effects of trichomes, and the array density according to the different types of PM. The chamber with bulk T. usneoides under flow conditions exhibited 16.5 % and 9.2 % higher removal efficiency in PM2.5T. usneoides for incense and A1 rigid PM, respectively, than that without T. usneoides. T. usneoides with trichome structure exhibited larger removal efficiencies of 7% and 2% in PM2.5 and PM10, respectively, than without trichome for incense particles. In addition, the increase in total effective surface was effective for the deposition of both PM types. The increase in effective surface area by trichome structure and array density of T. usneoides is a crucial factor for the deposition of PM.

Comparative transcriptomic and metabolic analysis of wild and domesticated wheat genotypes reveals differences in chemical and physical defense responses against aphids.

BACKGROUND: Young wheat plants are continuously exposed to herbivorous insect attack. To reduce insect damage and maintain their growth, plants evolved different defense mechanisms, including the biosynthesis of deterrent compounds named benzoxazinoids, and/or trichome formation that provides physical barriers. It is unclear whether both of these mechanisms are equally critical in providing an efficient defense for wheat seedlings against aphids-an economically costly pest in cereal production. RESULTS: In this study, we compared the transcriptome, metabolome, benzoxazinoids, and trichome density of three selected wheat genotypes, with a focus on differences related to defense mechanisms. We chose diverse wheat genotypes: two tetraploid wheat genotypes, domesticated durum 'Svevo' and wild emmer 'Zavitan,' and one hexaploid bread wheat, 'Chinese Spring.' The full transcriptomic analysis revealed a major difference between the three genotypes, while the clustering of significantly different genes suggested a higher similarity between the two domesticated wheats than between either and the wild wheat. A pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the genes associated with primary metabolism, as well as the pathways associated with defense such as phytohormones and specialized metabolites, were different between the three genotypes. Measurement of benzoxazinoid levels at the three time points (11, 15, and 18 days after germination) revealed high levels in the two domesticated genotypes, while in wild emmer wheat, they were below detection level. In contrast to the benzoxazinoid levels, the trichome density was dramatically higher in the wild emmer than in the domesticated wheat. Lastly, we tested the bird cherry-oat aphid's (Rhopalosiphum padi) performance and found that Chinese Spring is more resistant than the tetraploid genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that benzoxazinoids play a more significant defensive role than trichomes. Differences between the abundance of defense mechanisms in the wild and domesticated plants were observed in which wild emmer possesses high physical defenses while the domesticated wheat genotypes have high chemical defenses. These findings provide new insights into the defense adaptations of wheat plants against aphids.

Flower nectar trichome structure of carnivorous plants from the genus butterworts Pinguicula L. (Lentibulariaceae).

Pinguicula (Lentibulariaceae) is a genus comprising around 96 species of herbaceous, carnivorous plants, which are extremely diverse in flower size, colour and spur length and structure as well as pollination strategy. In Pinguicula, nectar is formed in the flower spur; however, there is a gap in the knowledge about the nectary trichome structure in this genus. Our aim was to compare the nectary trichome structure of various Pinguicula species in order to determine whether there are any differences among the species in this genus. The taxa that were sampled were Pinguicula moctezumae, P. moranensis, P. rectifolia, P. emarginata and P. esseriana. We used light microscopy, histochemistry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy to address those aims. We show a conservative nectary trichome structure and spur anatomy in various Mexican Pinguicula species. The gross structural similarities between the examined species were the spur anatomy, the occurrence of papillae, the architecture of the nectary trichomes and the ultrastructure characters of the trichome cells. However, there were some differences in the spur length, the size of spur trichomes, the occurrence of starch grains in the spur parenchyma and the occurrence of cell wall ingrowths in the terminal cells of the nectary trichomes. Similar nectary capitate trichomes, as are described here, were recorded in the spurs of species from other Lentibulariaceae genera. There are many ultrastructural similarities between the cells of nectary trichomes in Pinguicula and Utricularia.

Phytochemical and morpho-anatomical study of the vegetative organs of Psychotria fractistipula L. B.Sm., R.M. Klein & Delprete (Rubiaceae)

Psychotria fractistipula L.B.Sm, R.M. Klein & Delprete (Rubiaceae) is found in the existing Atlantic Forest in the South of Brazil, in the Paraná and Santa Catarina States. The members of Rubiaceae are characterized chemically by the presence of alkaloids, some pharmacological properties of which include antifungal, antibacterial, analgesic, antioxidant, antimutagenic, and antiviral activities. In this study, we report the results of anatomical, morphological, and histochemical analyses of the leaves and stems of the Rubiaceae family member, P. fractistipula. The anatomical analysis involved of light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Morpho-anatomical and histochemical characterization were made using standard methodology. The isolated compounds were identified by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopic analysis. The following structures are highlighted as the distinctive features of the species: presence of petiolate leaves and a petiole base, leaf blade with smooth cuticle on both surfaces, paracytic stomata, and, dorsiventral mesophyll and presence of trichomes on the leaves and stems. Phytosteroids, identified as β-sitosterol and campesterol, were observed in the hexane fraction of the stem. Future studies should focus on the isolation of other fractions of interest and their characterization through specific biological and cytotoxicity assays.

Anatomy and Histochemistry of Leaf and Stem of Brazilian Endemic Species Mollinedia clavigera Tul

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the anatomy and histochemistry of Mollinedia clavigera leaves and stems through photonic microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Noteworthy features of leaves were: presence of paracytic stomata on both surfaces; simple as well as bifurcate non-glandular trichomes; prismatic calcium oxalate crystals; flat-convex midrib with a central and two dorsal bundles; concave-convex petiole with a single vascular bundle in open archh. Stems were cylindrical and showed prismatic and styloid crystals in the pith. Histochemical analysis detected lipophilic and phenolic compounds, starch grains and lignified elements such as brachysclereids and fibers. These features may assist in future identifications and quality control of M. clavigera, avoid misidentification between other genus members, once species and genus studies are scarce.

Significance of leaf morphoanatomical markers for the authentication of adultered drugs sold in herbal markets of district Lahore, Pakistan.

A number of herbal plants sold in herbal markets of Lahore are under adulteration threat which can pose harmful health effects to end-user. This adulteration problem of medicinal plants can be resolved by the implication of some valuable taxonomic parameter such as leaf epidermal anatomical characteristics. Hence, this research was aimed to provide viable anatomical markers in order to resolve this adulteration issue persisted in some common marketed medicinal plants of district Lahore, that is, Cinnamomum verum Presl., Cinnamomum tamala (Buuch.-Ham.) T.Nees&Eberm., Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R.Br.ex Sm., Sphaeranthus indicus Linn., Artemisia maritima Linn., Achillea millifolim L., Adhatoda vasica Nees, Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub, and Morus nigra L. Overall multiple anatomical variations (epidermal cell shape, their length and width, type of stomata, length and width of guard cells along with presence or absence of trichomes) had been reported in the study that could be worthwhile for the correct identification of medicinal plants. Irregular shapes of epidermal cells were observed in Cinnamomum verum and Achillea millifolium while pentagonal and polygonal cells were found in their adultaerants, that is, Canella winterana and Adhatoda vasica, respectively. Types of stomata were also strikingly varied among genuine plant and its adulterant, for example, anisocytic stomata were observed in Artemisia maritima while in its adulterant (Artemisia absinthium) anomocytic stomata were found. Similarly, paracytic stomata were observed in Butea monosperma, whereas its adulterant plant (Averrhoa carambola) characteristically possessed anisocytic stomata. Hence, anatomical characteristics were proved to be a valuable taxonomic tool in resolving the adulteration issue of medicinal plants.