Original Articles: 2011 Vol: 3 Issue: 2
Anatomical studies of Indigofera aspalathoides Vahl (Fabaceae)
Abstract
The present investigation has been carried out to determine the anatomical features of whole plant of Indigofera aspalthoides,is an important medicinal plant used in the traditional systems of medicine. This plant is used for the treatment of different diseases and ailments of human beings. The plant is popularly known as sivanar vembu in Tamil. In the traditional medicinal system, the leaves, flowers and tender shoot are said to be cooling and demulcent; they are used in the form of decoction for leprosy and Cancerous affections .The leaves are also applied to abscesses.This plant shows midrib it possesses a small circular collateral vascular bundle. The mesophyll is differentiated in to adaxial zone of palisade cells, median level of circular cells and adaxial zone of spongy parenchyma cells .The lamina possesses reticulate venation system with wide, irregularly shaped vein-islets and well defined vein terminations. Calcium Oxalate Crystals are fairly abundant in the leaf mesophyll, cortical cells of the stem and phloem parenchyma of the root.