Download THE FLOWER - Millennium Organization

Definition
A flower is a
compressed modified
fertile shoot, carrying
modified leaves, highly
specialized for the
reproductive function
and adapted to produce
fruits and seeds,
A typical flower is
usually formed of
four sets of floral
leaves arranged on
a shortened axis
(flower-stalk or
pedicel), the
swollen or
expanded apex of
which is called
receptacle.
The floral leaves are in the following
sequence from the periphery to
the center
1. The calyx: composed of sepals.
2. The corolla: composed of petals.
When the petals and sepals are all alike called
perianth.
1. The andrœcium (male organ): composed of
stamens (anthers and filaments).
2. The gynæcium (pistil, female organ):
composed of carpels (ovary, style and stigma).
Accessory
leafy
structures
Bract
Bracteole
Involucre
Involucel
Bracteole
Bract
Involucre
The flower may be accompanied by
accessory leafy structures:
1- Bract: is a leafy structure from its axil
arises a flower, the flower is described as
Bracteate
2- Bracteole is a scale-like leaf found on the
floral stalk.The flower is described as
Bracteolate.
• But when bracts and bracteoles are
absent, the flower is described as:
a- Ebracteate, e.g. Cruciferae.
b- Ebracteolate, e.g. Foeniculum.
3- Involucre: is a group of bracts arranged in a One
or more whorls just below the flower,
e.g. Nigela,or a group of flowers e. g.Asterceae.
4- Involucel: is a group of bracteoles arranged in
whorls on the floral axis as in Apiaceae.
Kinds (types) of Flowers
1- arrangement
of the floral
leaves on the
flower axis
Cyclic
flowers
Acyclic
flowers
Hemicyclic
flowers
According to the arrangement of the floral
leaves on the flower axis
1. Cyclic flowers: The floral leaves of each
whorl alternate with those of the next, e.g.
clove.
2. Acyclic flowers: The floral leaves are spirally
arranged, e.g. Cactus.
3. Hemicyclic flowers: The sepals and petals
are in whorls while stamens and carpels are
arranged spirally, e.g. Ranunculus.
In Chenopodiaceae, the perianth is spirally
arranged, while stamens and carpels are in
whorls.
Cyclic:
The floral leaves of each
whorl alternate with
those of the next,
e.g. clove.
Acyclic:
The floral leaves
are spirally
arranged, e.g.
Cactus.
2- According to the
number of
whorls present
four whorls
Tetracyclic
Five whorls
Pentacyclic
two (rare)
Cruciferae
Di
merous
3- According
to the
number of
segments
in each whorl
three
Monocots.
Tri
merous
Five (most)
Dicots.
Penta
merous
Dimerous
Trimerous
Pentamerous
4- According to
the presence of
all floral parts -
Complete
incomplete
5- According to
the symmetry of
all floral leaves
Regular or
Actinomorphic
()
Irregular
Asymmetric
Zygomorphic
(%)
Asymmetric
1.
Regular or. actinomorphic (): When the segments in
each whorl are alike, regularly arranged and the flower
can be divided by a number of radial longitudinal cuts into
equal halves, e.g. Rosa and Cloves.
2. Irregular: When the numbers of one or more whorls are not
alike. In such case, the flower may be:
A- Asymmetric: When all the segments are irregularly
arranged and not alike, thus the flower cannot be divided
into equal halves, e.g. Cactus.
B- Zygomorphic (%): When it can be divided only in one
plane into equal halves. When the plane is median one, the
flower is described as median zygomorphic and if it is
lateral or a transverse one, it is lateral or transversely
zygomorphic.
6- According to presence or
absence of sexual organs
6t
Eugenia
Hermaphrodite
bisexual
( )
Marginal florets
of Sunflower.
Ray florets
of Sunflower.
sterile or
Neutral
flowers
Unisexual,
imperfect
Unisexual,
imperfect
Staminate
Pistillate
1- Monoecious (= one houses)
ex.Zea.
2- Dioecious (= two houses) ex. Palm
and Cannabis
3- Polygamous ex.Veratrum
PERIANTH
• Perianth is the term
given to the outer
non-essential floral
parts when they are
not differentiated into
calyx and corolla i.e.,
when the segments
are all alike in colour,
texture, etc. as in
many Monocots.
• The perianth may
be described as:
• Petaloid perianth:
if brightly coloured.
• Sepaloid perianth:
if thin membranous
and greenish.
CALYX
• The calyx is the outer
• The function of the
most whorl of the floral
calyx is to protect the
series. It is formed of 2essential organs of the
5 rarely numerous green
flower, especially in the
sepals.
bud.
The calyx may be:
• Petaloid: with brightly
• Polysepalous or
coloured sepals,
aposepalous: with free
assuming the form
sepals as in Cruciferae.
and function of petals.
• Gamosepalous or
synsepalous: with united
sepals as in Solanaceae.
The sepals may be:
Foliaceous:large(Rosaceae)
very small (Umbelliferae)
Membranous: very small
structure (Insect flower).
Pappus: rudimentary in a
Form of bristly hairs (Arnica).
Absent: is totally wanting
(Chamomile).
Forms of Calyx
Tubular
Campanulate
Cup-shape
Gamo
sepalous
Bilabiate
Globose
Urceolate
Epicalyx
Rosaceae
sepals are stipulate and
stipules fuse in pairs
between the sepals
producing an outer
series of small sepal-like
Malvaceae
Aggregation of
Bracts& bracteoles
beneath the calyx
COROLLA
The corolla is
the inner whorl
of the floral
envelop.
The function is:
1- Attract the pollen
carrying insects.
2- Protect to certain
extent the essential
organs of the flower.
The corolla consists of delicate petals:
1. Commonly arranged in single whorl
(Solanaceae).
2. Rarely double whorls (Papaver).
3. Very rarely they are spirally arranged (Cactus).
The petals
may be:
Poly- or apopetalous:
with free petals,
(Rosaceae).
Gamo- or symPetalous united by
margins with free
apical lobes,
(Solanaceae).
Petals are commonly
brightly coloured but
Lauraceae
Greenish in colour,
sepaloid,
Chenopodum
absent through
abortion, apetalous,
Aconitum
modified into
nectary Disc
Colour of Petals
The petals are usually brightly coloured, this
colour may be due to the presence of:
• - Anthocyanins (red, blue and violet according
to the change in pH of the cell-sap).
• - Flavone derivatives (yellow colour).
• - Pigments such as carotene, xanthophyll
(yellow, orange and red colours).
• The white colour is due to reflection of light from
the intercellular spaces of the mesophyll but not
to pigments.
ANDRŒCIUM
• The andrœcium is the male sexual organ.
• It may consist of one, two or more (counting)
of stamens.
• Sometimes the stamens are numerous and
spirally arranged.
• They are situated within or above the corolla.
The complete stamen (microsporophyll)
consists of:
A- The filament: Corresponds to the leaf-stalk
and bearing special swollen pollen-producing
structure, called anther.
b- The anther: Corresponds to the blade which
is much reduced. The anther is divided into two
anther-lobes by a structure called connective
which lies on the back of the anther and
corresponds to the midrib of the leaf.
Each anther-lobe typically possesses two
pollen-sacs containing numerous pollen-grains
(microspores).
The
filament
equal
Absent
anther
sessile,
e.g. Viola.
unequal
most
commonly
of equal
length
Didynamous
Labiatae2L&2
Tetra
dynamous
4 L& 2 sh
Cruciferae
The stamen
• The stamen may be esterile i.e., not
producing pollen and thus called staminode
as in Linum,
Number of Stamens
• When the stamens in the flower are few i.e.
definite.
. When very numerous and not readily
counted, they are indefinite (eg. Rose).
Definite
Belladonna
Pentandrous
Euphorbia.
Mon
androus
# of
stamens
Salix
Di
androus
Iris
Tetr
androus
Labiatae(2+2)
Tri
androus
Cohesion of Stamens
The terms denoting the way of fusion of the
stamens together are:
•
Monadelphous: When filaments are fused in
one group, e.g. Malvaceae.
•
Diadelphous: When the filaments are fused in
two groups, e.g. Glycyrrhiza.
•
Tetradelphous: When the filaments are fused
in four groups, e.g. Clove.
•
Polyadelphous: When the filaments are fused
in several groups, e.g. Citrus.
•
Syngenesious: When the filaments are free
but the anthers cohere, e.g. Compositae
(Asteraceae).
Adhesion or adnation of Stamens
with other floral parts
1. Episepalous adhesion between the
stamens and sepals.
2. Epipetalous: adhesion between
stamens and petals, e.g. Solanaceae,
Asteraceae.
3. Gynandrous The stamens adhere to the
gynaecium.
Attachment of The Anther to the
filament
1.
2.
3.
4.
Innate or basifixed: When the anther is
attached by its base to the apex of the
filament, e.g. Datura
Adnate: When the connective is well marked
and the filament seems to run up the back of
the anther,
Dorsifixed: When the anther is attached by
the back to the filament and is immovable,
e.g. Cruciferae.
Versatile: When the anther is attached to the
filament by the middle of the back in such
away turn freely in any direction , e.g.
Gramineae.
Structure of the anther lobe
The wall of the anther-lobe consists of:
1-epidermis (exothecium) with occasional
stomata and trichomes.
2-Hypodermis (endothecium) consists of
large parenchyma cells which become
thickened mostly with spiral bands
appear in side view as lignified bars and
this is known as fibrous layer.
3- A nutritive layer (tapetum) to the inner
side.
Pollen
The pollen constitutes the fine powder that is
liberated on the dehiscence of the anther
The pollen (microspores) grains are minute,
varying in shape , size but mostly constant
for each species.
Structure of the Pollen Grains
• Each pollen grain possesses a wall of two
layers or membranes, The outer layer of the
wall (the exine) is thick and cutinised while
the inner (the intine) is delicate and
cellulosic .
•
The exine may show;
a - one, two or more minute thin areas or
pits termed germ pores, through one of
which the pollen tube protrudes.
b- Germinal furrows which are grooves
in the exine or narrow lanceolate thin
areas are of common occurrence.They
serve to accommodate the expansion
and shrinkage of the pollen grain due
to change in humidity.
•
Pollen grains are of the most
characteristic elements found in
powdered flower, are often of important
value for the distinction of families and
sometimes even of species.
GYNÆCIUM
• The gynæcium (pistil) is the female sexual organ. It
consists of one or more carpels and thus described
as mono-, bi- or poly- carpellary.
• The carpels may be either free and thus the
gynæcium is described as apocarpous, e.g. Aconitum
or united together and thus syncarpous e.g. Papaver.
• The carpel is a modified leaf, folded on itself and its
margins cohere forming the ventral suture. The
midrib is prominent on the opposite edge of the free
carpel forming the dorsal suture or seen as a ridge in
the back of each of the united carpels.
The typical carpel (in the apocarpous or
monocarpellary gynæcium) consists of:
• The ovary: is the hollow basal portion,
enclosing one or more ovules on the placenta
(The organs to which ovules are attached
=thickened cohering margins of the carpel).
• The stigma: is the apical portion and is usually
swollen, sticky and covered with papillae or
glandular projections to receive the pollen
grains.
• The style: Is the slender stalk-like prolongation
connecting the ovary with the stigma. It serves
to place the stigma in the suitable positions for
receiving the pollen.
In the syncarpous gynæcium, the union of
carpels may be either complete or partial:
Complete union: The ovary is formed of united
portions of more than one carpel and described
as compound, the styles are fused together in
one and the stigmas form an undivided
structure, e.g. Nicotiana.
Partial union: The carpels are united at the base of
the ovaries only as in Ruta. The compound
ovary may be surmounted with a number of free
styles and stigmas corresponding to the number
of carpels, e.g. Linum or bears a single style
terminating with separated stigmas, e.g.
Solanaceae,Compositae.
Description of the Different Parts of Carpel
A- Stigma
•
•
The stigma with style (stalked) or without
style (sessile) and inserted on the ovary .
The stigma is described as capitate, when in
the form of a swelling at the top of the style,
e.g. Nicotiana; globose (globular), tubular;
in the form of a hollow tube, e.g. Crocus;
stellate, e.g. Papaver; branched (bi-, tri-,
etc.-fid), e.g. Compositae (Asteraceae) (bi-),
Euphorbiaceae (tri-); or plumose (feathery),
e.g. Gramineae.
•
一
B- Style
The style may be very long and
filamentous, e.g. Zea, very short, e.g.
Cruciferae or totally wanting , e.g.
Papaveraceae. It may become
flattened and petaloid, e.g. Iridaceae.
C- Ovary
•
•
•
•
The ovary may be simple, formed of a single
carpel or compounds of more than one
carpel.
It may exhibit one compartment, i.e.,
unilocular, which may be formed of a single
carpel or syncarpous ovary; the number of
placentae indicates the number of carpels,
The compound ovary may be formed of two,
three or more compartments, thus called bi-,
tri- or multilocular, e.g. Rubiaceae
(bi-), Euphorbiaceae (tri-).The walls separating
the compartments are called septa.
Pistillode carpel ;is a sterile carpel (no
ovules)
Insertion of the Ovary
•
Superior; when the floral parts are
inserted on the receptacle below or on
the same level as the ovary.
•
Inferior; when the floral parts appear
inserted on the top of the ovary.This is
due to the closing over or fusion of the
receptacle with the ovary.
Placentation
Tybe of arrangement of placentas in the
ovary.
When there are numerous ovules in
the ovary, the placentation may be:
•
Marginal: In simple monocarpellary
ovary placentation is along the line of
fusion, e.g. Leguminosae (unilocular
ovary).
•
•
Parietal: When the placentae turn
along the lines of fusion of the carpels
in unilocular compound ovary,
forming longitudinal parallel lines but do
not reach the centre e.g. Papaver.
Axile or Central: When the ovules
appear to be attached to the central
axis, formed in the bi-to multilocular
ovary by the united swollen edges of
the carpels, e.g. Solanaceae.
•
Free central: When ovules are borne on
a central axis arising from the base of a
unilocular ovary and not in any way
attached to ovary wall.
When there is only one ovule in the
ovary, the placentation may be:
•
Basal: When the single ovule is carried on
a small placental tissue arising in the
centre of the ovarian base eg Asteraceae
•
Apical: The same as basal but arising
from the apical of the ovary as in
Umbelliferae .
RECEPTACLE
•
•
•
The receptacle (thalamus) is nearly
always very short but occasionally, it is
elongated.
When the receptacle is elongated below
the calyx and ovary, it is called
hypanthium. as in Cloves
The receptacle is usually flattened or
convex, but may be conical bearing the
floral whorls one above the other, below
the ovary and in this case the flower is
hypogynous.
•
It may widen out expanding into a flat,
concave or even cup-shaped structure
as in Rosa bearing the sepal,petal and
stamens round the gynoecium. In such
cases, the flower is perigynous.
•
Sometimes the receptacle forms a deep
cup adhering to and enclosing the
ovary, thus the flower is epigynous.
THE INFLORESCENCE
When a group of flowers are usually
aggregated on the axis or rachis forming
what is called inflorescence.
KINDS OF
INFLORESCENCE
Racemose
Indefinite
monopodial
branching
Cymose
Definite
sympodial
branching
Mixed
Inflorescence
both racemose
and cymose
I- Racemose (Indefinite or Indeterminate)
Inflorescence
a- monopodial branching and the acropetal
succession of the opening of the flowers, i.e.,
the youngest flower being at apex, if the axis
is elongated, or at centre, if shortened, and
the oldest flower at base or outside
respectively. .
b- The growing point has an indefinite power
of growth and never ends in a flower.
Racemose inflorescence may be either
simple or compound.
a- Simple Racemose Inflorescence has the flowers
borne directly on the main axis.This includes the
following types:
•
Raceme: With elongated axis bearing flowers with
pedicels of nearly equal length.
•
Corymb: Differs from raceme in having shorter axis
and pedicels of different lengths; those of the older
or lower flowers being longer than those of the
younger or upper ones so that the flowers are
brought to one level.
•
Umbel: With very short axis, from which pedicels
of nearly equal lengths are radiating, thus
forming an umbrella-like structure.
, Capitulum or Flower-head: With very short swollen
axis which is either flattened or conical on which are
inserted sessile small florets which is encircled by
involucre (consisting of barren bracts). Usually there
are two types of florets in the same capitulum: the
central, which have tubular corolla and called
tubular or disc florets, and the marginal, which
have strap-like corolla, and called ligulate or ray
florets. The florets may be, rarely, all alike as in
Santonica (disc) and Dandelion (ray). In certain
cases, e.g. Anthemis nobilis, each floret is
subtended with a scale-like structure, called palea.
. Spike: Having an elongated axis and sessile or
nearly sessile flowers, e.g. Plantago.
• Spadix: A spike with a thick fleshy axis
and sessile, small, usually unisexual
flowers and protected by a large green or
coloured bract, called spathe .
• Catkin: pendulous spike, occasionally
erect, bearing usually small unisexual
flowers, which are usually either all male
or female.
• Strobile: A spike with large membranous
scales (bracts, bracteoles, etc.) concealing
the sessile flowers.
B- Compound Racemose Inflorescence has
the flowers borne on branches of the main
axis. This includes:
.
.
.
Panicle: A compound branched raceme, consisting
of racemes arranged in a racemose manner on a
primary axis.
Panicled Corymb or Compound Corymb (Corymb
of corymbs): A corymb where, instead of flowers,
the pedicels bear other corymbs .
Compound Umbel (Umbel of umbels): An umbel
where the pedicels or rays put forth other rays or
secondary pedicels, forming secondary small
umbels or umbellules as in most of Apiaceae, e.g.
Anise.
• Compound Spike: A spike of sessile
spikelets (small spikes) as in Wheat,
Barley, etc.
• Compound Capitulum: e.g. Ambrosia.
• Compound Spadix: e.g. Palm.
II -Cymose (Definite or
Determinate) Inflorescence
The sympodial branching and basipetal
succession of the opening of the flowers, i.e.,
the oldest flower being at the centre and
youngest, nearest the base or to the outside
when seen from above.
•
The primary axis and the successive
daughter axes, in turn, end in flowers; in other
words the growth of the main axis is limited by
the formation of a flower.
•
Simple Cyme: The main axis terminates
in a flower and one, two or more stalked
flowers arise on its pedicel, originally in
the axil of bracteoles as in Tilia. This
may appear as a simple umbel and thus,
sometimes called cymose umbel.
•
Compound Cyme: The lateral branches
continue to produce further branches
with flowers. It may be:
•
A-
B-
Monochasium or one-sided cyme, where
the main axis terminates in a flower which
arises in the axil of a bract and its pedicel
bears two bracteoles; one of which develops
a lateral branch from the bud in its axil and so
on, each branch ending in a flower. In this
case there are two kinds:
Helicoid cyme, is a unilateral cyme
produced as a result of the development of
the bud of only either the right-hand or lefthand bracteole. The inflorescence is
generally coiled in a spiral as in, where the
flowers are all on one side and the bract, on
the opposite side of the axis.
Scorpioid cyme, where the right-hand and
left-hand branches develop alternately, thus,
it forms a zigzag as in Iris.
• Dichasium or two-sided cyme, where a
branch is developed in the axil of each of
the two opposite bracteoles or in other
words two opposite branches arise on the
pedicel of the terminal flower and so on.
• Verticillaster, is a two cymose clusters of
sessile flowers; each is situated in the axil
of one of the two opposite leaf-like bracts.
Each cluster has its oldest flower in the
middle. ( It is a dichasial form) as in
Labiatae.
III- Mixed Inflorescence
• When both racemose and cymose types of
branching occur in the same inflorescence.
Most commonly, the main axis is racemosely
branched, while the terminal branches are of
cymose order.
In Labiatae (Lamiaceae), for example, it is a
raceme of verticillasters, i.e., a number of
verticillasters are arranged upon a parent axis in
a racemose manner.
FLOS CARYOPHYLLI
CLOVE
‫زهر القرنفل‬
Syn. : Quoronful; Caryophyllum; Caryophyllus.
• Clove is the dried flower-buds of Syzygium aromaticum
(L.) (= Eugenia caryophyllus Fam. Myrtaceae.
• Clove is from the Latin clavus, meaning a nail and
refers to the shape of the whole spice.
‫‪CLOVE‬‬
‫زهر القرنفل‬
Collection and Preparation
The flower –buds are white in color when young,
getting green and finally crimson. The crimson flowerbuds are collected (September to March) before the
opening and expansion of the white corollas.
Indigenous to Molucca Islands
• They are either picked by hand or are knocked off by
bamboo sticks.
• They are carefully dried naturally in the sun.
• During the drying process, the color changes from
crimson, to deep reddish-brown.
•
•
•
•
Description:
The flower-buds are bright reddish-brown to
dark brown and wrinkled externally.
The hypanthium, is solid, cylindrical,
somewhat flattened, four-sided, tapering
towards the base.
The sepals at the apex of hypanthium, four
thick, triangular, divergent acute spreading.
The petals alternating with sepals, four
rounded, nexpanded, membranous, imbricated,
bowl-shaped forming spherical dome-shaped
head and enclosing stamens
•
•
•
•
The stamens are numerous indefinite,
tetradelphous curved inwards.
The filaments of each group being slightly
adherent at the base and the bundles are
opposite the petals.
Anthers are introrse. They are inserted on a
small, nectar disc and a stiff, slender, erect,
single style arising from a depression in the
centre.
Pollen grains: are triangular, with truncate,
somewhat emarginate apices or oval in
outline.
Internally
• The hypanthium contains in its upper portion the
ovary, inferior, bicarpellary, bilocular, with
numerous ovules attached to an axile placenta.
• Outer zone very large with numerous shining
oval oil glands near the periphery.
• Nnumerous vascular bundles in the middle.
• A dark lacunous layer abutting on the central
zone (columella).
N.B. :
1. After removing the corolla, clove sinks
when thrown into water.
2. The tissues of clove contain neither
sclereids nor prisms of calcium oxalate.
3. Starch, trichomes and long fibres are
absent.
Powder
Powdered clove is dark brown in color, having strong,
spicy, aromatic odor and agreeable, warm, pungent,
spicy taste, followed by a slight sensation of
numbness; microscopically characterized by :
1. Parenchyma with cluster crystals of calcium
oxalate.
2. Fragments of epidermis with thick-walled cells and
few anomocytic stomata of hypanthium and sepals.
3. Fragments of parenchyma tissue showing broken
or entire oil glands.
4. Numerous pollen grains, appearing either triangular
with truncate somewhat emarginate apices or oval
in outline.
5. Fragments of the fibrous layer of the anther wall.
Constituents:
• Volatile oil (~ 15 – 20%) contains eugenol (84-90%),
acetyl eugenol , -, - and –caryophyllenes.
• Gallotannic acid (10 – 13%).
Uses:
- Agreeable aromatic stimulant, analgesic, antispasmodic, carminative and antiseptic.
- It is used for gastroenteritis and intestinal parasites.
- Toothache, insect bites and in dental industry.
- Production of vanillin.
Dose: 0.6-4.0 g.
Adulteration of clove
1-Clove Stalks:
These are the slender stems of the
inflorescence axis which show opposite
decussate branching. They yield about 5 – 7%
of volatile oil, less pleasantly aromatic than
that of cloves.
2- Mother Clove(Anthophylli):
The ripe fruit Is ovoid, brown, unilocular and
one-seeded.It contains much less volatile oil
than clove (2-9%).Fruit can be detected in
powdered clove by presence of starch.
because the seeds contain much starch
(cloves are free).
3- Blown Cloves:
They are the expanded flowers from
which both corolla and stamens have been
detached. The separated corollas and
stamens form a product known as “Clove
dust”.
4- Exhausted Cloves:
They are cloves from which all or almost
all of the oil has been removed by
distillation. They are darker in colour,
much shrunken yield no oil when indented
with the thumb-nail and floats on water.
Tests for Identity
1. Mix a little of powdered clove with a few drops
of ferric chloride T.S.; a deep blue colour is
produced in all elements, except fibres.
2. On a slide, mix a little of powdered clove with
few drops of alc. KOH 50%, aggregates of
needle crystals of potassium eugenolate can
be seen by microscope.
Pharmaceutical Preparations
1- With laxative pills.
2- Tooth pastes.
3- Clovacaine solution (oral inflammation and
local anesthetic).
4- Eugenol or clove oil mixed with zinc oxide
[temporary filling].
 Mouth washes.
Side effect;
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, difficult in
breathing, intestinal bleading and liver or
kidney failure.
FLOS HIBISCI
RED SORREL
‫زهر الكركديه‬
Syn.:
Karkadé; Hibiscus; Roselle; Jamaica Sorrel.
Definition:
Red sorrel consists of the dried calyx and epicalyx of the
flowers of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. Fam. Malvaceae.
Geographical Source:
The plant is indigenous to subtropical regions, South of
Egypt, Nuba, Sudan.
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Description
The calyx: is petaloid, consists of 5 united,
purplish to crimson red cup-shaped sepals.
Each segment is triangular, acuminate apex,
entire ciliate margin and rough surface.
The epicalyx: consists of 8 to 10 linear oblong
villose or tuberculate bracts or bracteoles
connate below the base of calyx.
The drug consists of dry dark crimson red,
curled, curved pieces, The upper surface is
yellowish-red, darkens toward the apex to dark
crimson red. The pieces show auricularshaped projections (tip of epicalyxes segment)
at the junctions of the wide basal part of the
segment of calyx.
It has a characteristic aromatic odor and warm
slightly acidic, mucilaginous taste.
Structure
• Epicalyx:
• The epidermal cells are polygonal, tabular, nearly
isodiametric, straight anticlinal walls, covered with thick
striated cuticle, anomocytic stomata, non-glandular
unicellular hairs of long, thick-walled, wide lumen, tapering
apex, covered with smooth cuticle, arise from ring-like
cicatrix surrounded by radiating epidermal cells.
• Calyx:
• The lower (outer) epidermal cells are polygonal, tabular
with straight, irregularly thickened anticlinal walls, faintly
striated cuticle and anomocytic stomata.
• Non-glandular hairs on calyx are:
– Unicellular long as in epicalyx.
– Allembic hairs near the veins.
– Cottony, non-glandular sometimes grouped in stella.
– Stellate hairs of large, straight, unicellular arms.
– Asperities of multicellular, uniseriate structure, situated
near the margin.
• The upper (inner) epidermal cells are polygonal, tabular
and larger than the lower, having straight, beaded
anticlinal walls, smooth cuticle, no hairs or stomata.
Powder
Powdered red sorrel is crimson red in colour, having
characteristic, aromatic odour and warm, slightly acidic,
mucilaginous taste; microscopically characterized by:
• Fragments of epicalyx showing epidermis with straight
anticlinal walls; thick, striated cuticle, anomocytic
stomata and non-glandular, unicellular hairs arising
from a cicatrix.
• Fragments of calyx showing outer epidermis with
straight, irregularly-thickened anticlinal walls, striated
cuticle and anomocytic stomata.
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Constituents
Organic acids (15%); citric, tartaric, malic, hibiscic
acids.
Large amount of mucilage.
Coloring matter of anthocyanins,e.g. gossipetin and
Hibiscin , flavonoids,e.g. hibiscetin.
Tannins and vitamin C.
Tests for Identity
powder, boil in 1% HCl, filtrate is dark red.
Filtrate + KOH, a blue colour is produced.
Filtrate + 5 ml sodium acetate T.S., a violet colour
appears.
Filtrate + few drops dil NH4OH + 1-2 drops FeCl3 T.S.,a
full black colour is produced.
Filtrate + conc. NH4OH, a green colour appears.
Filtrate + 6 ml 10% lead acetate , a blue precipitate is
deposited.
Actions and Uses
It decreases blood pressure of hypertensive persons,
i.e., antihypertensive (no effect on normal persons).
1. As a source of vitamin C (6.7 mg /100 gr.).
2. It is a weight-reducing agent[ loss of appetite]
3. The red coloring matter is used in cosmetics, jams and
also used as a poultice on abscesses.
4. Diuretic, laxative and sedative.
5. Colds and upper respiratory tract congestion.
Contra-indication
Red sorrel (Karkadé) is not advised to be used by
people suffering from kidney diseases.