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Summary The present work is based on the Morpho-taxonomical studies of some members of family Asclepidaceae found in Lucknow and its adjoining areas. The family Asclepiadaceae is commonly known as ‘milkweed’ family because of containing milky juice (latex) in its stem. This common name milkweed refers due to the white latex mentioned earlier. The presence of simple opposite leaves with no teeth on their edges is unique markers of the family. The name Asclepiadaceae came from Asclepias genus which in tern is named for Asklepias, the God of healing in Greek mythology. Family Asclepiadaceae includes about 250 genera and over 2000 speceis. In India there are about 35 genera 234 species including 172 endemic species. Members of the family are mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical areas but some species are found in temperate zones especially in Africa and Southern South Africa, with a moderate representation in Northern and South Eastern Asia. Plants are found in Himalayan and Sub-Himalayan regions. They also grow in Nilgiri hills and planes of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab. Most of the plants are ornamental and growing in the garden. Calotropis sp. (Ait.) R. Br. Aiton, grows as a weed in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, while Cryptostegia sp. (R. Br.) commonly grow throughout 115 Summary India as a climber. However, Hemidesmus (L.) R. Br. Ait. grown in Bihar and Periploca is found in outer Himalayas Most members of Asclepiadaceae have milky juice, flowers with five united petals, podlike fruits, and usually, tufted seed. Male and female parts of each flower are united in a single structure known as gynostegium and the pollen is characteristically massed in bundles, called Pollinia. Pairs of which are linked by a yolk like tissue contributed by the stigma of the pistil. Parts of the Pollinia stick to visiting insect pollinators, which then carry them to other flowers to facilitate cross-pollination. The silky hair seeds are drawn out of their pods by the wind and then carried off. In some species the fertility is low, and many plants often produce few fruits. Many milkweed butterflies, including monarch butterflies, rely exclusively on Asclepiadaceae plants as a food source for their larva. A number of species are grown horticulturally for their beauty or notable adaptations. Common milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) of North America has bright orange flowers. Hoya longifolia, which is commonly called as wax plants because of its waxy white flowers, often grows indoors as a pot plants. The ant plant (Dischidia rafflesiana) is uniquely adopted with hollow inflated leaves. The leaves can store rainwater or, it 116 Summary punctured, form a suitable netting chamber for symbiotic ants, which protect the plants from harmful insects. Asclepias curassavica is common in the Antilles, and is known to be the main food source for the (also toxic) butterflies of the genus Danaus (the monarch and its relatives). Several members of the family develop their seeds in dry pods. The seeds often have fluffy tufts of hairs that allow them to be dispersed by the wind. The members of the family have great economic importance. As in medicine, it is used for laxative, expectorant, diuretic, emetic purposes, and also for wart removal. Milkweed roots have been used medicinally in the tropics for pain relief and for the treatment of scrofula (A microbacterial cervical lymphadenitis). Some of the species of Asclepias curassavica is ornamentally grow as a garden weed. Other species of the Asclepiadaceae family, such as the Pitcher plant, or Dischidia rafflesiana, and Hoya carnosa, are also popular as outdoor garden plants and indoor potted plants. Many species are hardy and produce colour full fragrant blooms that draw butterflies, bees and birds into the garden. Calatropis gigantea (Willd.) Dry. ex Wt. Ait. (Madar), have been used medicinally for a long time. Dried roots of Hemidesmus indicus have been used to treat syphilis, rheumatism, psoriasis and eczema. 117 Summary Gymnema sylvestre (Retc.) R.Br. is used in traditional system of medicine as a stomachic diuretic and a remedy to control diabetes (Najafi, 2011). Floral characters have long been used by taxonomists for the identification of the taxa, but it has been established that epidermal characters are also very useful for identification of the taxa within the family or between the members of different families. Cuticular studies of the family Asclepiadaceae have received little attention so far. However, there is a need for more extensive critical studies on the structure of epidermal cuticles were felt in view of the fact that much of our knowledge of the Indian plants of the family Asclepiadaceae is still meager. That’s why the family was undertaken for the study of epidermal structures in view of the fact that they are closely related moreover they show varied habits, they could be herbs, shrubs, trees and climbers. Systematic position of controversial genera within the family was also studied using epidermal characters. The thesis embodies thorough studies of epidermal structures of family Asclepiadaceae. Micro-morphological studies have been carried out to economically and medicinally important plants of this family. 118 Summary Present study was aimed to study of some members of the family Asclepiadaceae. Since, knowledge of epidermal characters of the family Asclepiadaceae is meager; hence keeping in view of these afore mentioned features, the present investigation was carried out to gather critical knowledge on epidermal characters using light microscopic studies of cuticles in terms of various aspects of trichomes, stomata etc. Various epidermal features have been investigated in the present research work such as: Epidermal shape, size and structures, presence/absence of stomata on foliar surface, frequency of stomata and stomatal index, presence/absence of trichomes, shape, size and structure of trichomes, presence of trichome base, shape and special features. Twenty genera and sixty species of the family Asclepiadaceae are commonly found in Luknow. The member of the family has a great economical and medicinal value. The plant materials for the present study were collected from different localities of the Lucknow city. The Lucknow city is situated between 26o52’N latitude and 80o56’E longitude and 120 meter above the sea level in the central plain of the Indian subcontinent. It is the capital of Uttar Pradesh and one of the largest and highly populated states of India. The city is spread over an area of 79 km2 and has a population of more 119 Summary than 1.7 million. It has distinct tropical climate with a marked monsoonal effect. Three distinct seasons are prominent that is summer (March to June), rainy (July to October) and winter (November to February). The temperature ranges from a minimum of 5oC in winter to a maximum of 47oC in summer. The mean average rain fall 1006.8 mm and relative humidity is 60%. Some species have been taken from the garden of the Botany Department, Lucknow University. While some other has been procured from different institution viz. National Botanical Research Institute, Lcuknow, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant, Lucknow. Both fresh and herbarium material have been used for the present study. The places from where the materials were obtained for the present investigation are marked in the map. Various species such as Asclepias curassavica Linn., Calotropis gigentea (L.) R. Br. in Ait., Calotropis procera (Ait.) R. Br., Cryptolepis buccanani R. Br., Cryptostegia grandiflora (roxb.) R.Br., Dragea volubilis (linn.) Benth., Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br., Hoya longifolia Wall. ex Wight et Arn., Leptadenia reticulata (Retz.) Wight and Arn., Stapelia sp., Tylophora indica (Burm. f.) Merr., Perguleria Daemia (Forsk) chiov., Oxystelma esculentum R. Br. have been critically studied for epidermal characteristic features. 120 Summary Members of the family Asclepiadaceae are also unique due to the association of pollen grains that form a sac like definite structure called Pollinia (Singular Pollinium). They are the product of only one anther, but are transferred during pollination as a single unit. This is also seen in orchids. The pollinarium of most Asclepiadaceae is composed of two or more Pollinia, each of which contains all of the microspores of a single anther locule embedded in a hard matrix and a translator apparatus, which develops from a stigmatic recreation and mechanically attached with pollinia to a pollinator. The plants of the family are unique among the dicotyledons in having a pollination mechanism closely related to that which makes the Orchidaceae unique among the monocotyledons. In the present study it was observed that the family Asclepiadaceae is characterized by thick cuticle, presence of cuticular striations, thick orstraight walled epidermal cells, frequent occurrence of trichomes and stomata. Paracytic, anisocytic and both types may also occur in some species. Group of cells are found in some species and cavities like structure domatia were also recorded in Perguleria pallida. Though some features are common however some other characters are so distinct to classify and distinguish the genera and even species. 121 Summary The size of stomata on lower surface varied from 16x10 to 30x40 m with largest size in Oxystelma esculentum and smallest in Asclepias curassavica. Degenerated stomata was recorded in Calotropis gigentea and on upper surface the size ranged from 19x14 to 32x34 m with the largest size in Calotropis procera and smallest in Hoya longifolia. Trichomes are generally absent except in few species viz. Asclepias curassavica (on both surface), Calotropis sp. (on both surface), Leptadenia reticulata (on lower surface), Cryptolepis buccanani on lower surface), Oxystelma esculentum (on lower surface), Dragea volubilis (on lower surface) and in Perguleria pallida (on lower surface). Epidermal cells are hexagonal, irregular and polygonal shaped. The size of epidermal cells ranges from 12x10 to 30x35 m. with largest size in Stapelia sp. and the smallest in Asclepias curassavica. Trichomes of the investigated plants are unicellular, uniseriate and septated with the size ranges from about 10 to 120. For the pollinial studies fresh flowers in the form of inflorescence were collected from different areas of Lucknow city, viz. Asclepias curassavica (L). and Tylophora Hook from Kukrail area, Calotropis gigentea (L.) Ait. Hort. and Calotropis procera (L.) Ait R. Br. collected from Indira Nagar and Lucknow University, Cryptolepis Roem. and 122 Summary Schult. from Memora, Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R. Br. and Hemidesmus indicus from Anaura, Stapelia sp. (L.) were taken from Garden of Botany Department, Lucknow University, Lucknow. The pollinium character is a unique feature of family Asclepiadaceae which size ranged from 79x43 to 961x373 m with the largest pollinium in Calotropis gigentea and the smallest one in Asclepias curasavica. The total size of caudicle or translator ranged from 61x32 to 129x39 m with largest in Hoya longifolia and smallest in Asclepias curassavica, however, absent in Cryptolepis buccanani and Hemidesmus indicus. The corpusculum size ranged from 26x17 to 282x153 m with largest in Calotropis gigentea and smallest in Asclepias curassavica which were absent in Cryptolepis buchanani and Hemidesmus indicus. Usually pollinial sac was oval in shape except in Gymnema sylvestris and Asclepias curasavica having intermediate shape and Tylophora indica (Globular shape). These pollinial sacs attach to translator in apical, basal or erect orientation. These above mentioned investigations regarding epidermal characters as well as pollinial features revealed categorization of various species of family Asclepiadaceae. 123 taxonomical