Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus (Gomes) L.R. Landrum (Myrtaceae): stem and leaf anatomy of a medicinal plant.

Abstract

The study of medicinal plants involves several areas of science. Anatomy contributes to species identification and consequently, with quality control of plant product. This paper describes the leaf and stem anatomy of Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus (Gomes) L.R. Landrum (Myrtaceae), collected in Seasonal Semideciduous Forest. The studied organs presented uniseriate epidermis covered by a thick cuticle and secretory cavities. The stem showed a continuous ring of vascular tissues around the pith, with phloem on both sides of the xylem. The leaf was hypostomatic, with trichomes on the abaxial face, with bifacial mesophyll and amphicrival vascular bundle, surrounded by a sclerenchymatous pericycle in the petiole and in the midrib. Among the histochemical tests, positive results were obtained for lipids, phenolic compounds, starch and calcium oxalate (druses). The species had anatomical features typical of the family and the secretory cavities present in leaves and stems were related to the secondary metabolites detected.