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Questions and Answers
Which of the following fruits belong to the Family Umbelliferae? (Select all that apply)
Which of the following fruits belong to the Family Umbelliferae? (Select all that apply)
What does the name 'Umbelliferae' refer to?
What does the name 'Umbelliferae' refer to?
Umbrella-shaped inflorescence
Each mericarp has two surfaces: a flat surface called the ______ surface and a convex surface known as the ______ surface.
Each mericarp has two surfaces: a flat surface called the ______ surface and a convex surface known as the ______ surface.
ventral, dorsal
The dorsal surface of a mericarp in Umbelliferae shows 5 raised ridges.
The dorsal surface of a mericarp in Umbelliferae shows 5 raised ridges.
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What are vittae?
What are vittae?
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What color are the dried ripe fruits of Ammi visnaga?
What color are the dried ripe fruits of Ammi visnaga?
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The endosperm cells of Umbelliferous fruits contain aleurone grains.
The endosperm cells of Umbelliferous fruits contain aleurone grains.
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The pericarp of Ammi visnaga is formed of polygonal cells with ______ cuticle.
The pericarp of Ammi visnaga is formed of polygonal cells with ______ cuticle.
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What is one of the active constituents found in Ammi visnaga?
What is one of the active constituents found in Ammi visnaga?
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What is the primary function of khellin found in Ammi visnaga?
What is the primary function of khellin found in Ammi visnaga?
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The endocarp cells of Ammi visnaga are arranged in a parallel manner.
The endocarp cells of Ammi visnaga are arranged in a parallel manner.
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What therapeutic use does Ammi visnaga have in relation to kidney stones?
What therapeutic use does Ammi visnaga have in relation to kidney stones?
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The vascular bundles in the mesocarp of Ammi visnaga are accompanied by ______ and lignified parenchyma.
The vascular bundles in the mesocarp of Ammi visnaga are accompanied by ______ and lignified parenchyma.
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Match the following constituents of Ammi visnaga with their descriptions:
Match the following constituents of Ammi visnaga with their descriptions:
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Which type of surface is described as the ventral or commissural surface of a mericarp?
Which type of surface is described as the ventral or commissural surface of a mericarp?
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Each mericarp of fruits in the Umbelliferae family encloses two seeds.
Each mericarp of fruits in the Umbelliferae family encloses two seeds.
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What are primary ridges?
What are primary ridges?
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The mesocarp of Umbelliferous fruits is mostly composed of _______ cells.
The mesocarp of Umbelliferous fruits is mostly composed of _______ cells.
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Match the following components with their characteristics:
Match the following components with their characteristics:
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Study Notes
Family Umbelliferae (Apiaceae)
- Named for umbrella-shaped flower clusters (inflorescence)
Ammi visnaga
- Dried ripe fruits of Ammi visnaga (Family Umbelliferae)
- Also known as toothpick fruit due to stems being used as toothpicks
- Greenish brown with a violet tinge
General Morphological Characters of Umbelliferous Fruits
- Usually cremocarps, each consisting of two mericarps
- Each mericarp has two surfaces:
- Flat surface (ventral/commissural)
- Convex surface (dorsal)
- Dorsal surface shows 5 raised ridges (primary ridges) over the vascular bundles
- Four secondary ridges present between the primary ridges
- Ventral surface shows 2 brownish bands over the region of the vittae
- Vittae are secretory structures that produce volatile oil
- Each mericarp encloses a single seed
General Histological Characters of Umbelliferous Fruits
-
Epicarp:
- Formed of polygonal cells
- Smooth or striated cuticle
- Anomocytic stomata
-
Mesocarp:
- Mostly parenchymatous
- Can show sclerenchyma in the form of a shell (e.g. Coriander), pitted lignified parenchyma (e.g. Anise), or reticulate parenchyma (e.g. Fennel & Ammi visnaga)
-
Endocarp:
- Divided into groups that can be:
- Parallel to each other (parallel arrangement)
- Variously oriented (parquetry)
- Divided into groups that can be:
-
Endosperm:
- Contains aleurone grains enclosing a globoid and micro-rosette crystals of calcium oxalate
Ammi visnaga Histology
-
Pericarp:
-
Epicarp:
- Forms of polygonal cells with crystals of Ca Ox
- Striated cuticle and anomocytic stomata
-
Mesocarp:
- Composed of parenchyma traversed by vittae and by 5 vascular bundles forming a crescent
- Vascular bundles accompanied by fibers and reticulate lignified parenchyma
- Innermost layer of the mesocarp has large brown-walled cells with thick, porous inner walls (porous layer) - diagnostic element
-
Epicarp:
-
Endocarp:
- Narrow, tangentially elongated cells
- Regularly arranged in variously oriented groups (parquetry arrangement)
Ammi visnaga Seed
-
Seed coat:
- Brownish polygonal cells followed by a collapsed hyaline layer
-
Endosperm:
- Thick-walled parenchyma containing fixed oil and aleurone grains
Active Constituents of Ammi visnaga
- Bitter principles:
- Khellin (0.5-1%)
- Visnagin
- Coumarin derivatives (e.g. visnadin)
- Fixed oil and proteins
Therapeutic Uses of Ammi visnaga
- Smooth muscle relaxant
- Kidney stones: reduces pain by relaxing the muscles
Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) Family
- Family name comes from the umbrella-shaped inflorescence.
- The family comprises many fruits including:
- Ammi visnaga
- Ammi majus
- Fennel
- Anise
- Coriander
- Caraway
General Fruit Morphology
- Fruits are cremocarps, each consisting of two mericarps.
- Each mericarp has two surfaces:
- Ventral or commissural surface (flat)
- Dorsal surface (convex)
- The dorsal surface has five raised ridges over vascular bundles.
- Four secondary ridges are present between the primary ridges.
- The ventral surface shows two brownish bands over the region of the vittae.
- Vittae are secretory structures that produce volatile oil.
- Each mericarp encloses a single seed.
General Fruit Histology
-
Epicarp:
- Composed of polygonal cells with smooth or striated cuticle.
- Anomocytic stomata are present.
-
Mesocarp:
- Mostly parenchymatous.
- Sclerenchyma may be present in the form of a shell (e.g., Coriander), pitted lignified parenchyma (e.g., Anise), or reticulate parenchyma (e.g., Fennel and Ammi visnaga).
-
Each mericarp has five vascular bundles located in the primary ridges.
-
Each mericarp has 6 schizogenous secretory ducts (vittae): 4 on the dorsal surface and 2 on the commissural surface on both sides of the raphe.
-
Vittae can be:
- Simple (e.g., Fennel)
- Branched (e.g., Anise)
-
The innermost layer of the mesocarp can differentiate into:
- Porous cells (Ammi visnaga)
- Non-porous thickened cells (Ammi majus)
-
Endocarp cells are divided into groups which may be:
- Parallel to each other (parallel arrangement)
- Variously oriented (parquetry)
-
The endosperm cells contain aleurone grains which enclose a globoid and micro-rosette crystals of calcium oxalate.
Ammi visnaga
- Dried ripe fruits of Ammi visnaga (Family Umbelliferae).
- Also known as toothpick fruit due to the traditional use of the stems of the plant as toothpicks.
- Color: Greenish brown with a violet tinge.
Histology
-
Pericarp:
- Epicarp: Composed of polygonal cells with crystals of calcium oxalate, a striated cuticle, and anomocytic stomata.
- Mesocarp: Composed of parenchyma traversed by vittae and five vascular bundles forming a crescent; vascular bundles are accompanied by fibers and reticulate lignified parenchyma.
- Innermost layer of the mesocarp: Large brown-walled cells with thick, porous inner walls (porous layer).
-
Endocarp: Consists of narrow, tangentially elongated cells, regularly arranged in variously oriented groups (parquetry arrangement).
-
Seed:
- Seed coat: Brownish polygonal cells followed by a collapsed hyaline layer.
- Endosperm: Thick-walled parenchyma containing fixed oil and aleurone grains.
Active Constituents
- Bitter principles: Khellin (0.5-1%) and visnagin.
- Coumarin derivatives, e.g., visnadin.
- Fixed oil and proteins.
Therapeutic Uses
- Kidney stones: Helps reduce the pain by relaxing the muscles of the ureter and helps ease the stone down into the bladder.
- Asthma: Safe for children.
- Other respiratory conditions: Bronchitis, emphysema, and whooping cough.
- Circulatory disturbances: Helps improve the blood supply to the heart by relaxing the coronary arteries, thus relieving angina.
Chemical Test:
- Aqueous extract gives a rose red color with NaOH (test for khellin).
Ammi majus
- Dried ripe fruits of Ammi majus (Family Umbelliferae).
Differences from Ammi visnaga:
- Color: Brownish yellow, no violet tinge.
- Histology: Absence of the porous layer.
- Chemical Test: Negative test for khellin (aqueous extract does not give a rose red color with NaOH).
Active Constituents:
- Bitter principles: Xanthotoxin.
- Coumarins.
- Fixed oil and proteins.
Therapeutic Uses:
- Treatment of leukoderma (vitiligo): A condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment (side effect: phototoxicity).
- Combined herbal therapy for psoriasis: Psoriasis is a long-lasting, non-contagious autoimmune disease characterized by raised areas of abnormal skin.
Fennel
- Dried ripe fruits of Foeniculum vulgare (Family Umbelliferae).
- Powder: Reticulate parenchyma (diagnostic element), mesocarp, endocarp, vascular bundles, epicarp, fragments of vittae (diagnostic element for umbelliferous fruits in general), and endosperm
Active Constituents:
- Volatile oil (2-5%): Anethole (60%) and fenchone (20%).
- Proteins.
- Fixed oil.
- Vitamins.
Therapeutic Uses:
- Reduces abdominal pain, colon disorders, flatulence, and GI tract spasms.
- Gripe water: A non-prescription product sold in many countries around the world to relieve colic and discomforts of infants; gripe water contains fennel, ginger, and chamomile.
- For clearing the lungs (expectorant).
- Tonic for kidneys, liver, and spleen.
Anise
- Dried ripe fruits of Pimpinella anisum (Family Umbelliferae).
- Powder: Pitted lignified parenchyma, branched vittae crossed by endocarp, nonglandular unicellular hairs with warty cuticle, vascular bundles, epicarp (striated cuticle), and endosperm.
Active Constituents
- Volatile oil (2-3%): Anethole (90%).
- Flavonoid glycosides.
- Proteins.
- Fixed oil.
Therapeutic Uses
- Digestive aid, carminative.
- For respiratory conditions like sinusitis.
- Combats infection and relieves mucus from air passages.
- Flavoring agent and fragrance component in drugs and cosmetics (mostly substituted by star anise due to cost).
Fennel and Anise as Estrogenic Agents
- Fennel and anise have historically been used as estrogenic agents.
- They contain compounds known as phytoestrogens.
- They have been used to increase milk secretion, promote menstruation, and facilitate birth.
- Contraindicated in hormone-sensitive conditions such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, or uterine fibroids. These conditions are made worse by exposure to estrogen or phytoestrogens.
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Description
Explore the unique characteristics of the Umbelliferae family, focusing on Ammi visnaga and its morphological and histological features. Learn about the distinct structures of umbelliferous fruits, including their mericarps and vitta. This quiz will enhance your understanding of this interesting plant family.
