Senna Leaf PDF - Morphology and Preparation

Senna leaf ‫ورق سنامكى‬  Senna leaf Origin: dried leaflets of Cassia acutifolia (Alexandrian senna) and Cassia angustifolia (Indian senna) Family Leguminosae Morphology: Colour: pale grayish-green Shape: lanceolate to ovate lanceolate Margin: entire Apex: acute Base: asymmetric Surfa...

Senna leaf ‫ورق سنامكى‬  Senna leaf Origin: dried leaflets of Cassia acutifolia (Alexandrian senna) and Cassia angustifolia (Indian senna) Family Leguminosae Morphology: Colour: pale grayish-green Shape: lanceolate to ovate lanceolate Margin: entire Apex: acute Base: asymmetric Surface: both are pubescent, small whitish hairs found Especially near the veins. Odour: slight Taste: mucilagnous, bitter & unpleasant. Surface preparation: 1- Epidermis Epidermal cells have straight walls have paracytic stomata on both surfaces in the same number and may contain mucilage which stain red with ruthenium red reagent. 2- Hairs Non glandular unicellular, conical in shape, covered with thick warty cuticle and curved near the base. Micromorphology: T.S diagram: The leaf is isobilateral, The midrib vascular bundles are collateral v.b , surrounded by a zone of lignified pericyclic fibers and a sheath of parenchymatous cells containing prisms of calcium oxalate. The midrib is planoconvex, below the midrib bundles is a zone of collenchyma. T.S detailed in the Lamina: Epidermis: Tabulate flattened cells without intercellular spaces. Epidermal cells contain mucilage and bear unicellular warty hairs. B) Mesophyll: Palisade tissue: The lamina is isobilateral having a single palisade layer under each epidermis, the palisade cells is more elongated than that of the lower epidermis. Spongy tissue: Parenchymatous with clusters of Ca.OX. T.S detailed in the Midrib region: 1) Epidermis. 2) Palisade layer: is continues over the vascular bundle but absent on the underside. 3) Vascular bundles: Consists of radiated xylem and phloem with an arc of pericyclic fibers below and compact mass of sclerenchyma above. 4) The pericyclic fibers are surrounded by parenchyma cells containing prisms of calcium oxalate constituting the crystal sheath. Powder Physical characters Colour: yellowish-green Odour: characteristic Taste: bitter & mucilagenous Microscopical character 1- Fragment of upper &lower epidermis. 2- Trichomes 3- Calcium oxalate crystals occur as prism in the parenchma cells surrounding groups of pericyclic fibers forming crystal sheath. 4- Palisade cells 5- Xylem vessels 6- Calcium oxalate clusters. Test for anthraquinone derivatives Boil the powder with alcoholic potassium hydroxide for about 3 minutes. Dilute with water and filter. Acidify the filtrate with dilute hydrochloric acid, cool and shake well with ether. Separate the ether layer in a clean test-tube and shake with dilute ammonia. Rose red colour in the aqueous layer is produced.