Abstract

ARROYO, J. et al. Anatomical and histochemical study of the vegetative organs of Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae). Polibotánica [online]. 2022, n.54, pp.185-202.  Epub Sep 12, 2022. ISSN 1405-2768.  https://doi.org/10.18387/polibotanica.54.12.

Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae) is a species widely used in traditional Peruvian medicine. Due to lack the of anatomical information on specimens of P. aduncum that grow in the Peruvian Amazon, we set as objetives the anatomical and histochemical characterization of the vegetative organs and the preliminary phytochemical study of the ethanolic extract of the leaves, to obtain diagnostic characters of the mentioned species. Freehand sections, histological staining and histochemical reactions of roots, stems and leaves, stem macerations and leaf clearing were performed. Phytochemical procedures were carried out for the recognition of secondary metabolites with the ethanolic extract of the leaves. The results have verified histological characters already reported for the species such as the primary stem with a double row of vascular bundles as well as the hypostomatic bifacial leaf with secretory idioblasts, calcium oxalate raphides, tector and glandular trichomes. Distinctive histological features for P. aduncum such as simple polyhedral starches and secretory idioblasts in the roots, xylem vessels scalariform and pitted, sclerenchyma elements in the stem as well as the number of stomata, stomatal index and palisade parenchyma index for the leaf have been characterized. Phytochemical tests show the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds and saponins in the ethanolic extract, while histochemical tests showed alkaloids for the roots, sterols and triterpenes for the stems, sterols and tannins for the leaves. It is concluded that the morphometric data at the foliar and stem level are the most relevant and of diagnostic importance and can be used in the identificaction of the species.

Keywords : Piper; histology; histochemistry; phytochemistry; idioblasts.

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