A pharmacobotanical study of vegetative organs of Solanum torvum

In this work, a morpho-anatomical study of the leaves, stems and roots of Solanum torvum Sw. was performed with the objective of providing a macroscopical and microscopical morphodiagnosis for its characterization. The species is popularly called "jurubeba-branca" in the Northeastern Brazil and is used in folk medicine to treat liver diseases, tuberculosis, and as antianemic. Anatomical studies were done by paradermic sections of the leaf blade (adaxial and abaxial surfaces), and cross sections of leaves (blade and petiole), stems and roots. The sections were clarified and stained with safranin and/ or astrablue, observed and photographed on light microscope. Histochemical tests were carried out in cross sections of leaves, stems and roots and assayed for specific reagents. The leaves are chartaceous, ovate to elliptic, with lobed margins, oblique at the base. The leaf is amphistomatic with anisocytic and anomocytic stomata simultaneously, and the epidermal cells, in face view, have anticlinal walls sinuate on the upper surface and wavy on the lower surface. The mesophyll is dorsiventral; the midrib has a central bicollateral vascular bundle; and the petiole has three or fourone. The stem shows external phloem, xylem, internal phloem and a parenchymatic pith. The root is axial and striate longitudinally and the secondary xylem is a massive cylinder. The macroscopical and microscopical vegetative characters constitute a set of diagnostic parameters to the studied species.