Cressa Cretica Case Study

Cressa cretica L. (Convolvulaceae) is mentioned as an ayurvedic drug, known in India as Rudanti. It is reported to be antibilious, antitubercular, and an expectorant. It is a remarkable salt-tolerant plant, common in coastal areas. The main of this work to analysed the morpho-anatomy of the leaf and stem, in order to supply knowledge to the medicinal plant identification. The morpho-anatomical studies reveals that leaves numerous, isobilateral, subsessile, acute, densely silky hairy, isobilateral in transection, epidermis uniseriate, peculiar non glandular two armed trichomes, anisocytic stomata on both surfaces. Vascular bundle collateral in leaf and bicollateral in young stem. The stem, in secondary growth, has the dermal system similar to the leaf; the elongated chlorenchyma followed by cortical parenchyma; it occurs druses and a cambial variant, shows formation of internal phloem. This internal phloem is same as external phloem but sieve tube elements relatively longer than external one. Development of three internal phloem patches exerts pressure on pith cells, because of that pith cells get compressed and it resulted in to small compressed pith.
Key Words: morpho-anatomy, Cressa cretica, bicollateral, internal phloem.

INTRODUCTION …show more content…
(Convolvulaceae) is known in Arabic as Molleih or Nadewa (Täkholm, 1974). C. cretica is a remarkable salt-tolerant plant, common in coastal areas. C. cretica is mentioned as an Ayurvedic drug, known in indigenous medicine in India as Rudanti (Satakopan & Karandikar, 1961). It is reported to be antibilious, antitubercular, and an expectorant (Rizk & El-Ghazaly, 1995; Satakopan & Karandikar, 1961). The plant is alternately used as an anthelmentic, stomachic, tonic, for aphrodisiac purposes, enrichment of the blood, and is useful in constipation, leprosy, asthma, and urinary discharges (Chopra et al., 1956). The plant is traditionally used in Bahrain as an expectorant and an antibilious agent (Rizk & El-Ghazaly,