basella alba pharmacognosy

8/13/2019 Basella Alba pharmacognosy

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4.3.Basella alba

Family:Basellaceae

Synonym:B. rubra L.

Vemacular names

English:Indian SpinachSanskrit:Upodika or Potaki Putika

Hindi:Poi

Tamil:Pasalaikkeerai or Kodippasalai

4.3.1: Morphological characters

This is a perennial, twining herb, less commonly ound in plains, scrub !ungles and waste

lands, but oten culti"ated as ornament and or spinach. They are ound up to #$$ m %SL.

The stem is &eshy, "ery long, much branched, sub'succulent and slender. Branch'lets are

terete. Petiole is &eshy and up to # cm in length and with a long and deep trench on the

ada(ial surace. Basal region o the petiole is rounded. Lea"es are simple, alternate,

petiolate, e(stipulate, glabrous and sub'succulent in plants grown in drier parts, but,

much &eshy and thick in culti"ated plants, broadly o"ate to elliptic to oblanceolate, )$'

)* ( +')$ cm in sie, base truncate to cordate to rounded, decurrent, ape( acute to

acuminate to epiculate, margin entire and lateral ner"es are - pairs. Spikes are a(illary

and appear rom September to /ebruary. Peduncles are long up to *$ cm, &eshy, thickand slender. Buds are crowded in the ape( but matured ones are arther apart. /lowers

are sessile, ureolate and hermaphrodite. Bracts are minute and bracteoles are *, Perianth

tube is &eshy, 0 mm long and # lobed. 1uter * lobes are larger than others. Lobes are

o"ate, incur"ed and tip acute. Stamens are # on the mouth o the perianth tube. /ilament

is straight and ).# mm in length. 2nther is oblong, "ersatile and one mm in length. 1"ary

is globose and o"ule subsessile. Style is 0'branched, ).# mm in length. Stigma is pillose.

/ruits pseudoberry, globose and one seeded.

Basella alba ar. alba

This is called as 3Patchaippasali3 45reen Spinach6 in Tamil. Stem, petiole, lea and

peduncles are green in color 4/ig. +-6. The perianth tube is greenish white in the basal

and pink in apical regions.

Basella alba ar. rubra

This is called as 3Sigappuppasali3 47ed Spinach6 in Tamil. Stem, petiole, aba(ial surace o

the lea and peduncles are pink in color 4/ig. )6.


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In order to study whether the color o the "arieties "i. "ar. alba and "ar. rubra are

genetically 8(ed or not, we raised the seedlings o both the "arieties or three generations

in two di9erent growth conditions. 1ne set o seedlings, *# in each "ariety, was grown in

drought condition and another set were grown in irrigated condition. 2ter 0 generations

we obser"ed that the green "ariety 4"ar. alba6 in both the growth conditions remainedunchanged in the color and as well as other characters o the plant. :owe"er, the pink

"ariety 4"ar. rubra6 grown in irrigated conditions showed reduction in the purple color in

the 8rst generation itsel. The pink color is restricted only to the basal region o the "eins

and margins o lea. In the &oral parts, the pink color is restricted to the apical region o

the perianth lobes. It was also obser"ed that when the o9spring3s o the irrigated'grown

8rst generation o "ar. rubrawas grown in drought condition, the pink coloration o the

lea and &oral parts were reappeared.

4.3.!: "escription o# the use#ul parts

In resh specimen, lea"es o "ar. albais green and "ar. rubrais pink is color. :owe"er,

both are mucilaginous. The dried powder is green in "ar. albawhere as it is dark green is

"ar. rubra. Te(ture is sot, odor strong and pleasant and taste indistinct, but mucilaginous.

4.3.3: $natomical characters

The ollowing anatomical descriptions apply e;ual to both the "arieties, "ar.alba

and "ar.rubra, unless otherwise stated.

%etiole

In TS, petiole is circular in outline with a urrow and two re&u(ed arms on the ada(ial

surace 4/ig. +#6. The ollowing ones are "isible, epidermis, ground tissue and "ascular

bundles. ells are thin walled, polygonal to irregular circle in shape with clear

intercellular spaces and ranges rom )#$'*=#in sie. Tip o the each re&e(ed arm has a

patch o collenchyma cells, which are 0#'-$in sie. Stomatal ca"ities are small. 2n arc

o -'? "ascular bundles is centrally located. 2 single, large arc shaped collenchymatous

cap o *' 0 layers is present in the aba(ial side o the "ascular bundle. These cells are

polygonal and 0$'0#in sie. @ascular bundles are collateral and open. Aylem is endarch

and "essels are 0#'?*in diameter. 2part rom these centrally located "ascular bundles,

there are ='+ smaller "ascular bundles e(tending into the arms. >alcium o(alate crystals

and mucilage cells are present in the ground tissue. They are =$')-$and +$')=$in sie

respecti"ely. Starch grains o +')*in sie are abundant in the ground tissue.


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&ea# midri'

In TS, lea midrib shows a distinct aba(ial ridge and a groo"e in ada(ial region. It consists

o epidermis, ground tissue and centrally located "ascular bundles 4/ig. +? and *6.


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that in "ar. alba. Solubility percentage o "ar. albais higher in alcohol and lower in water

than "ar. rubra.


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Ta'le 0V: (uantitatie microscopical alues o# leaes o# t+o arieties o#B. alba

Sl.

FoPararneter Studied "ar. alba "ar. rubra

) Stomatal Fumber

Upper surace 0.)0'?.)')$.+) 0.+-'.)#')-.??

Lower surace +.))')*.+?')?.# )$.+')0.)+')?.)$

* @ein islet number $.+=').*?').#$ ).0?').+*'*.=*

0 @ein termination number $.+=').0)').?# $.?#').+)'*.?#


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Ta'le 0V: $nalytical alues o# leaes o#B. alba

Sl. Fo Pararneter Studied "ar. alba "ar. rubra

) Total ash "alue )$.0 )).$

* 2cid insoluble ash "alue ).0 0.$

0 Loss on drying ).$ *.?

- Solubility E in

2lcohol

Gater

)$.$

0*.$

=.$

0?.$

# hloroorm2lcohol

Gater

0.0$*

).+=-

$.**)$.0?*

*+.*#w

-.#*

$.??#

$.*+-)+.$0-

)+.*+


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Ta'le 0V: 2ehaior o#B. albaon treatment +ith dierent chemical reagents

Sl.

o.

%o+der 5 6eagent

usedar. alba ar. rubra

1 Powder as such 5reen Hark green

! P >onc. :*S1- Hark green Hark green

3 P >onc. :>l Hark green Hark green

4 P :F$0 Brown Brown

) P 2cetic acid Brown 5reen

* P )$E Fa1: 5reen 5reen

, P )F :>I Hark green 5reen

- P Iodine solution Black Black

P #E /erric chloride Brown Brown


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Ta'le 0V: Fluorescent 'ehaior o# lea# po+der o#B. alba

Sl.

o

%o+der 5 6eagent

used

ar. alba ar. ru'ra

Visi'le light 7V lightVisi'le

light7V light

) Powder as such 5reen 5reen Hark green Hark green*

P #$E :F$07eddish

brown

Blackish

brown

Pinkish

brown

Blackish

brown

0

P IF :>I 5reen5reen

Hark brown Hark green

-

P IF Fa1: in water 5reenBlackish

greenHark green Black

#

P IF Fa1: in alcohol Hark green Black Hark green Black.


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basella alba pharmacognosy

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