panduraphali :

Morphology:

Root occurs in about 6-9 cm long, 1-1.5 cm thick cut pieces, cylindrical, externally brown to creamy, rough due to vertical fissures, cracks, ridges and transverse fine lenticels, internally dark brown, lamellation or stratification due to presence of concentric bands of fibres; fracture tough and fibrous; odour, not distinct; taste, bitter.

Histology:

Root cork consists of 25-35 layers of rectangular cells with 3-5 stratified layers, lignification being more prominent where the stratification starts, arranged with 1-3 tangential rows of narrow cells alternating with 3-5 tangential rows of wider cells; cork cambium composed of 1 -2 layers of tangentially elongated cells; secondary cortex arranged more or less radially, becomes polyhedral to isodiameteric in inner region, a few cells getting converted into stone cells which are regular in shape and show projection; secondary phloem wide, forms cerantenchyma between two obliquely running rays; some rays and phloem cells get converted into irregular, polygonal shaped stone cells, measuring 10- 150 n in width, phloem parenchyma being intact; medullary rays multiseriate, being 3-4 cells wide, and 8-11-15 cells high; fibres tapering, pointed or slightly blunt, with a small peg-like projection at both ends; sieve tube gets collapsed in outer region forming strips of ceratenchyma; a few small microsphenoidal crystals of calcium oxalate present in phloem parenchyma and rays; secondary xylem wide having usual elements; vessels simple, pitted, lignified; fibres large, pointed, aseptate; rays multiseriate, 2- 3 cells wide.

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