parpata :

Morphology:

An erect herb ca. 7-3 cm tall, having, herbaceous branches. Stem is ridged having furrows, glabrous, pale, brown, brownish, sedge green. Radical leaves petiolate, petiole is 1-7 cm long, decompound, pinnatified, lamina outline ovate, orbicular, 1.5-5x1-3 cm; pinnae lobes obovate, orbicular, attenuate, oblique, cuneate, petioleis1to15 mm long; lobule linear, oblong, 0.56x0.51 mm, acute, mucronate; both surfaces of leaves are sedge green. Cauline leaves petiolate, petiole is 0.8-6 cm long, decompound, pinnatified, lamina outline elliptic, ovate, orbicular, 1.5-7x1-7cm; pinnae lobes obovate, orbicular, attenuate, oblique, cuneate, petiolule is 1- 13 mm long; lobule linear, oblong, 0.5-6x0.5-4mm, acute, mucronate; both surfaces of leaves are sedge green. Raceme is 0.7-4.5 cm long, 5-23 flowered, and peduncle is 0.2-1.7 cm long; bract laneolate, 1-2.5x0.5-1 mm long, membranous. Flowers yellow, 4-6 mm long including spurs, downwardly curved, 1-1.5x0.5-1mm, petal lobe is longer than spur lobe (3- 4.5:1-1.5mm long). Sepals 2, caudocous, imbricate; petal 4, 3- 4.5x0.5-1 mm, imbricates, upper & lower petal tips are suborbicular while inner are coherent at tips, lower are narrow. Stamens 6, diadelphous, 3 on each side of carpel; filament 2.5-3 mm long, anther 0.2-0.5mm long, middle anther dithecous and lateral monothecous. Carpel ellipsoid, glabrous, ovary 1-1.5mm long, stigma 0.5-1 mm long, style 1.5-3 mm long. Nut suborbicular, rounded, rugose, 2x2mm; seeds somewhat rounded brown, 1 in number, 1mm in diameter

Histology:

Root - Root shows single layered epidermis, followed by 5 or 6 layers of cortex consisting of thin-walled, rectangular, parenchymatous cells, outer I or 2 layers irregular and brown in colour; endodermis not distinct; secondary phloem very narrow and consisting of 2 or 3 rows with usual elements; central core shows a wide zone of xylem and consists of usual elements; vessels mostly solitary having reticulate and spiral thickening, medullary ray less developed and mostly uniseriate; fibres moderately long, thick-walled, having narrow lumen and blunt tips. Stem - Stem shows a pentagonal outline, having prominent angles composed of collenchymatous cells; epidermis single layered of thin-walled, oblong, rectangular cells, covered with thin cuticle; cortex narrow, composed of 2 to 4 layers of chlorenchymatous cells endodermis not distinct; vascular bundles collateral, 5 or 6 arranged in a ring; each vascular bundle capped by a group of sclerenchymatous cells; phloem consists of usual elements; xylem consists of vessels, tracheids, fibres and xylem parenchyma; vessels much elongated, having reticulate, annular or spiral thickening or simple pits; xylem fibres narrow elongated with pointed ends having a few simple pits; centre either hollow or occupied by narrow pith consisting of thinwalled, parenchymatous cells. Leaf Petiole - V -shaped outline; single layer epidermis consisting of thin-walled, parenchymatous cells followed by ground tissue composed of thick-walled round, oval or polygonal, parenchymatous cells, outer cells smaller than inner; collenchymatous cells present at corners; three vascular bundle scattered in ground tissue, one central and two in wings; vascular bundle consists of phloem and xylem, phloem capped with fibrous sheath, lower epidermis single layered. Lamina - Shows single layer epidermis on either side, consistmg of thin-walled, rectangular, oval-shaped, parenchymatous cells; mesophyll composed of oval to polygonal thin-walled parenchymatous cells, filled with green pigment and not differentiated into palisade and spongy parenchyma; vascular bundles scattered throughout the mesophyll; stomata anomocytic, present on both surfaces. 

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