THE MORPHOLOGY AND ANATOMY OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

The morphological and anatomical characteristics of some medicinal plants in Southwestern, Nigeria were investigated to disseminate the dynamics of local knowledge and modern health care development. Commonly used medicinal plants were collected from forests in Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Oyo States. Morphological measurements were taken from each of ten species studied. Transverse sections of leaves were obtained in which two slides were prepared from both adaxial and abaxial surfaces from epidermal peelings. The results showed that the studied taxa have different morphological features; leaf arrangement is alternate, opposite and whorl. Leaf shape is oval/lanceolate, oval/cordate, linear, acicular, oblique or inequilateral, lanceolate or oblique, ovate oval. Cymbopogon citratus has the highest leaf length while Panicum maximum has the lowest leaf length. Mangifera indica has the highest leaf width while Panicum maximum and Cymbopogon citratus have the lowest. Anatomically, the leaves of four (4) were found to be amphistomatic while four (4) were hypostomatic and two (2) were epistomatic. The result showed that the studied taxa have different morphological and anatomical features. These findings serve as baseline for further research such as molecular studies