Abstract
A qualitative micromorphological assessment of the seven species of Isolona occurring in Nigeria and the Cameroons was undertaken with the aid of light microscope. The stomatal cells are particularly useful, providing stable characters which can be reliably employed in distinguishing the species. Hypostomatic leaves and paracytic stomatal type are generic constant. Possession of only paracytic stomata is characteristic of I. dewevrei whereas other species may have in addition another type such as 1+2 laterocytic stomatal type found only in I. zenkeri and presence of brachyparacytic stomata which shows relatedness of I. campanulata, I. congolana, I. hexaloba, I. pleurocarpus and I. thonneri. The epidermal surfaces appeared glabrous but an indication of hairs is shown by the presence of a glandular trichome base only in I. hexaloba. The epidermal cell characters such as epidermal cell shapes and anticlinal wall patterns seem to intergrade and they are not as definite as the stomatal cells. However, a combination of these features will be helpful in defining the species better and their leaf fragments can be differentiated based on the various characters studied for effective utilization in herbal medicinal research.
Highlights
Annonaceae Juss. are a pantropical family of trees, shrubs, and lianas belonging to the order Magnoliales (APGII, 2003)
A qualitative micromorphological assessment of the seven species of Isolona occurring in Nigeria and the Cameroons was undertaken with the aid of light microscope
One of the African genera in this category is Isolona Engl., a sizeable genus with ca.21 species distributed across the tropical zone
Summary
Annonaceae Juss. are a pantropical family of trees, shrubs, and lianas belonging to the order Magnoliales (APGII, 2003). Are a pantropical family of trees, shrubs, and lianas belonging to the order Magnoliales (APGII, 2003). 42 genera and around 400 species (Maas et al, 2003; Bremer et al, 2009; Smith et al, 2010; Couvreur et al, 2012; Zeng et al, 2014;). Compared to the Neotropical and SouthEast Asian Annonaceae, the African taxa are largely understudied (Maas et al, 2003; Couvreur et al, 2006; Couvreur et al, 2008). One of the African genera in this category is Isolona Engl., a sizeable genus with ca. species distributed across the tropical zone. Little is known about the reproductive biology, the flowers of I. campanulata Engl. Received in revised form: 14 Sep 2020.
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