Abstract
Agapanthus praecox subsp. praecox Willd. is a highly valued medicinal plant of family Amaryllidaceae. The genus Agapanthus has been difficult to classify into distinct species due to broad similar morphology of its members. Present taxonomic confusion in this genus and numerous medicinal uses of A. praecox necessitate its proper identification. The leaf and rhizome microcharacters were studied using scanning electron, light microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Epidermal cells are polygonal having wavy anticlinal walls with mean adaxial length of 80.04±0.5 μm and mean abaxial length of 85.33±0.6 μm. The leaf is amphistomatic with anomocytic stomata with mean pore length of 22.14±0.2 μm on the adaxial and 15.02±0.3 μm on the abaxial surface. The mean stomata densities on the adaxial and abaxial surfaces were 280.5±0.5 mm2 and 350.6±0.6 mm2. Trichomes and secretory ducts are absent on both surfaces. EDX spectroscopy showed that beryllium, carbon, oxygen, sodium, and silicon were present on both epidermal surfaces and rhizome while nitrogen, aluminum, and chlorine were detected only on the adaxial surface and sulphur was detected only in the rhizome.
Highlights
The genus Agapanthus established by L’Heritier in 1788 belongs to the family Amaryllidaceae and order Asparagales [1]
These are polygonal in shape with wavy anticlinal walls on both the adaxial and abaxial surfaces
This study presents the microcharacters of A. praecox subsp. praecox that are of taxonomic importance
Summary
The genus Agapanthus established by L’Heritier in 1788 belongs to the family Amaryllidaceae and order Asparagales [1]. Leighton [2] revised the genus and recognized ten species: four evergreen species which are A. africanus (L.) Hoffmanns, A. comptonii F.M. Leight, A. praecox Willd., and A. walshii L. Bolus and six deciduous species, namely, A. campanulatus F.M. Leight, A. caulescens Spreng, A. coddii F.M. Leight, A. dyeri F.M. Leight, A. inapertus Four deciduous species, A. campanulatus F.M. Leight, A. caulescens Spreng, A. coddii F.M. Leight, and A. inapertus The genus has been difficult to classify due to high rate of hybridization within member species which has led to array of garden hybrids with similar macromorphological features [4]. This accounts for the numerous misidentifications of the members of this genus
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