Abstract
Commelina benghalensis L. is used as a traditional medicine in treating numerous ailments and diseases such as infertility in women, conjunctivitis, gonorrhea, and jaundice. This study used light and electron microscopy coupled with histochemistry to investigate the micromorphology, ultrastructure and histochemical properties of C. benghalensis leaves and stems. Stereo and scanning electron microscopy revealed dense non-glandular trichomes on the leaves and stems and trichome density was greater in emergent leaves than in the young and mature. Three morphologically different non-glandular trichomes were observed including simple multicellular, simple bicellular and simple multicellular hooked. The simple bicellular trichomes were less common than the multicellular and hooked. Transmission electron micrographs showed mitochondria, vesicles and vacuoles in the trichome. The leaf section contained chloroplasts with plastoglobuli and starch grains. Histochemical analysis revealed various pharmacologically important compounds such as phenols, alkaloids, proteins and polysaccharides. The micromorphological and ultrastructural investigations suggest that Commelina benghalensis L. is an economically important medicinal plant due to bioactive compounds present in the leaves and stems.
Highlights
Commelina benghalensis L. (Commelinaceae), known as the Benghal dayflower, is a perennial herb native to the tropics of Africa and Asia [1]
C. benghalensis is used as a traditional medicinal plant
With plant leaf expansion and growth, the trichomes become spaced further apart; if new trichomes are not produced on mature leaves, there will be an evident sparse indumentum [42]
Summary
Commelina benghalensis L. (Commelinaceae), known as the Benghal dayflower, is a perennial herb native to the tropics of Africa and Asia [1]. (Commelinaceae), known as the Benghal dayflower, is a perennial herb native to the tropics of Africa and Asia [1]. The plant is widely distributed in the northern and eastern regions of South Africa [2]. This plant species has a low risk of extinction which could be attributed to its rapid weed-like growth [3,4] and is categorized as an invasive weed in various parts of the world [4]. The plants grow along roadsides and lawns, home gardens, crop fields, waste sites, agricultural sites and forest edges [5]. C. benghalensis is used as a traditional medicinal plant. Various studies have shown that the bioactive compounds in extracts of
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