Effect on morphological changes in vasaka (Adhatoda vasica) and raktapunarnava (Boerhavia diffusa) under stressed and unstressed conditions Kashyap Amar Singh1, Sharma Rajiv Kr2, Bhartiya Arun1 Botany Department, M M H College, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 1Botany Department, MM(PG) College, Modinagar, Ghaziabad 2Director, Pharmacopoeial Laboratory for Indian Medicine, Opp. M Block, Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad Online published on 21 March, 2016. Abstract The experiment was conducted to study the differences in morphological characters of vasaka (Adhatoda vasica Nees) and raktapunarnava (Boerhavia diffusa Linn.) growing in various unstressed (non-polluted) and stressed (polluted) habitats. Since environmental conditions play a vital role in the quality and quantity of active constituents in medicinal plants, their macro and micro-morphological characters also are affected. Both the plants, viz. vasaka and raktapunarnava showed significant variation under both unstressed and stressed habitats. The leaves of vasaka under unstressed habitat showed double leaf area, longer petiole size, more veination and with rough texture than stressed habitat. The nodal and internodal sizes were 3 times more under unstressed habitat than stressed habitat. The plants of raktapunarnava also showed variation in their macro-morphological characters under both habitats. The nodal and internodal size, petiole size, size of branches, and shoots were more under unstressed habitats than stressed habitat, but roots were more in length in stressed habitat. The size of lamina was 3 times more in unstressed than stressed habitat. The texture of leaves under unstressed habitat was smooth but it was coarse in stressed habitat. There were significant changes in micro-morphological characters in both the plants under both habitats. In vasaka, frequency of stomata, density of trichome and vein terminations were more in stressed habitat. In unstressed habitat, stomatal index, and vein islets number were more. In raktapunarnava, stomatal frequency, and density of trichomes were more in leaves in stressed habitats. While vein islet number and stomatal index were more in unstressed habitat. Top Keywords Morphological characters, Stressed, Unstressed, Vasaka, Raktapunarnava. Top |