Morphological and anatomical studies of three-thorned acacia (Gleditschia triacanthos) leaves

Introduction. Three-thorned acacia (Gleditschia triacanthos L.), Legume (Fabaceae) family is extensively distributed in Russia from the forest-steppe zone to the southern borders. In a number of countries, three-thorned acacia species are official medicinal plants, and their extracts are used to treat various diseases. The leaves contain flavonoids, triterpene saponins, amino acids, polysaccharides, and alkaloids. To determine the identity of the leaves, it is necessary to establish the diagnostic signs of plant raw materials on the basis of morphological and anatomical data that have not been found in the literature. Objective: to investigate the morphological and anatomical structure of the leaves of three-thorned acacia growing in the Saratov Region and to identify the diagnostic signs of plant raw materials. Material and methods. The investigation object was dried three-thorned acacia leaves harvested in the Engels District of the Saratov Region in the Junes of 2019 and 2020. Preparation of microspecimens and microscopic analysis were carried out according to the pharmacopoeia assays. The morphological structure of the leaves was studied using a magnifying glass (x10). The anatomical structure was established using a MEIJI TECHNO MT5300L biological microscope (Japan) with a magnification from x40 to x1000 (lenses x4, x10, x40, and x100). The photographs were taken using a LEVENHUK M1400 PLUS digital camera. The resultant micrographs were edited in the «Photoscape 3.7» program Results. The morphological and anatomical signs of three-thorned acacia leaves of were identified. The main diagnostic microscopic signs are the anomocytic type of the stomatal apparatus; simple unicellular thick-walled simple hairs with the folded cuticle on the upper side of the epidermis; druses in the mesophyll, the largest number of which is located in the central part of the blade; crystal-bearing lining of leaf veins; clusters of extractive substances in the mesophyll cells; reduced serrations along the leaf blade edge. Conclusion. There is new evidence for the morphological and anatomical structure of three-thorned acacia (Gleditsia triacantos L.), growing in the Saratov Region.

Gleditsia triacantos L, three-thorned acacia (Gleditschia triacanthos L.), black locust (Gleditschia triacanthos L.), leaves, morphological and anatomical structure, diagnostic signs, microscopy