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Research Paper | Biology | India | Volume 5 Issue 3, March 2016
Phytochemical Screening of Achyranthes aspera Linn
Mahesh Ningwal | Rajendra Chauhan [2]
Abstract: Plants are small, much branched, monoecious perennial subshrub up to 0.8–1×0.8 m. Rootstock stout, woody. Stems somewhat succulent at first, ribbed, becoming basally woody with age, denselycovered in velutinous, appressed hairs. Leaves op-posite, densely clustered toward branch tips 40–50×25–30 mm, spreading to decurved, mostly broadlyovate, ovate-orbicular or elliptic; apex blunt to abruptly sub acute, sometimes very shortly apiculate; base attenuate; lamina somewhat fleshy, purple-grey, veins often purple, abaxial and adaxial surfaces silkycanescent, margins crenulate to crenate. Petioles 5–10mm long, pink, fleshy, velutinous, basal abscis-sion zone present. Inflorescence a terminal erectspike, 150–200mm long; peduncle 15mm long, fleshy, white-villous; spike rachis fleshy, white-vil-lous to purple-villous; flowers bisexual, retrorse, sessile, 180–200 per spike, these spaced initially at 10-mm intervals along rachis, diminishing rapidly to <1-mm intervals toward inflorescence apex. Bract persistent on rachis, ovate to lanceolate 3–3.5×0.5–1mm, strongly retrorse, chartaceous, weakly keelednear apex only, pale white, margins entire, apex acute, sometimes with a small, 0.1–0.2-mm-long pale yellow mucro. Bracteoles 2; abscissing with senescent flowers; broadly ovate, 0.2–1mm long, chartaceous hyaline, lustrous, pale caramel; margins entire; strongly keeled, keel lustrous, caramel brown, extending well beyond bract as a hardened, chan-nelled, strongly recurved, falcate spine 4–5mm long. Perianth segments (sepals) 5, lanceolate, centralportion pale caramel-brown but distinctly pink-tinged, margins pale yellow or off-white opaque, hyaline; segments sub equal, 4.5–6mm, channelled. Stamens 4, connate at base, the filaments 0.5–1mm, alternating with 4 narrowly spathulate, 0.4×0.6 mm, white-hyaline, petaloid, fimbriate-argined pseudo staminodes; anthers 0.4–0.6mm, yellow, bilocular, dehiscing via longitudinal slits; pollen yellow. Style 0.6–1mm, pink to pale orange, aris-ing from a fleshy papillate style base 0.8mm diam. ; stigma brown, truncate. Utricle 2–2.5mm long, dark brown, turbinate, chartaceous, surmounted by the dry, somewhat woody, style base. Seed 1.2–1.8×0.9–1.2mm, ovoid to ellipsoid, dark chestnut brown.
Keywords: Achyranthes aspera Linn
Edition: Volume 5 Issue 3, March 2016,
Pages: 385 - 387