In this study, the roots of Viburnum punctatum . ex , Viburnum coriaceum Blume, and Viburnum erubescens Wall. ex DC. were collected from the Nilgiri and Coimbatore hills in Tamil Nadu, India. Transverse sections of plant roots were prepared with the aid of a rotary microtome. | K. PRABHU, P. K. KARAR, S. HEMALATHA, K. PONNUDURAI Research Article Turk J Bot 35 (2011) 663-670 © TÜBİTAK doi: Comparative micromorphological and phytochemical studies on the roots of three Viburnum (Caprifoliaceae) species Kathiresan PRABHU1,*, Pradip Kumar KARAR2, Siva HEMALATHA3, Kathiresan PONNUDURAI4 1 Department of Pharmacognosy, Nandini Nagar Mahavidyalaya College of Pharmacy, Nawabganj 271 303, Gonda, Uttar Pradesh - INDIA 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Doaba College of Pharmacy, Kharar, Mohali 140 103, Punjab - INDIA 3 Department of Pharmaceutics, Pharmacognosy Division, IT-BHU, Varanasi 221 005, Uttar Pradesh - INDIA 4 Department of Pharmacology, Nandini Nagar Mahavidyalaya College of Pharmacy, Nawabganj 271 303, Gonda, Uttar Pradesh - INDIA Received: Accepted: Abstract: In this study, the roots of Viburnum punctatum . ex , Viburnum coriaceum Blume, and Viburnum erubescens Wall. ex DC. were collected from the Nilgiri and Coimbatore hills in Tamil Nadu, India. Transverse sections of plant roots were prepared with the aid of a rotary microtome. The sections, each at a thickness of 10 μm, were stained and fixed in Canada balsam and the morphoanatomical features of each specimen were noted. The specimens were powdered using a mechanical grinder and were mounted in suitable media for starch grains, sclereids, druses, fibres, and vessels. Morphoanatomical features of diagnostic importance were recorded under different magnifications, followed by the determination of dimension and histological features of root components using a calibrated eyepiece micrometer and a polariser. The starch grains averaged 12, 17, and 20 μm in diameter in V. erubescens, V. punctatum, and V. coriaceum, respectively. The fibres were about 1 mm long in V. punctatum and V. coriaceum, whereas those found in V. erubescens specimens were around 700 μm. Qualitative chemical screening indicated that phytosterols,
