PHR 243

PHARMACOGNOSY & MEDICINAL PLANTS (II)

COMMON CHRATERS OF
OF UMBELLIFEROUS FRUITS
1- They are usually cremocarps either entire or separated into
its mericarps.
2- At the apex of fruit, there may be five small inconspicuous
sepals, e.g., coriander, and in the centre are the two styles
surrounded below by disc-like nectary forming the stylopod
.
3- Each mericarp has 2 surfaces, a flat surface called the
commissural surface and arounded one called the dorsal
surface.
4- The dorsal surface shows 5 raised ridges over the vascular
bundle called primary ridge between which may be found 4
ridges over the secretory canals and called secondary ridges;
primary ridges are mostly more prominent except in
coriander where the secondary ridges are more conspicuous.
5- There is a minute thread lies between the 2 mericarps
usually attached basally to the pedicel and apically to the
stylopod, it is called carpophore.
6- Each mericarp encloses a single seed derived from
anatropous ovule. The seeds shows a large oily endosperm,
small apical embryo and a raphe in the middle of the
commissural side.
7- Mostly, the mericarp is longitudinally traversed by 5
vascular bundles in the primary ridges and by 6
schizogenous secretory ducts called vittae, 4 on the dorsal
surface and 2 on the commissural one. The vittae may be
simple as in fennel, branched as in anise or almost
inconspicuous as in Hemlock.
8- The endocarp mother cells are divided into groups of
narrow parallel cells which may be parallel to each other

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 forming parallel arrangement or variously oriented forming
parquetry arrangement.
9- The endosperm cells contain aleurone grains enclosing a
globoid and one or more micro- rosette crystals of calcium
oxalate.
10- Umbelliferous fruits usually contain volatile oil secreted by
the vittae but other constituents are reported in Ammi
visnage which contain bitter principles and in Hemlock
which contains alkaloids.

Unbelliferous fruits

1- Fennel ‫ بسبــاس‬،‫ شمارى ھاؤوت – كمـــون حلو‬، ‫شمـــر‬

Botanical Source:
Fennel is the dried fruits of Foeniculum capillaceum (sweet
fennel) family Umbelliferae.

Geographical source:The plant is native to the

Mediterranean coasts, cultinated now in Europe, India, china
and Egypt.

plate 78
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Morphology of the fruit

The fruit consists of entire cremocarp. The fruit is oval oblong,

yellowish green to yellowish brown, and glabrous. The
mericarps are elliptical, tapering slightly towards both ends, 5-
sided with wide commisulal side. Each mericap is crowned with
a short conical stylopod and bears 5 paler prominent primary
ridges. The commissural surface shows two dark brownish ereas
over the vittae.

The transverse cut shows the presence of primary ridges in

each mericarp, in each of which is a vascular strand , 6 brown
vittae, 4 in the dorsal side and 2 in the commissural side, large
oily endosperm and a small apical embryo.

77
 plate 79

78
Microscopical examination

I – Pericarp

a- Epicarp consists of thick- walled rectangular polygonal

cells with smooth cuticle showing few anomocytic
stomatata and hairs.
b- Mesocarp is formed of rather thick- walled parenchyma
traversed by 6 large vittae appearing elliptical in T.S. and
having epithelial cells, and in the ridges by vascular
bundles, each having 2 lateral phloem stands and an inner
xylem accompanied by an upper and lower groups of
characteristic lignified reticulate parenchyma. These
thickned cells have large oval or rounded pits.
c- Endocarp it is formed of a single layer of narrow
elongated cells arranged in groups of 6 or more cells,
with their axes parallel but set obliquely to the long axes
of the adjoining groups forming parquetry arrangement.

II- Seed
a- Seed–coat is thin formed of brownish tangentialy
elongated cells, within it is a collapsed hyaline layer.
b- Endosperm is formed of thick-walled polygonal
cellulosic parenchyma containing fixed oil, several
aleurone grains enclosing a globoid and one or more
micro rosette crystals of calcium oxalate.
III- Carpophore
oftenly not splitted, showing very thick-walled sclerenchyma in
two strands.
The powder:

It is yellowish – brown to greenish brown in color with

agreeable aromatic odour and aromatic sweet taste. It is
characterized microscopically by:
1- Fragments of colorless, thick walled polygonal
endosperm cells containing globules of fixed oil and

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 aleurone grains containing micro- rosette crystals of
calcium oxalate.
2- Fragments of epidermal cells of the pericarp, usually
polygonal with smooth cuticle and very few anomocytic
stomata.
3- Few fragments of yellowish – brown vittae generally
crossed by the endocarpal cells.
4- Fragment of lignified reticulate parenchyma generally
accompanied by narrow fibers with numerous oblique
simple pits.
5- Hairs and starch granules are generally absent.

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 Plate 80

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Constituents:

Fennel contains from 2-5% and not less than 1.4% of volatile oil
which contains mainly anethole (60-80%) and the terpene
ketone fenchone. The fruit also contains about 20% of proteins
and 12-18% of fixed oil.
Uses:

Fennel is an agreeable aromatic carminative. The volatile oil has

a pronounced estrogenic activity. The fixed oil is suggested as a
suestitute for cocoa butter in the preparation of suppositories.
2- Anise fruit, Aniseed ‫أنيســــون‬،‫الينســـون‬
Anise is the dried ripe fruits of Pimpinella anisum family
Umbelliferae.

Geographical source.

It is indigenous to Egypt, Greece and Turkey, now cultivated in

Russia, Spain and Bulgaria.

Morphology:

It occurs as entire cremocarps with the pedicels attached

but partly separated into mericarps. The cremocarp is ovoid
conical, pear-shaped, grayish-brown or grayish and crowned by
a short bifurcate stylopod . The outer surface is rather rough due
to the presence of numerous very short, stiff hairs and shows 5
very raised pale brown primary ridges. The T.S. shows a
pericarp with 20-40 vittae on the dorsal surface due to the
branching of the original 4 vittae and 2 vittae on the
commissural side. The endosperm is not deeply grooved. Anise
has strong aromatic characteristic agreeable odour and sweet
aromatic taste.

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 Plate 80

Microscopical Characters

I- Pericarp
Epicarps consists of polygonal cells with striated cuticle,
many of which project into short conical curved thick–walled
unicellular, occasionally bicellular covering hairs with bluntly
pointed apex and finely warty cuticle.

Mesocarp consists of parenchyma traversed by numerous

schizogenous vittae with brown epithelial cells and ineach
primary ridge by a small vascular bundle. Few porous cells are
present only in the middle of the commissural side.

Endocarp is composed of narrow tangentially elongated

thin – walled cells except when adjacent to porous cells where it
consists of porous lignified cells.

II Seed: Seed–coat is formed of on epidermis of polygonal

brown cells with collapsed layer underneath.

83
Endosperm is formed of thick- walled cellulosic cells containg
fixed oil and aleurone grains and micro-crystals of calcium
oxalate.

III Carpophore, splites passing at the apex into the raphe of

each mericarp and is traversed by a vascular strand of fibers and
spiral vessels.

Powdered Anise :

It is grey, greenish-brown or yellowish brown in color

with characteristic sweet agreeable and aromatic odour and
taste.

The powder microscopically shows the following:

1- Numerous warty simple hairs which is conical curved
with thick walls, bluntly pointed apices and finally warty
cuticle.
2- Fragments of pericarp with yellowish–brown
comparatively narrow branching vittae, usually crossed by
cells of the endocarp.
3- Numerous fragments of the endosperm cells with thick
cellulosic walls and containg fixed oil globules and
aleurone grains containing microrostte crystals of calcium
oxalate.
4- Fragments of epicarp formed of polygonal cells with
striated cuticle and anomocytic stomata.

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 Plate 82
Constituents :

The fruits yield from 1.5-3.5% of volatile oil containing up to

90% of the phenolic ether anethole. It also contains proteins and
about 8-11% of fixed oil.

85
Uses:

Anise is employed as an aromatic and carminative. The oil is

used widely in pharmaceutical preparation. Marked estrogenic
activity is reported for the volatile oil.

3- Coriander fruits, fructus coriandri ‫الكزبـــــرة‬

Coriander is the dried ripe fruits of Coriandrum sativum, family

Umbelliferae.

Geographical Source:

It is cultivated in Russia, Hungary, North Africa and India. The

unripe fruit has strong disagreeable odour, whence the name
coriander from a Greek name means a bug.

Description:

The drug usually consists of the whole cremocarp, which are

sub-spherical, 3-5mm in diameter, nealy glabrous, brownish–
yellow or brown in color, each is crowned by 5 small sepals and
a short conical stylopod. The mericarps are usually united by
their margins. The dorsal surface of each mericarp shows 5
inconspicuous wavy primary ridges and 4 more prominent
straight secondary ridges. The transverse section of fully ripe
mericarp shows only 2 vittae in the commissural side but no
vittae in the dorsal one, an almost complete ring of
sclerenchyma in the dorsal side, a large oily endosperm and a
small curved apical embryo. Coriander has aromatic odour and
aromatic spicy and characteristic taste.

Microscopical charavters:

I – Pericarp

86
 a- Epicarp is composed of polygonal tubular thick- walled
cells and showing occasional small prismatic crystals of
calcium oxalate, few anisocytic stomata and no hairs.
b- Mesocarp is formed of 3 different zones, the outer zone
consists of few layers of tangentially elongated
parenchymatous cells usally collapsed, showing
degenerated vittae as tangentially flattened cavities and
longitudinally traversed by 10 vascular stands with small
spiral vessels. The middle zone is formed of a broad layer
of sclerenchyma consisting of strongly lignified pitted
fusiform fibres in 2 sinous bands crossing each other at
right angles, the outer 5 to 6 rows run longitudinally while
the inner, 1 to 3 rows rung tangentially, in the secondary
ridges almost all the cells runs tangentially. The inner zone
is composed of 2-3 rows of large tangentially elongated
thin walled parenchyma.
The inner most layer of the mesocarp conists of
flattened hexagonal thin – walled sclerenchyma. Mesocarp
on the commissural side shows no sclerenchyma but two
large elliptical yellowish brown vittae.
c- Endocarp is formed of very narrow elongated thin – walled
cells, arranged in variously oriented groups i.e., parquetry
arranged .

II- Seeds the seed coat is formed of polygonal brown cells with
narrow collapsed layer underneath. The endosperm is composed
of thick- walled cellulosic cells containing fixed oil and
aleurone grains including globoids and micro rosette crystals of
calcium oxalate.

III- Carpophore, splits, passing at the apex of each mericarp

into the raphe and at the base to the pedicel.

87
 plate 83

88
Powder coriander

Powder coriander is light brown to brown in color with aromatic

odour and characteristic aromatic taste. It is characterised
microscopically by:

1- Numerous irregular fragments of endosperm cells

containing globules of fixed oils and aleurone grains
containing micro-rossette crystals of calcium oxalate.
2- Fragments of endocarp cells associated with hexagonal
sclerenchyma of the innermost layer of the mesocarp.
3- Fragments of characteristic irregularly curved yellowish
pitted lignified fusiform fibers of the mesocarp in sinuous
rows, often crossing at right angles.
4- Fragments of parenchymatous cells of the mesocarp
without reticulate thickening.
5- Very few fragments showing pieces of yellowish brown
vittae.
6- Hairs and starch granules are completely absent.

89
 plate 84
Constituents :
Coriander fruits of good quality yield from 0.8-1.0% of volatile
oil, the chief constituent of which is the terpene alcohol linalol
(65-90%). It also contains fixed oil and proteins.
90
Uses:
It is used as a flavoring agent and carminative, the
powdered fruits find wide use in the Egyptian kitchen as a spice
and the oil is used in perfumery.

4- Ammi Visnaga, Visnaga fruit,khelle, Khilla ‫الخــــلة‬

Ammi Visnaga fruit is the dried ripe fruit of ammi visnaga,

family Umbelliferae.

Geographical source:

The plant is indigenous to the Nile Delta, the Fayoum, the

Mediterranean region and the Near East. The name khelle is
Egyptian and visnaga is cultivated in Egypt.

Description:

The drug consists of separate mericarps with few entire

cremocarps. The mericarp is small ovoid and surmounted by a
pyramidal stylopod bearing at its apex a refluxed style. The
outer surface is brownish to greenish brown colour with a violet
tinge, glabrous and marked with 5 distinct pale brownish rather
broad primary nidges and 4 inconspicuous secondary ridges.

A transverse section of the mericarp is an almost regular

pentagone showing a pericarp with 6 vittae, 4 in the dorsal and 2
in the commissural side with 5 vascular stands. The seed has a
large oily endosperm and a small apical embryo. The fruit has
slightly aromatic odour and aromatic bitter and slightly pungent
taste.

91
Microscopical characters:

I- Pericarp :

Epicarp is formed of polygonal cells, elongated on the ridges

with occasional crystals of calcium oxalate and finely striated
cuticle showing few anomocytic stomata and no hairs.
Mesocarp is composed of parenchyma traversed longitudinally
by the schizogenous vittae, on the outer side of which is a group
of radiating club-shaped cells, and in the ridges, by 5 vascular
bundles, forming a cresent around a comparatively large
schizogemous duct. The vascular bundles are accompanied by
fibres and reticulate lignified parenchyma. The inner most layer
of the mesocarp consists of large polygonal, brown –walled cells
with porous inner wall, so called porous layer. Endocarp
consists of narrow tangentially elongated cells, some of these
being regularly arranged in variously oriented groups i.e.,
parquetry arranged.

II- The Seed: Seed–coat is formed of brownish polygonal cells

within it is a collapsed hyaline layer. The endosperm is formed
of thick- walled polygonal cellulosic parenchyma containing
fixed oil and several aleurone grains enclosing a globoid and
one or more microrosette crystals of calcium oxalate.

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 Plate 85

Powdered Ammi Visnaga:

Powdered Ammi visnaga is brown in color and possesses a faint

aromatic odour and an aromatic bitter slightly pungent taste. It is
characterised microscopically by the following fragments:

1- Fragments of pericarp with few brownish pieces of vittae,

reticulate cells, vessels and fibers.
2- Fragments showing porous cells of the innermost layer of
mesocarp crossed by and intimately united with
endocarpal cells showing parquetry arrangement.
3- Numerous fragments of the endo-sperm, formed of
polygonal thick walled cellulosic cells containing oil
droplets and aleurone grains with microrosette crystals of
calcium oxalate.
4- Fragments of epicarp, formed of polygonal cells with
striated cuticle and occasional crystals of calcium oxalate.
5- No hairs and starch granules are present.

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Active constituents:

Khilla contains up to 1 but not less than 0.5% of the bitter

priniciple called khellin. Other constituents are visnagin, 0.1%
and khellol - glucoside, 0.3%. In addition the fruits contain
about 18% of fixed oil and 12% of proteins.

Chemical test :

Boil about 0.1 gm of powdered khilla with 5ml of water for a

minute, filter, add 1 or 2 drops of the filterate to a pellet of
sodium hydroxide, a rose red color is produced within 2
minutes.

Uses :

The drug relaxes smooth muscles and lower the tonicity of the
ureter, so it is used to ease the passage of kidney calculi. It is
also a potent coronary vasodilator and has been used in the
treatment of Angina pectoris and bronchial asthma. The drug is
also used as a source of khellin.

5- Caraway fruit, Fructus caravi ‫ثمار الكراوية‬

Botanical source. Caraway is the dried ripe fruits of Carum

carvi, family Umbelliferae

Geographical Source:

It is cultivated in central and Northern Europe, Morocco and

Egypt. It was well Known to the Arabian physicians.

Morphology and characters :

Commercial drug consists chiefly of separated mericarps. The

mericarp is norrow, curved or cresent –shaped tapering towards
both ends, 4 to 7 mm. long and 1mm broad, almost equally 5-
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sided. The outer surface is grayish –brown to dark brown,
glabrous and marked with 5 yellowish longitudinal primary
ridges and sometimes secondary ridges may be seen. A
transverse section of the mericarp is an almost regular pentagon
in out line, the commissural surface being slightly longer. It
shows 6 vittae and 5 vascular bundles in the pericarp which
encloses a seed with a large oily endosperm and small apical
embryo. Caraway has characteristic agreeable aromatic odour
and taste.

Microscopical characters:

I- Pericarp: Epicarp consists of rectangular to polygonal cells

with rather thick walls with occasional stomata and striated
cuticle.
Mesocarp is parenchymatous without reticulate thickening. It
shows in each primary ridge a vascular stand accompanied by a
very small secretory duct above and by pitted parenchyma. It is
traversed by 6 large vittae, 4 on the dorsal and 2 on the
commissural side.

Endocarp consists of very narrow, thin – walled cells, usually

regularly arranged parallel to one another i.e., parallel
arrangement .

II- Seed : Seed coat is formed of a single layer of polygonal

brown cells with narrow collapsed band below it . Endosperm
cells is formed of thick – walled cells containg fixed oil and
aleurone grains.

III – Carpophore : split, passing at the apex into the raphe of

each mericarp, each with a small strand of sclerenchyma.

95
 plate 86
The powder

96
It is yellowish- brown to brownish- grey with characteristic
aromatic odor and taste. It is characterised microscopically by :
1- Numerous fragments of endosperm with thick- walled
polygonal parenchymatous cells containg fixed oil
globules and aleurone grains containing microrosette
crystals of calcium oxalate.
2- Brownish fragments showing pieces of vittae generally
crossed by the endocarp cells.
3- Few fragments of pericarp, showing epidermal cells with
striated cuticle.
4- Few fragments of fibers and spiral vessels.
5- Fragments of lignified and pitted parenchyma but no
reticulate cells.
6- Hairs and starch granules are absent.

97
plate 87

Constituents
Caraway contains from 3.5 to 7 but not less than 3.5% of
volatile oil, the principle constituent of it is carvone (53-63%),
98
dihydrocarvone, carveol and limonene. It also contain fixed oil
and proteins.

Uses :
Large quantities of caraway fruits are used for culinary
purposes. The fruits and the oil are extensively used in medicine
as a flouring agent and as an aromatic carminative.

6- Dill, Fructus Anethi ‫ثمــــار الشبــــت‬

Botanical Source:
Dill is the dried ripe fruits of Anethum graveolens, family
Umbelliferae.

Geogrraphical Source :
The plant is indigenous to the Mediterranean, South Russia,
England, Germany and Roumania.

Description :
Dill usually consists of separate broadly oval mericarps, about 4
mm. long and 2 mm broud. They are dorsally compressed, the
two ventral ridges being prolonged into membranous wings. The
fruits have aromatic odour and taste.

99
 plate 88

Microscopical characters
Each mericarp has an outer epidermis with a striated cuticle and
the mescocarp contains lignified reticulate parenchyma.

Constituents:
The chief constituents is the volatile oil, 3-4% which contains
carvone (53-63%) and limonene.

Uses :
Dill is employed as an aromatic stimulant and carminative to
relieve flatulence particularly for infants.

7- Hemlock Fruits, Fructus conii ‫الشوكران‬

Hemlock is the dried unripe fruits of Conium maculatum, family
Umbelliferae.

It is poisonous plant indigenous to Britain and Europe and was

used by the Greeks for preparing a draught by means of which
criminals were put to death.

Description :

The fruit is grayish- green in color, broadly ovoid and slightly

laterally compressed, about 3mm long and bears a small
100
stylopod with the remains of the stigma. Each mericarp has 5
palar prominent ridges, which are irregularly enlarged at
intervals giving them a wavy appearance . There are no vittae in
the pericarp, the endocarp is developed as a layer of cells
containing alkaloids and called coniine layer.

plate 89

Constituents

Hemlock contains mainly a steam volatile alkaloid called

coniine (1-2.5%) together with N- methyl coniine, and
conhydrine.

Chemical test for identification :

101
Hemlock on treatment with solution of potassium hydroxide
develops a strong mouse- like odor owing to the liberation of
coniine. It gives also a positive Mayer's test for alkaloids.
Uses :

Hemlock is used in spasmodic and convulsion diseases as

tetanus and epilepsy and whooping cough. The alkaloid
depresses the motor nerve endings so in large doses resulting
death from respiratory paralysis.

8. Ammi majus ‫الخـــــالل‬

Ammi majus is the dried ripe fruits of Ammi majus, family

Umbelliferae

Geographical source

The plant is indigenous to Egypt

Description:

Ammi majus is closely resemble Ammi visnage but can be

differentiated by the :

1- Ammi majus is larger in size, about 3 mm. long and 1.5

mm wide.
2- The mericarp is oval, ablong almost cylindrical with
yellowish brown outer surface but with no violet tinge.
3- The outer surface is glabrous and marked with 5 distinct
primary ridges and 4 prominent secondary ridges
4- The vascular bundles show neither schizogenous duct nor
reticulate parenchyma.
5- The epicarp is formed of papillosed cells with striated
cuticle, each cell contains one or more calcium oxalate
crystals in the forms of small prisms.
6- The cells of the inner most layer of the mesocarp have
thick nonporous inner walls.
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Constituents:

Ammi majus contains bitter principles formerly known as

ammoidin but it was found to be a mixture of 3 bitter principles
which are: xanthotoxin, bergapten and imperatorin. It also
contain fixed oils and protein.

Uses :

A paint from the fruit is used in the treatment of leucodermia.

9- Cumin, Fructs cumini, ‫الكـــــمون‬

Cumin is the dried ripe fruits of Cuminum cyminum, family
Umbelliferae.

Geographical source

The plant is indigenous to Egypt and now cultivated in

Morocco, Sicily, Malta, Cyprus and India.

Description :

Cumin occurs as entire cremocarps or separated mericarps. The

mericarp is elongated ellipsoidal, 4 to 6 mm. long and 2 mm
broad and slightly compressed laterally. It shows 5 yellowish
straight primary ridges which bear bristly emergencies (shaggy
hairs). I has aromatic characteristic odor and aromatic spicy
some what bitter taste

Constituent :

Cumin contains from 2.5 – 4% of volatile oil (Egyptian cumin

contains up to 7.5 %), the oil contains up to 50 % of cuminic
aldehyde , periladehyde, α – pinene and α – terpineol it contains
also fixed oil and flavonoids.

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Uses :
Cumin is used as one of the commonest spice, as stimulant and
carminative, in folk medicine as a remedy for colic.

104