Morfología y anatomía foliar y caulinar de Scutia buxifolia (Rhamnaceae)

Borri, Karina A.; Marcelo L. Wagner; Beatriz G. Varela. 2017. “Morphol - ogy and anatomy of leaf and stem of Scutia buxifolia (Rhamnaceae)”. Lilloa 54 (1). Scutia buxifolia Reissek (Rhamnaceae), popularly known as “coronillo”, is an endemic species of the North and East “talares” of Buenos Aires. It is a thorny shrub or small tree from 2 to 6 m tall, with tetragonal branches and axillary thorns. This species is used in folk medicine as diuretic, cardiotonic and antihypertensive. In this study leaf and stem structure of S. buxifolia was analyzed in order to provide morphological and micrographic features for this species, using pharmacobotanic techniques. In leaf macerations, anomocytic and hexacytic stomata, rhomboid crystals, druses and crystalliferous sheaths accompanying tracheas were distin - guished. In cross sections, leaf blades showed an epidermis with a single layer of cells, crys - talliferous idioblasts, stomata on the abaxial epidermis, dorsiventral mesophyll, abaxial angular collenchyma, and sclerenchymatic or parenchymatic sheaths around vascular bundles. Leaf diafanization showed a simple and pinnate primary venation and a brochidodromous campto - dromous secondary venation; also, an incomplete looped marginal venation and areoles well developed. In the primary and secondary stems and in caulinar thorns, sclereids, druses, rhomboid and cubic crystals were observed. Results provided morphological and anatomical diagnostic characters for identification and characterization of S. buxifolia.