kancanara shveta :
Morphology:
Flower buds 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm in length and 3 to 7 mm in diameter, apex acute, base tapering with
attached pedicel measuring up to 2 cm in length, surface light brown to greyish brown with longitudinal fine
wrinkles; fragile; calyx limb spathaceous, 5 toothed, reflexed; petals oblanceolate, as long as calyx limb; stamens
10, all perfect; odour and taste indistinct.
Histology:
Calyx- TS of sepal more or less circular in outline with 5 to 6 ridges and a central hollow core; epidermis on both
surfaces with anomocytic stomata, 1 to 3 celled small covering trichomes, measuring upto 150 µ in length, present
on lower surface: 4 to 5 layers of collenchyma cells present below each ridges of lower epidermis; mesophyll
represented by aerenchyma; numerous vascular bundles arranged in a row in the mesophyll, vascular bundles
below each ridge being larger in comparison to others; rosettes of calcium oxalate crystals present in some of the
cells of aerenchyma.
Corolla- Petal shows single layered epidermis followed by mesophyll composed of circular to oval parenchyma
cells; a number of small vascular bundles present in a row in the mesophyll; most of the parenchyma cells
adjoining vascular bundles contain yellow to yellowish orange pigments.
Powder- Powder shows fragments of epidermis of petal with straight walls, epidermis of sepal with anomocytic
stomata and 1 to 3 celled covering trichomes, some cells of mesophyll containing rosettes of calcium oxalate
crystals, scalariform and spiral vessels with adjoining parenchyma cells containing pigments ; covering trichomes,
isolated rosettes of calcium oxalate crystals ; pollen grains circular with smooth exine and entine measuring upto
100 µ in diameter and thick walled parenchymatous antheridial cells with adjoining scalariform vascular elements.
