Editor-in-Chief
Hatice Kübra Elçioğlu
Vice Editors
Levent Kabasakal
Esra Tatar
Online ISSN
2630-6344
Publisher
Marmara University
Frequency
Bimonthly (Six issues / year)
Abbreviation
J.Res.Pharm.
Former Name
Marmara Pharmaceutical Journal
Journal of Research in Pharmacy
2023 , Vol 27 , Issue 2
Morpho-anatomical, palynological studies on Astragalus microcephalus; Anatolian tragacanth
1Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Türkiye
DOI :
10.29228/jrp.345
Astragalus microcephalus Willd. (Fabaceae) is a member of the section Rhacophorus Bunge and is an
element of the Irano-Turanian phytogeographic region. It grows mainly in the steppes of central Anatolia. Extraction of
tragacanth and selenium is a valuable tool in pharmacy and is also important economically and ecologically. In this
study, morphological, anatomical, pollen characteristics and seed surface properties of A. microcephalus were
investigated in detail. The plant consists of thorny bushes that make up a pillow. Morphological characters such as the
shape of paripinnate leaves, stipules and bracts, flowers whitish-yellow and purple colored in margins, the flower
number in the inflorescence, the stenonychioid type of standard and reniform type of seed can be helpful to distinguish
species of Astragalus. There is secondary growth in stem anatomy. The stem of this species has got tragacanth canals in
pith. Sclerenchyma tissue is well developed in the petiole. A. microcephalus has equifasial leaves. The vascular bundles
are surrounded by a bundle sheath. The pollen grains of A. microcephalus are tricolpate and prolate-spheroidal. The
exine sculpturing is microreticulate with perforate while the seed surface is rugulate. Scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) is used to determine pollen and seed morphology.
Keywords :
Anatomy; Astragalus microcephalus; morphology; pollen