Page 16 - Pharmacognosy-II (06-PG 303)
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2- Anise Fruits (Fructus Anisi)
Anise is the dried ripe fruits of Pimpinella anisum family
Umbellicerae.
Macroscopic characters :
It consists of entire cremocarps with the attached carpophore and partly
separated into mericarps.
The cremocarp is ovoid conical, pear-shaped, greenish-grey, and
crowned by a short stylopod measuring 3-6 mm long and 2-3 mm wide.
The outer surface is rather rough (pubescent) due to the presence of
numerous very short, stiff hairs and shows 5 minute pale brown primary
ridges. Anise has strong characteristic aromatic agreeable odour and sweet
strongly aromatic taste.
Microscopic characters :
The T.S. shows a pericarp with 20 to 40 vittae on the dorsal surface
(branched vittae) and 2 vittae on the commissural side.
a- Epicarp, consists of polygonal cells with striated cuticle, showing
short, conical curved, thick-walled unicellular, non-glandular
trichomes with finely warty cuticle.
b- Mesocarp, consists of parenchyma traversed longitudinally by
numerous schizogenous vittae with brown epithelial cells and in each
primary ridge by a small vascular bundle. Few lignified porous cells
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