Page 108 - Medicinal Plants_General

Microscopical Characters of Some Pharmaceutical Starch
i. Potato Starch:

 Origin: Tubers of Solanum tuberosum, F. Solanaceae.
 Shape: Ovoid, irregularly ovoid, sub-spherical, pyramidal and

somewhat flattened granules.
 Hilum: A point at the narrower end of granules usually eccentric.
 Striation: Well marked, some however more distinct than the others,

concentric.
 Aggregation: Mostly simple, few compound of 2 to 3 components,

rarely semi-compound.

ii. Rice Starch:

 Origin: Fruits of Oryza sativa L.,F. Gramineae.
 Shape: Small granules with an angular outlines, polyhedral with sharp

angles.
 Size: Very minute about 2 µm.
 Hilum: A central point.
 Striation: Absent.
 Aggregation: Compound granules from 2 to about 150 component.

iii. Maize Starch:

 Origin: Grains of Zea mays F. Gramineae.
 Shape: Muller-shaped, polyhedral, sub-spherical granules.

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