Page 189 - Pharmacognosy 2 PG303 (1)

Pharmacognosy-2 (PG303) Level 2 Clinical Pharmacy-Pharm D

cut into transverse slices about I cm. thick, which are dried in the sun or sometimes
by artificial heat.

Macroscopical Characters
Squill occurs in irregular curved, flattened narrow pieces, frequently tapering
towards both ends, 0.5 to 5 cm. long 5 to 8 mm. wide, 2 to 5mm. up to 7mm. thick,
yellowish white to pale yellow, somewhat translucent; exhibiting raised slightly
darker points or lines, the vascular bundles, brittle when perfectly dry, tough and
flexible when moistened, fracture, short. Squill has a slight odor and a mucilaginous
bitter and acrid taste.

Microscopical Characters
The epidermis is formed of sub-rectangular or polygonal axially elongated
cells, sometimes having thick cuticle, stomata, very few, large, nearly circular, with
no special subsidary cells. The mesophyll is traversed by several collateral vascular
bundles, with lignified annular, spiral and rarely reticulate xylem vessels, and
consists of colorless large polygonal, rounded or slightly elongated thin-walled
parenchyma cells, usually containing a reducing sugar and sinistrin, many scattered,
axially elongated cells containing bundles of large raphides of calcium oxalate,
embedded in mucilage which stains pink with alkaline corallin T. S. Some of the cells
near the vascular bundles contain occasionally small, simple starch granules.

Powder
Powdered Squill is white to light yellowish-brown, very hygroscopic forming
caked masses in moist atmosphere. It has a slight odor and a mucila-genous bitter and
acrid taste. Microscopically, it is characterized by:
1. Numerous fragments of translucent parenchyma.
2. Few fragments of epidermis with occasional stomata.
3. Few fragments of vascular tissues.
4. Cells with mucilage and bundles of raphides.
5. Numerous raphides of calcium oxalate, free, in bundles, or broken, 50-1000
microns, mostly 250-500 microns long and 0.5-20 mostly 5-8 microns thick
6. Very occasional simple starch granules.

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