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SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



are the fibrovascular bundles, situated below the ribs and the large 

 vittae or oil canals between them, being connected with reticulated 

 sclerenchymatous cells, the latter being very characteristic of fennel; 

 endocarp composed of narrow transversely elongated cells; seed- 

 coat consisting of rather broad outer epidermal cells and several rows 

 of collapsed or structureless cells, which are only clearly defined in 

 the raphe; endosperm pentagonal in transverse section, consisting 

 of polyhedral cells, containing an oily cytoplasm and numerous small 

 aleurone grains, the latter enclosing small rosette aggregates of cal- 

 cium oxalate. 



Powder. Yellowish-brown; calcium oxalate from 0.001 to 0.002 

 mm. in diameter, usually in aleurone grains from 0.003 to 0.006 mm. 



FIG. 211. A, transverse section through a mericarp of fennel: 0, outer epidermis 

 of pericarp; I, inner epidermis of pericarp; F, fibrovascular bundles; V, 

 vittse or oil canals; S, seed-coal; EN, endosperm. B, isolated aleurone 

 grains from cells of endosperm of fennel showing globoids and small rosette 

 aggregates of calcium oxalate. C, section through the carpophore, which is 

 composed chiefly of sclerenchymatous cells. 



in diameter (Fig. 211); fragments containing yellowish-brown vittae, 

 from 0.100 to 0.200 mm. in width; sclerenchymatous fibers few, 

 strongly lignified and with numerous oblique, simple pores; paren- 

 chyma cells with more or less thick walls and simple pores and 

 occasionally reticulately thickened; tracheae few and either spiral 

 or annular; in mounts made with solutions of potassium hydroxide 

 or hydrated chloral numerous globules of a fixed oil separate. 



Constituents. Volatile oil 2 to 6.5 per cent; fixed oil about 12 

 per cent; calcium oxalate, and about 7 per cent of ash. 



