230 



HISTOLOGY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS 



to 1 5. i by 16.6 micromillimeters. The cell contents are dark 

 and the walls are light. A few rows of the outer cortical paren- 

 chyma cells of both the rhizome and the root have dark cell 

 contents and white walls. The dark contents disappear toward 

 the phloem. The cortical cells vary from 13.6 by 14.3 micro- 

 millimeters to 89.5 by 90.9 micromillimeters. In the cortical 

 parenchyma cells of the rhizome are found the short, broad 

 cystoliths measuring up to 52 by 62 micromillimeters. In the 

 corresponding cells of the root are found the long, narrow cysto- 

 liths which measure up to 68.4 by 187.2 micromillimeters. 

 Scattered throughout the powder are seen three distinct types 

 of sclerids (stone cells) which are associated with the cortical 

 parenchyma of both the stem and the root. Most of them are 

 found, however, in the roots. First, the short, broad stone 

 cells from the stem basis have square ends; the walls vary from 

 13 to 19.5 micromillimeters in thickness with branching pores 

 which extend toward the adjacent cell. These sclerids vary in 

 size from 52 by 54.6 micromillimeters to 45 by 130 micromilli- 

 meters. Secondly, the long stone cells from the root vary from 

 32 by 96 micromilhmeters to 45.5 by 542.5 micromilhmeters 

 with walls 16 micromillimeters thick. The width of the cell 

 and the thickness of the wall vary but little throughout their 

 entire length. The third type of stone cell also from the root 

 has unequally thickened walls and the ends are square or blunt. 

 A few long, narrow, colorless, thin-walled bast fibres also occur. 

 They are 13 micromilhmeters wide, with walls 3.9 micromilli- 

 meters thick. Annular spiral and pitted vessels are also found 

 scattered throughout the powder. 



The diagnostic characters of the powder are: 



1. The short, broad, and long, narrow cystoliths. 



2. The short, broad, and long, narrow sclerids. 



3. The long, narrow, thin, white-walled bast fibres. 



In poke root, ipecac, sarsaparilla, and veratrum are raphides. 

 In belladonna and horse- nettle roots are micro-crystals. In 

 calumba, stillingea, krameria, licorice, scamony root are prisms. 

 In saponaria, jalap, althea, spikenard, rumex, rhubarb are 

 rosette crystals. In pleurisy roots both prisms and rosettes 

 occur. 



In gentian, senega, symphytuns, lovage, parsley, inula, 



