Abstract

STUDY OF TRICHOMES IN SOME SPECIES OF LITSAEA LAMK.

Dr. Meenakshi Vaidya*

Abstract

Litsaea Lamk. belongs to the family Lauraceae which is economically important for aromatic oils. These oils are responsible for the fragrance of many of its members. This family is also called as the avocado family. The members of the genus Litsaea are also medicinally important. The bark of Litsaea sebifera is mixed with goats milk and serves as an application for sprains and bruises. The infusion of bark is used in dysentery. Wood is durable and not attacked by insects. The bark of Litsaea polyantha is used in Indian medicine. Muga silkworms are reared on its leaves. The forked stems of sufficent dimensions of Litsaea angustifolia are used for single yoke for buffaloes. Pat silkworms (Assam silk) are reared on the leaves of L. citrata. In this study the trichomes of 17 species of the genus Litsaea are studied. The structure and development of trichomes and glands have been studied in several angiosperm families. The trichomes observed in genus Litsaea are eglandular, unicellular, glandular & multicellular peltate type.

Keywords: Litsaea, Lauraceae, trichomes, eglandular, unicellular, glandular & multicellular peltate.