Foliar Epidermal Studies of Some Nigerian Species of Sida Linn. (Malvaceae)

Full Length Research Paper

FOLIAR EPIDERMAL STUDIES OF SOME NIGERIAN SPECIES OF SIDA LINN. (MALVACEAE)

*David Olaniran Aworinde, 1Bushirat Odunayo Ogundairo, 1Sakiru Morenikeji Erinoso and 1Adebimpe Oluwafunmilayo Olanloye

*Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State, Nigeria. 1 Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria..

Accepted 9 February, 2012

Studies on the leaf architecture, proximate and elemental analyses were carried out on six (6) species of Sida Linn. (Malvaceae) in search of useful and stable characters. Morphological characters in Sida acuta , S. corymbosa, S. lanceolata, S. linifolia, S. scabrida and S. urens indicate close relationship. Proximate analysis revealed that S. acuta has the highest fat content (3.42%), S. lanceolata with highest protein content (34.81%), S. urens with highest ash content (53.56%), and S. linifolia with highest moisture content (74.71%), fibre content (16.93%) and carbohydrate (57.51%). The result of the elemental analysis revealed the presence of Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Na, P, Mn, Zn and Cu in order of decreasing concentrations. This is discussed in relation to the taxonomy of the family.

Keywords: Epidermis, Foliar, Nigeria, Sida

INTRODUCTION

Malvaceae or the mallow family is a family of flowering flowers are commonly borne on indefinite axillary plant containing over 200 genera with close to 2300 inflorescences, which are often reduced to a single species (Judd and Manchester, 1997). Well known of this flower, but may also be cauliforous, oppositifolious or family include okra, jute and cacao. The largest genera in terminal. They often bear super numerary bracts. They terms of number of species include Pavonia (200 can be unisexual or bisexual and generally species), Sida (200 species), Dombeya (225 species), actinomorphic, often associated with conspicuous bracts, Sterculia (250 species) and Hibiscus (300 species) (Judd forming an epicalyx. They generally have five valvate and Manchester, 1997). Popular plants of the family sepals, most frequently basally connate and five Malvaceae are generally valued for commercial cotton, imbrecate petals. The stamens are five to numerous, gorgeous spring blossoms and some for their colourful connate at least at their bases, but often forming a tube foliage. It is a globally distributed family with primary around the pistils. The pistils composed two to many concentrations of genera in the tropical and subtropical connate carpels. The ovary is superior, with axial regions (Hutchinson 1967; Fryxell, 1975, 1988, 1998; placentation, capitates or lobed stigma. The flowers have Heywood, 1993; La Duke and Doeby, 1995; Mabberley, nectaries made of many tightly packed glandular hairs, 1997). usually positioned on the sepals. Fruits are often a Most species of Malvaceae are herbs or shrubs but loculicidal capsule, schizocarp or a nut. some are trees and lianas. Leaves are generally Due to the high economic value of many taxa of alternate, often palmately lobed or compound and Malvaceae (Gossypium, Hibiscus, Abelmoschus and palmately veined. The margin may be entire, but when Malva), several studies of different perspectives have dentate a vein ends at the tip of each tooth (malvoid been carried out (Krebs, 1994, Ray, 1995, 1998; Hosni teeth). Foliacious stipules are present and the stem and Araffa, 1999). The healing qualities of many species contains mucous canals and often also mucous cavity. have been used in different therapeutic philosophies Hairs are common, and are mostly typically stellate. The throughout history (Shaheen et al., 2009). A number of outstanding problems in generic delimitation, generic recognition, and generic subdivision in the Malvaceae are enumerated by Fryxell (1997) to underline their need for Corresponding Author E-Mail: [email protected] resolution. Many research works have been conducted Aworinde et al. 19

Table 1: Leaf qualitative characters of the studied taxa.

Taxa Apex Base Margin Shape Texture Sida acuta Acute Obtuse Crenate Lanceolate Pubescent S. corymbosa Acute Obtuse Crenate Lanceolate Pubescent S. lanceolata Acute Acute Crenate Lanceolate Glabrous S. linifolia Acute Acute Entire Lanceolate Pubescent S. scabrida Acute Acute Crenate Lanceolate Glabrous S. urens Retuse Sagitate Crenate Sagitate Pubescent

on the genus Sida . For example, Focho et al. (2009) were determined using AOAC (1990) method. worked on preliminary phytochemical screening of some species of Malvaceae including Sida . El- Naggar and Elemental analysis Sawady (2008) worked on pollen morphology of Malvaceae and its taxonomic significance including Sida 2g of each sample was weighed into 20ml of aqua rega but the importance of chemotaxonomic studies of the solution, boiled for 2 hours in water bath, filtered into species of Sida are yet to be carried out. Therefore, the 25ml standard flask and filled with distilled water to make aim of this work was to carry out the leaf architecture, up 100ml. proximate and elemental analyses on some species of the genus with a view to enabling a surer understanding Leaf architecture preparation of the genus. A portion of fresh leaf was cut from median part of mature leaves. The leaf portions were decolorized by soaking the MATERIALS AND METHODS leaves in domestic bleach (parazone) for 24 hours. Cleared leaves were removed and rinsed twice in water Sources of specimens to remove the bleach solution from the material and then stored in 50% ethanol. Each leaf was placed on the slide Plant specimens used were collected in different and viewed under light microscope to reveal the venation ecological areas in Abeokuta (Ogun State) and Ife (Osun pattern of the leaves for easy drawing. This procedure State) South-Western Nigeria. Species collected in followed Folorunso et al. (2010). Abeokuta include Sida acuta , S. corymbosa, S. lanceolata and S. linifolia. S. scabrida and S. urens were collected in Obafemi Awolowo University (Ile-Ife, Osun RESULTS State). Identification of plant materials was done at Forestry Herbarium, Ibadan (FHI) and University of Morphologically, all the studied taxa have simple leaf with Ibadan Herbarium (UIH). Voucher specimens were acute apices. All the taxa have lanceolate shape except deposited in the herbaria. Quantitative characters such S. urens with sagitate shape. They all have alternate as leaf length, leaf width at the widest point and petiole phyllotaxy, margins range from crenate to entire. Four of length were also assessed in situ. the taxa have pubescent leaves while the remaining two are glabrous. The maximum leaf length was recorded in Measurement of quantitative and qualitative S. corymbos a to be 8.20cm and the minimum in S. characters scabrida to be 1.00cm. The width ranges from 4.00cm in S. urens to 0.40cm in S. scabrida (Table 1). Proximate Ten fresh mature leaves were plucked randomly for analysis revealed that S. acuta has the highest fat measurement of morphological parameters. Included in content of (3.42%), S.lanceolata has the highest protein the measurements are leaf length and width. Qualitative content (34.81%), S.urens has the highest ash content of characters such as leaf shape, margin, apex and base (53.56%) while S. linifolia has the highest moisture were also observed in-situ. content (74.71%), fibre content (16.93%) and carbohydrate content (57.51%) (Table 2). The result of Proximate analysis the elemental analysis revealed the presence of Calcium (Ca), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe) Magnesium (Mg), The laboratory determination of the proximate Manganese (Mn), Phosphorous (P), Sodium (Na), and composition of a given food sample comprises moisture, Zinc (Zn) in varying concentrations. S. lanceolata has the fat, protein, crude fibre, and ash content. As an highest concentration of Copper (1.02mg/L), S. linifolia approximation, carbohydrate is estimated by difference, has the highest concentration of Manganese that is, 100 less the summation of moisture, protein, fat, (20.21mg/L), S. urens has the highest concentration of fibre, and ash. Proximate analyses of the six species Magnessium (324.67mg/L) while S. scabrida has the Scholarly J. Agric. Sci. 20

Table 2: Proximate analysis showing the weight of the studied taxa in percentage (%).

Taxa Ash Carbohydrate Fat Fibre Moisture Protein

Sida acuta 33.81 48.60 3.42 11.30 69.42 30.65 S. corymbosa 34.69 46.58 2.51 12.43 66.52 30.43 S. lanceolata 36.18 44.24 2.94 11.00 59.31 34.81 S. linifolia 40.17 57.51 2.50 16.93 74.71 23.20 S. scabrida 38.25 38.85 2.32 14.31 61.47 22.50 S. urens 53.56 51.42 2.72 13.50 48.15 33.49

Table 3: Concentration of the elements present in the taxa in milligramme per litre (mg/L)

Taxa (Ca) (Cu) (Fe) (Mg) (Mn) (P) (Na) (Zn) Sida acuta 281.67 0.36 12.81 48.36 2.62 6.72 27.83 1.19 S. corymbosa 389.81 0.60 31.43 113.84 16.58 15.13 14.20 1.96 S. lanceolata 541.11 1.02 78.41 95.70 7.06 10.31 29.91 2.34 S. linifolia 499.25 0.63 17.99 120.97 20.21 20.62 17.80 1.50 S. scabrida 986.16 0.93 241.96 292.24 9.69 38.11 39.22 7.62 S. urens 871.81 0.88 61.28 324.67 2.62 17.11 32.74 2.37

Table 4: Leaf architectural features of the taxa.

Character S. acuta S. corymbosa S. lanceolata S. linifolia S. scabrida S. urens Leaf form Lanceolate Lanceolate Lanceolate Lanceolate lanceolate Sagitate Leaf base Acute Acute Acute Acute Acute Sagitate Margin Crenate Crenate Crenate Entire Crenate Crenate Aerolation development Well developed Imperfect Well developed Imperfect Well developed Well developed Aerolation shape Pentagonal Pentagonal Pentagonal Quadrangular Quadrangular Pentagonal

highest concentrations of Calcium (986.16mg/L), Iron similarities in leaf architectural features of the studied (241.96mg/L), Phosphorous (38.11mg/L), Sodium taxa. Leaf architectural features can show evolutionary (39.22mg/L) and Zinc (7.62mg/L) (Table 3). The lamina of significance in the woody dicotyledonous plants and can all the studied taxa were symmetrical, leaf form was also be used to delimit species (Hickey, 1972; Ogundipe, lanceolate except in Sida urens which was sagitate. The 2004; Folorunso and Modupe, 2007). The morphological leaf apices were acute and the base ranges from acute to characters of the taxa were similar because five out of six sagitate. All the taxa have crenate leaf margin except S. possessed crenate margins. All of them possessed acute linifolia which has entire margin (Table 4). All their apex, five out of six possessed lanceolate shape and venations were pinnate cladodromous with primary vein they all have simple leaf with alternate phyllotaxy. size moderate (1.25-2%) and primary vein course straight Metcalfe and Chalk (1979) reported the use of epidermal and branched (Fig. A-F). The angle of divergence were characters such as leaf surfaces, epidermal cell wall acute, variation in angle of divergence were nearly pattern, nature of stomata as diagnostic features of some uniform with their veinlets branched with one or more families and genera and sometimes for species. secondary ramification. The areolation are random Folorunso and Oyetunji (2007) used leaf epidermal reticulate. Four of the taxa have well developed characteristics to show significant degree of variations in areolation and the areolation shape ranges from the leaves of Cymbopogon citratus and Cymbopogon quadrangular to pentagonal. giganteus. Several workers have used leaf anatomy as taxonomic tool for delimiting species (Isawunmi, 1989; Edeoga and Ikem, 2001; Jayeola et al., 2001; DISCUSSION AbdulRahman and Oladele, 2003; Adedeji 2004; Folorunso and Olorode, 2006, 2008). Taxonomic The results of the leaf architecture, proximate and characters for all the studied species have symmetrical elemental analyses have been used to distinguish the lamina. Leaf forms are lanceolate except in S. urens species of Sida from one another in this study. There are which was sagitate. The leaf apices were acute and the Aworinde et al. 21

Fig. A: showing leaf architecture of Sida acuta Fig. B: showing leaf surfaces of S. corymbora with pinnate cladodromous venation Fig. C: showing leaf surfaces of S. lanceolata with moderate primary vein size Fig. D: showing leaf surfaces of S. linifolia Fig. E: showing leaf surfaces of S. scabrida Fig. F: showing leaf surfaces of S. urens with straight and branched primary vein course

base ranges from acute to sagitate. Five of the taxa have suggesting common ancestral line. The metals were crenate leaf margin and the other one entire. A similar present because they are the essential elements that trend was observed in their morphological characters should be contained in plants. However, the environment Scholarly J. Agric. Sci. 22

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