Anatomical and morphological description of Phellodendron lavallei Dode stem bark.

Phellodendron lavallei Dode (Rutaceae) is native to Japan. It was introduced in Georgia (Adjara) in 80th of XX century. In medicine the genus of Phellodendron Rupr. has been used to treat gastric ulcers, bacterial and fungal infections, inflammations, hyperglycemia. The bark is rich of alkaloids of protoberberine type and may be used as a source of them. There are very limited data about anatomical and morphological structure of this genus. Especially least investigated is grown in Georgia. The aim of our study was to investigate anatomical and morphological structure of stem bark Phellodendron Lavallei Dode introduced in Georgia and evaluate its micro structural characteristics. The bark is collected in Kobuleti medical plants experimental station in July and November of 2009 year. There were examined longitudinal and cross sections of herbal material. The bark was studied using a light (Carl Zeiss, Jeneval) and (MBC-2) stereoscopic microscopes. During the structural study of P. lavallei it was manifested the variety of diagnostic signs: the cork is covered by small warts. It's characteristic to corks to peel off the dead tissues. Its cellular structure is rich in chloroplasts. Both in primary, and in secondary structure of a stem bark it is developed many of the sclerenchymal (fibres, mechanical cages) sites. The cork's cambium (phellogen) is characterized by small regions of cork's parenchyma, in which the idioblasts are arranged. In the bark there is massive size monarchic type radial rays, intensively stretched from the central cylinder till the primary cork's parenchymal tissue, they transport and preserve the substances received as a result of physiological processes. A variety of the tissues of Phellodendron lavallei stem bark indicates on high quality of medical raw materials and activity of the physiological processes in a plant.