Foliar epidermal studies of some medicinally important plants of scrophulariaceae

The family Scrophulariaceae includes several ornamentals and plants with medicinal importance. In the present investigation foliar epidermal characteristics of three plants useful in ethnic/folk medicine - Cymbalaria muralis, Kickxia ramosissima (both used in diabetes treatment) and Linaria dalmatica (used to stimulate liver function) are studied and their salient epidermal features of leaf are presented in detail here. Sinuous epidermal anticlinal walls, anomocytic and anisocytic stomata, cuticular ledges, peristomatal rims, polar nodules are the characters commonly shared by all the three members. Leaves are hypoamphistomatic with heteromorphic stomata (in shape) in C. muralis, K. ramosissima; amphistomatic in L. dalmatica and atrichous in C. muralis and L. dalmatica. Stomatal groups, stomatal chains, contiguous stomata and long stalked (3 - celled) glandular trichomes with 4 - celled globose head are the exclusive features found in K. ramosissima.