Morphological, anatomical and phytochemical properties on Datura metel Linn

This study investigated the morphological, anatomical and phytochemical properties on Datura metel Linn. a member of the family Solanaceae also found mostly in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. The habit is biennial to perennial sub wood growing up to120cm in height. They are used mainly as snake repellant and environmental embellishment. The leaves are large, deep green in color, simple, ovate to triangular-ovate and elliptic, with few dentate lobes, measuring upto 25 ± 7cm long and 14±4cm wide, suspended with a long petiole up to 5±2cm long with alternate phyllotaxy. The flower is trumpet-like and solitary actinomorphic hermaphrodite measuring up to 1.0 cm in diameter. The creamy-whitish gamopetalous corolla is up to 10 ±5cm in length and greenish gamosepalous tubular calyxup to 4±2cm in length. Stamens and carpels are equi-equals up to 9±3cm in length each. Fruit is greenish dehiscing 4-valved capsule covered with blunt warts up to 4 ±1cm in diameter. The brownish seeds are up to 0.4cm in size. The epidermal studies of both adaxial and abaxial foliar epidermis revealed anisocytic stomata with 22.56% stomatal index for the former and 15.79% for the latter. The trichomes are simple and uniseriate. The anatomy of mid-ribs and petioles showed bicollateral vascular systems. There are three vascular traces and the node is unilacunar. The petioles have 2 rib traces at primary growth phase. At secondary growth phase, the mid-rib and petiole revealed vascular arcs and the stem has a ring of open vascular system. Alkaloids, saponin, tannins, flavonoids, combined anthraquinones and free anthraquinones are present while phlobatannins and cardiac glycosides are absent.