­­­­­­­­­­­­ Herbal medicines are non-toxic, low-cost and have no side effects. They are successful in treating a variety of ailments, but due to a lack of documentation and strict quality control, they remain unsatisfactorily. Daphne mucronata Royle belongs to Thymelaeaceae, proved to be a vital anticancer plant, yet there is no report on its standardization. Therefore, the study was made in order to fix the micromorphological and pharmacognostic standards for the leaf. Morpho-anatomical examination revealed useful information for the identification. The results of macromorphological gave a base for the use of leaf of D. mucronata which having gray green color, characteristic unlikable odor and unpleasant taste. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Light microscopy (LM), showed characteristics features of the leaf resembled with other family members. The SEM study revealed a unique crystal, which has never been seen before in the genus. The leaves surface features depicted ranunculacious, paracytic, and diacytic stomata. Extractive values determination, fluorescence, and UV analysis were carried out. The phytochemicals tests showed the presence of fats, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, amino acids, saponins, tannins (70 %), reducing sugars, mucilages, phenolics (55 %), proteins, flavonoids (52.5 %), volatile oils, and starch. These phytochemicals are accountable for the pharmacological potential of this plant. Elemental analysis, nutritional analysis, and oil extraction was done following standards methods. These provide the standard parameters for the genuineness of the leaves. These informations will assist in the authentication and consistent quality, resulting in the safe use and preservation of this plants’ efficacy.

This is a very first attempt to study various parameters of a medicinal plant, Delphinium suave Huth. The plant is erect, geophytic, herbaceous, with tuberous root, trifid in a palmatipartite, strigose cuneate leaf and white spurred zygomorphic flower. The root was isodiametric phellem with single non-glandular trichomes. The stem revealed single-layered cuticle, multiseriate epidermis, cortex, pith ray and uniserate bowed non-glandular trichomes. The leaf was amphistomatic, showed tapering trichomes, prismatic crystals and ranunculaceous stomata with circumference 144.66-182.67 µm. Pollen grains in Light Microscopy (LM), were prolate, spheroidal trizonocolpate, isopolar, radiosymmetric, scabrate, elliptic and monads. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) pollen surface was scabrate, monad, size varied from 18.06 µm-16.67µm, colpus to inaperturate, tricolpate, ornamented, echinus, isopolar, isodiametric and circular. SEM roots showed sclerenchymatic tissues, stellate, glandular, non-glandular trichomes and crystals. The stem showed scalariform, pitted vessels, warty protuberances, unicellular, silicified, non-glandular trichomes. Leaves powder revealed, simple, unicellular, tapered headed, uniseriate, sessile, capitate, unbranched glandular, non-glandular, trichomes with crystals. Capitate, stellate, circular, unicellular, branchy trichomes were observed for the first time through SEM. Powder drug study of root, stem leaves through LM also revealed different tissues. Preliminary phytochemical revealed alkaloids, anthocyanins, anthraquinones, coumarins, flavones, mucilages, saponins, steroids, terpenoids, volatile oils and proteins. GC/MS showed 36 compounds in roots 33 in stem while 41 in leaves. Fluorescence analysis of roots, stem and leaves showed variation in colour when treated with chemicals. This study will assist pharmacognostic exploration, authentication from adulterants/allied species for consistent quality, resulting in safe use, preservation and efficacy.