Pharmacognostical evaluation of Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.

Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. is commonly known as alligator weed. In India especially in West Bengal, it is used as vegetable and useful in diabetes, influenza, diarrhea, dysentery etc. There is no as such report to be identified the plant microscopically, especially to determine the microscopical standard. Here the study was done with the shoot part of the plant with the aim to standardize the plant microscopically. Important diagnostic characters like sclerenchymatous fibre, inter fascicular cambium, spiral vessels, calcium oxalate crystals, multi and unicellular unbranched trichomes etc were observed. The preliminary phytochemical study revealed the presence of various functional groups like phenols, alkaloids, saponin etc. The findings of the current study can be useful for further scientific investigation of the plant.