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Plants
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Microscopy and Histochemistry in Plant Structural and Functional Analysis
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Microscopy and Histochemistry in Plant Structural and Functional Analysis

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Structural Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2026) | Viewed by 5059

Editors

Prof. Dr. Yougasphree Naidoo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Agriculture and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
Interests: plant sciences; ethnobotany; stress ecophysiology; microscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Syd Ramdhani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biological Sciences, University of Kwa Zulu Natal, Durban, South Africa
Interests: asphodelaceae; biogeography; floristics; haworthia; kniphofia; schotia

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microscopy, histochemistry, and phytochemistry are foundational disciplines in medicinal plant research and botanical sciences. Together, these approaches offer a powerful toolkit for exploring plant structure, chemistry, and biological function from the cellular to the molecular level.

Microscopy enables the detailed visualization of plant tissues and cellular structures, supporting species identification, quality control of herbal materials, and studies of plant development and stress responses. Histochemical techniques further allow for the localization of specific bioactive compounds within plant tissues, helping to link anatomical features with metabolic functions. Phytochemistry, on the other hand, delves into the identification and characterization of plant-derived secondary metabolites, providing the chemical basis for therapeutic applications and facilitating the development of evidence-based phytomedicines.

This Special Issue invites original research articles and reviews that utilize microscopy, histochemistry, and phytochemical methods to advance our understanding of medicinal plants. Contributions that integrate these disciplines or apply innovative techniques for plant analysis are especially encouraged. Topics may include, but are not limited to, structural analysis, metabolite localization, chemical profiling, and the interface between traditional knowledge and modern pharmacognosy.

Prof. Dr. Yougasphree Naidoo
Dr. Syd Ramdhani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • medicinal plants
  • microscopy
  • histochemistry
  • phytochemistry
  • plant anatomy
  • bioactive compounds
  • herbal medicine
  • secondary metabolites
  • plant identification
  • natural products

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 21103 KB  
Article
Pharmacognostic Characterization of Abutilon theophrasti Medic. Growing in Kazakhstan
by Akdidar Yegizbayeva, Nurgali Rakhymbayev, Kairat Zhakipbekov, Galiya Ibadullayeva, Elmira Serikbayeva, Arailym Yegizbayeva, Arailym Mukanova, Nazgul Makasheva, Nurdaulet Zhumabayev and Bassymbek Dilbarkhanov
Plants 2026, 15(14), 2110; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15142110 - 8 Jul 2026
Viewed by 240
Abstract
Abutilon theophrasti Medic. is a widely distributed species belonging to the Malvaceae family. It represents a potential source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Despite the species’ pharmacological significance and its widespread distribution, information on the diagnostic pharmacognostic characteristics of [...] Read more.
Abutilon theophrasti Medic. is a widely distributed species belonging to the Malvaceae family. It represents a potential source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Despite the species’ pharmacological significance and its widespread distribution, information on the diagnostic pharmacognostic characteristics of A. theophrasti Medic. remains limited, and no such studies have previously been conducted on raw materials growing in Kazakhstan. The objective of this study was to ascertain the diagnostically significant morphological, anatomical, and histochemical characteristics of A. theophrasti Medic. in order to facilitate the identification and pharmacognostic standardization of medicinal plant raw materials. The subjects of the study were the plant’s aerial and underground organs, including leaves, stems, petioles, inflorescences, flowers, fruits, and roots. A comprehensive analysis of the raw material was conducted using a variety of analytical methods, including macroscopic, microscopic, and histochemical approaches. The study’s findings enabled the identification of characteristic features of the plant’s aerial and underground organs through macroscopic analysis. Microscopic examination revealed diagnostically significant characteristics of the species A. theophrasti Medic., including an anomocytic stomatal apparatus, numerous simple and stellate trichomes, calcium oxalate druses, and characteristic anatomical features of the leaf, stem, sepals, and root. Taken together, these characteristics form a diagnostic complex that can be used to identify this species. Histochemical analysis revealed the localization of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and trace amounts of essential oil in the tissues of the leaf petiole and root. However, alkaloids, starch, and sesquiterpene lactones were not detected. The identified morphological, anatomical, and histochemical data serve to supplement the information on the diagnostically significant characteristics of the species, carrying practical importance for the quality assessment of plant raw materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microscopy and Histochemistry in Plant Structural and Functional Analysis)
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14 pages, 6942 KB  
Article
Anatomical Markers for Identification and Standardization of Crataegus mexicana, Commercially Marketed as “Raíz de Tejocote”
by Sebastian J. Adams, Laura Estupiñán-Pérez, Gloria Melisa González-Anduaga, Andrés Navarrete and Ikhlas A. Khan
Plants 2025, 14(23), 3607; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233607 - 26 Nov 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1545
Abstract
Background: “Tejocote, manzanita, tejocotera”, and Mexican hawthorn are the popular common and commercial names of Crataegus mexicana Moc. & Sessé ex DC. This medicinal and edible plant species is widely used for weight loss and for treatment of cardiovascular, inflammatory, neurological, and respiratory [...] Read more.
Background: “Tejocote, manzanita, tejocotera”, and Mexican hawthorn are the popular common and commercial names of Crataegus mexicana Moc. & Sessé ex DC. This medicinal and edible plant species is widely used for weight loss and for treatment of cardiovascular, inflammatory, neurological, and respiratory infections. Several commercial products are marketed as “Raíz de Tejocote” for weight loss; however, these are frequently adulterated with other plants, other Crataegus species, or other parts of genuine C. mexicana. In this sense, this work aims to provide the anatomical features of the leaf and stem, and especially to authenticate the root of C. mexicana. Methods: The study utilized light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to identify the key characteristics that differentiate the market sample sold under the name Raíz de Tejocote. Results: Anatomical features revealed that the sample sold as Raiz de Tejocote is not a root but a stem. The absence of key diagnostic features such as cork, cortex, cambial layers, and sclereids in the cortex, and the presence of pith, uniseriate rays, radial vessel patterns, and clustered pits, strongly suggests that the market sample is adulterated, most likely derived from a stem of a Crataegus species, but not the C. mexicana. Conclusions: The anatomical comparison indicates that the market sample does not match the root or stem characters of C. mexicana. This comparative anatomical profiling can serve as a reliable authentication parameter, especially if the sample is taken for quality check as a whole, cut and sifted, or coarse powder form, based on the wood characteristics, xylem vessel and fiber characteristics provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microscopy and Histochemistry in Plant Structural and Functional Analysis)
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20 pages, 17214 KB  
Article
Histological Features Detected for Separation of the Edible Leaves of Allium ursinum L. from the Poisonous Leaves of Convallaria majalis L. and Colchicum autumnale L.
by Márta M-Hamvas, Angéla Tótik, Csongor Freytag, Attila Gáspár, Amina Nouar, Tamás Garda and Csaba Máthé
Plants 2025, 14(15), 2377; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152377 - 1 Aug 2025
Viewed by 2189
Abstract
Allium ursinum (wild garlic) has long been collected and consumed as food and medicine in the north temperate zone, where its popularity is growing. Colchicum autumnale and Convallaria majalis contain toxic alkaloids. Their habitats overlap, and without flowers, their vegetative organs are similar. [...] Read more.
Allium ursinum (wild garlic) has long been collected and consumed as food and medicine in the north temperate zone, where its popularity is growing. Colchicum autumnale and Convallaria majalis contain toxic alkaloids. Their habitats overlap, and without flowers, their vegetative organs are similar. Confusing the leaves of Colchicum or Convallaria with the leaves of wild garlic has repeatedly led to serious human and animal poisonings. Our goal was to find a histological characteristic that makes the separation of these leaves clear. We compared the anatomy of foliage leaves of these three species grown in the same garden (Debrecen, Hungary, Central Europe). We used a bright-field microscope to characterize the transversal sections of leaves. Cell types of epidermises were compared based on peels and different impressions. We established some significant differences in the histology of leaves. The adaxial peels of Allium consist of only “long” cells without stomata, but the abaxial ones show “long”, “short” and “T” cells with wavy cell walls as a peculiarity, and stomata. Convallaria and Colchicum leaves are amphystomatic, but in the case of Allium, they are hypostomatic. These traits were confirmed with herbarium specimens. Our results help to clearly identify these species even in mixed, dried plant material and may be used for diagnostic purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microscopy and Histochemistry in Plant Structural and Functional Analysis)
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