Pharmacognostic Identification of Borreriae Strictae Herba and Borreriae Latifoliae Herba

[Objectives]This study was conducted to identify and compare Borreria stricta(Linn.f.)G.Mey.and Borreria latifolia(Aubl.)K.Schum.,so as to provide a basis for their pharmacognostic identification.[Methods]The identification of B.stricta and B.latifolia was carried out by identification of origin,character identification,microscopic identification.[Results](i)Identification of origin:①B.stricta:B.stricta is an annual erect slender herb.The stem is quadrangular,rarely branched.The leaves are leathery,nearly sessile,fusiform or lanceolate bar-shaped,tapered at the top,narrowed at the base,and rough on both sides.When fresh,they are dark green.The stipules are nearly glabrous,and there are spines longer than the inflorescence at the top.②B.latifoli:B.latifoli is an annual loose stout herb,covered with hair.The stem is quadrangular,and has narrow wings on the edges.The leaves are elliptic or oval and oblong,yellow green when fresh.The stipules are membranous and covered with coarse bristles,and they have bristles longer than the sheath on the top.(ii)Character identification:①B.stricta:The roots of B.stricta has a rough,dense and hard texture with many transverse folds on the surface and many fiber thorns and cracks on the fracture surface.B.stricta tastes bitter.②B.latifoli:The roots of B.latifoli is slightly fleshy,flexible and hard to be broken.The stem is obviously quadrangular,hairy.B.latifoli tastes bitter and irritative.(iii)Microscopic identification:①B.stricta:The false annual rings are obvious in the cross section of the roots of B.stricta.The cross section of the stem looks like a round square with four short wings at the corners.Calcium oxalate needle crystal bundles can be seen in the leaf cross section.②B.latifoli:Calcium oxalate needle crystal bundles can be seen in the root and stem cross sections of B.latifoli.The cross section of the stem is unrepresentative square,with wide and long wings at the corners.In the cross section of leaves,non-glandular hairs can be seen in the upper and lower epidermis cells.[Conclusions]The above three identification methods can effectively identify B.stricta and B.latifolia.