Ocotea puberula (Rich.) Nees is a native woody species. It occurs all over tropical and subtropical America, in almost all the forest formations. It is known as guaicá, canela-guaicá and canela-sebo, being used by indigenous communities to treat skin diseases and tumours. This work has analysed the leaf morpho-anatomy of the species, in order to supply anatomical information for its identification. The botanical material was fixed and prepared according to usual optical and scanning microtechniques. The leaves are alternate, simple, entire, elliptical or elliptical-lanceolate and revolute at the base. The leaf anatomy shows paracytic stomata and unicellular non-glandular trichomes on the abaxial surface, dorsiventral mesophyll and biconvex midrib consisting of a collateral bundle in open arc. Oil and mucilage cells are found in leaf anatomical structure.
Ocotea puberula; Lauraceae; morpho-anatomy
