Arid zone of Rajasthan, India, has its own importance, great diversity and specific characteristic with respect to endemic and large number of plants of economic importance and medicinal use. Out of these, three arid zone plants Gisekia pharnaceoides L., Gisekiaceae, Sericostoma pauciflorum Stocks ex Wight, Boraginaceae, and Trianthema decandra L., Aizoaceae, which are traditionally used for different ailments (hepatitis, asthma, jaundice, skin-infections etc.) have been selected for the study. In the present paper, detailed pharmacognostical evaluation of these plant species using microscopy, standard physicochemical determinations and authentic phytochemical parameters has been carried out. Later, these morphological characteristics could be used for rapid identification of the drugs, particularly in case of powdered materials, and may possibly help to differentiate the drug from its other species.
Arid zone plants; Gisekia pharnaceoides; Sericostoma pauciflorum; Trianthema decandra; pharmacognostical evaluation
