Comparative morphoanatomy of two species of “jaguareté ka’a” – Baccharis crispa Spreng. and B. trimera (Less.) DC. (Asteraceae) – used for medicinal purposes in Paraguay

Abstract

In Paraguay, medicinal plant species are used given their preventive and even healing faculties. They can treat several ailments, being the most common ones, digestive, respiratory, and chronic. In this context, we find species known as “jaguareteka’a” Baccharis crispa and B. trimera, which are directly used for medicinal purposes in Paraguay. The main purpose of this research is to compare these two species through the exo and endomorphological descriptions, as part of their correct identification. For this, different samples of these species have been collected, from the Jardin de Aclimatación of the Chemical Science Faculty of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción college, Paraguay. These have been processed in the Botanical Department, for anatomical and morphological studies. As a result, the exomorphological and anatomical traits of the winged stems have been described, and a comparative chart of these traits has been traced. The main outstanding, differentiating traits are the ones that follow: a major development of the vascular stem of B. crispa, in relation to B. trimera;
furthermore, on the marginal vein of B. trimera, a secretory cavity may be observed, whereas B. crispa one does not show any. Aside from this, common traits may be observed in both species, such as glandular fur and eglandular nestled-typed ones. Following the aforementioned study, a determination of the exo- and endomorphological traits has been determined in the winged stems of both studied species, to contribute to the correct identification of vegetable species employed for medicinal purposes in Paraguay.