Abstract Bauhinia L. and Schnella (Raddi.) Wund. are popularly known in Brazil as "mororó". The leaves and stem bark are used in folk medicine for various purposes, especially against diabetes. Morphoanatomical studies of the leaves of Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.) Steud., B. pentandra (Bong.) Steud., B. ungulata L. and Schnella outimouta (Aublet) Wund., tribe Cercidae, subtribe Bauhiniinae (Benth.) Walp., were carried out as subsidies to the quality control of their etnodrugs and their derivatives, as well as an additional support to their taxonomy. The morphological and anatomical studies employed traditional techniques of stereo- and light microscopy. All species showed bifoliate leaves, a dorsiventral mesophyll, epidermis with a papillose abaxial surface, anomocytic stomata at the level of the epidermis, and tector trichomes. Schnella outimouta showed leaf characters distinctive from the three species of Bauhinia: indument puberulous on the abaxial surface, leaves hypostomatic, midrib with two collateral bundles, and a cylindrical petiole. The species of Bauhinia have a sericeous-pubescent indument, amphistomatic leaves with boat-shaped glands, midrib with a single bundle, and a canaliculate petiole with lateral projections. Our results provide leaf morphological and anatomical parameters, useful to distinguish the four species studied, which support the quality control of its ethnodrugs.

In this work, a morpho-anatomical study of the leaves, stems and roots of Solanum torvum Sw. was performed with the objective of providing a macroscopical and microscopical morphodiagnosis for its characterization. The species is popularly called "jurubeba-branca" in the Northeastern Brazil and is used in folk medicine to treat liver diseases, tuberculosis, and as antianemic. Anatomical studies were done by paradermic sections of the leaf blade (adaxial and abaxial surfaces), and cross sections of leaves (blade and petiole), stems and roots. The sections were clarified and stained with safranin and/ or astrablue, observed and photographed on light microscope. Histochemical tests were carried out in cross sections of leaves, stems and roots and assayed for specific reagents. The leaves are chartaceous, ovate to elliptic, with lobed margins, oblique at the base. The leaf is amphistomatic with anisocytic and anomocytic stomata simultaneously, and the epidermal cells, in face view, have anticlinal walls sinuate on the upper surface and wavy on the lower surface. The mesophyll is dorsiventral; the midrib has a central bicollateral vascular bundle; and the petiole has three or fourone. The stem shows external phloem, xylem, internal phloem and a parenchymatic pith. The root is axial and striate longitudinally and the secondary xylem is a massive cylinder. The macroscopical and microscopical vegetative characters constitute a set of diagnostic parameters to the studied species.