The genus Mikania, belonging to the family Asteraceae and tribe Eupatoriae, has about 430 species mainly distributed in South America. In Brazil, the genus is represented by approximately 171 species. Various members of Mikania are lianas and commonly called "guaco". Mikania laevigata Sch. Bip. ex Baker, known as "guaco", "guaco-de-casa" and "guaco-do-mato", is native to the South of Brazil. Its leaves are used in folk medicine as expectorant and antirheumatic. It is morphologically similar to M. glomerata, whose monograph is included in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia 1st Ed. Some studies on M. laevigata have demonstrated pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antimicrobial and anti-ulcerogenic. This work has aimed to study the morpho-anatomy of the stem and the leaf of M. laevigata, in order to supply pharmacognostic information related to the identification of this species and distinction from other Mikania for quality control purposes. The botanical material was prepared according to standard light and scanning electronic micro techniques. The morpho-anatomical characters described for the stem and the leaf contribute to the identification of this species.
Asteraceae; Mikania laevigata; quality control
