Bauhinia microstachya (Fabaceae) is a vine which has got a flat and ribbonlike stem, and bilobate leaves, commonly known as escada-de-macaco and employed as analgesic in the traditional medicine. The morpho-anatomical study of leaf and stem was carried out, in order to contribute to pharmacognostic and taxonomic knowledge. The material was fixed, sectioned and stained with toluidine blue and basic fuchsine / astra blue, as well as assayed for histochemical tests. The leaf has got uniseriate epidermis, paracytic and anomocytic stomata on the lower surface, unicellular non-glandular trichomes, dorsiventral mesophyll and midrib with a bundle involved by a sclerenchymatic sheath. The stem has shown anomalous structure, due to irregular vascular cambium growth, which is more active on opposite sides, establishing lateral expansions. The pith is cruciate in form and idioblasts containing calcium oxalate prisms and rare druses are observed.
Bauhinia microstachya; Fabaceae; morpho-anatomy