The leaf of Voacanga africana Staph (Apocynaceae) is an important resource in traditional medicine as well as drug production, thus pharmacognostic assessment is vital to its safety and efficacy. This study was aimed to provide some pharmacognostic standards for the leaf V. africana growing in Nigeria which will be useful for its quality control. The macro- and micro- morphology of the leaf (fresh and coarsely powdered) was evaluated by employing standard procedures. The moisture content, ash and soluble extractives of the powdered leaves were also done. The leaves are simple, oppositely arranged, ovate to lanceolate in shape with a glabrous surface, acute apex, acuminate base with short petioles. Hypostomatic leaf is present with anisocytic and anomocytic stomata, epidermal cells are thick straight walled with rectangular to hexagonal in shape. The values of stomata number, stomata index, stomata pore length, epidermal length and palisade ratio were 100-160-209, 8.0-10.2-18.2, 46.7-53.3-70.0 µm, 46.7-128.3-210.0 µm and 4.0-5.2-7.5, respectively. Ash evaluation revealed that the total ash, water soluble, acid insoluble and sulphated ash are 11.98%, 6.95%, 0.49% and 13.3%, respectively. The moisture content, water and alcohol soluble extractives obtained are 8.03, 31.1 and 23.9%, respectively. The values obtained in this study are veritable tools in the quality control of V. africana leaf and may be included in the forth coming volume 2 of the Nigerian Herbal Pharmacopoeia.
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