SOME ASPECTS REGARDING THE MORPHO-ANATOMY AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF THE MEDICINAL PLANT EUCOMMIA ULMOIDES OLIV.

Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. - Gutta-percha, Hardy rubber tree, known as Du Zhong in China, is commonly used in Chinese herbalism, being considered to be one of the 50 fundamental herbs. E. ulmoides is native to China and has been widely cultivated in central and south-eastern regions of China and other countries worldwide. The studied individuals have been cultivated in the Bucharest, at the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine's Botanical Garden which maintained this species for over 40 years. Different studies have been carried out with regard to leaf morphology, as well as the anatomy of the stem, leaf and petiole. Morphological analyses show that leaves vary in length between 12 and 15 cm, in width between 5.2 and 8 cm, and the petiole length measures 1.5-2 cm. The leaves of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. feature an epidermis (upper and lower) covered by cuticle. Their mesophyll is bifacial. Ethanolic extracts from the fresh leaves and fruits were prepared in order to determine the total phenolic, flavonoid and associated antioxidant activity. The results showed that leaves had higher total polyphenol and flavonid content than fruits and fruits had higher antioxidant activity than leaves. The findings of this study suggest that Eucommia ulmoides can be also used as a dietary source of phenolic compounds with antioxidant potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]