O. T. Okareh, David Enesi and O.I.Shittu
Morphological, phytochemical and leaf epidermal studies were carried out on three populations of Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. collected from North Central and South West geographical zones of Nigeria with a view to determining the extent of their environmentally induced variations. Morphological studies based on qualitative and quantitative features proved useful for determining significant discontinuities. Phytochemical screening indicated that all the populations have similar chemical constituents. Despite similar anticlinal wall pattern, epidermal cell size indicated significant difference among the study groups. Correlation of all the studied parameters employed indicated that the selective forces in their natural habitat have set in motion an evolutionary process as most of the parameters studied remained significantly different among the populations after cultivating the populations under the same conditions.
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