1- Cloves

Botanical Source:
Clove is the dried flower buds of Eugenia caryophyllus,
family Myrtaceae. Dried until they turn red- brown in colour.
Geographical source: Zanaibar, Madegashcar and Molucca
islands.
Commercial clove should contain not more than 5% of its stalk
and fruits, and yields not loss than 15% of Volatile Oil.
Morphology of the buds:
The buds are bright reddish brown in colour , 15-20 m.m.long.
the hypanthium is flattened-cylinderical or somewhat foursided. It is surmounted by four, spreading thick acute sepals and
dome shaped closed corolla which are formed of four petals.
The stamens are numerous, tetradelphous i.e., united through
their filaments, and opposite the petals. The stamens surround
an erect style in the centre, with nectary disc at its base. The
ovary is inferior, bilocular and situated in the upper part of the
hypanthium.

Plate 37

Each locule contains about 20 ovules with axile placentation.

Clove has characteristic strong spicy aromatic odour, while its
taste is agreeable aromatic, warm which is followed by slight
numbness.
Histology of the bud:
1- A transverse section at the hypathium region, shows a
central cylinder of parenchyma (the columella ) with
several small vascular bundles, surrounded by an area of
aerenchma , with large spaces, beyond which is a circle of
vascular strands, followed by a layer of collenchymatous
2

parenchyma---- containing circles of schizolysigenous oil

glands in the outer region. The epidermal cells are made of
tabular, polygonal cells with straight walls and thick
cuticle and showing anomocytic stomata
II) the ovary region , the area of columella and aerenchyma is
replaced by a bilocular ovary showing several ovules in each
locule attached by an axile plcentation. Cluster crystals of
calcium oxalate are scattered especially in the collumella.
III) The sepals, show epidermis similar to that of the
hypanthium, oil glands in the undifferentiated mesophyll
and clusters of calcium oxalate.
IV) the petals show similar structre, but is thinner and the
epidermis with no stomata.
V) The stamens, show a typical fibrous layer of the anther and
some occasional oil glands in the filament and in the
connective.
VI) The pallen grains are biconvex with rounded edges,
appearing triangular in surface view with truncate apices
and three pores measuring about 15 in diameter.

Plate 38

Plate 39

Powder clove :
It is brown in colour with strong characteristic aromatic odour
and agreeable warm taste, it shows the following.

I)
II)
III)
IV)
V)
VI)
VII)

Numerous fragments of hypanthium with rows of

schizolysigenous oil glands .
Fragments of fiberous layer of anther with lignified bar
like thickening.
Yellow pollen grains appearing oval or triangular in
shape with oval or truncate edges.
Fragments of epidermis of polygonal cells, showing
anomocytic stomata.
Framents of parenchyma of the hypanthium with cluster
crystals of calcium oxalate.
Fragments of vascular strands showing spiral vessels
and lignified thick walled fibers.
Calcium axalate prisms, starch and lignified sclereids
from the stalk should be absent.

Plate 40
Active constituent of cloves:
7

Cloves contain about 15-20% Volatile oil. The oil is composed

chiefly of the aromatic phenol eugenol ( 85%) and little
acetyleugenol. It also contain about 13% of galotannic acid and
a colorless, odorless crystalline, substance called Caryophylline
Test for identity : mix a little powdered clove with few drops of
ferric chloride solution, a deep blue colour is produced in all
elements except in the fibres which remain colourless.
Uses
Clove is widely used as carminative and flavouring agent,
agreeable aromatic stimulant and antispasmodic. Clove oil is
used in dentistry as local analgesic and antiseptic. Eugenol the
main constituent of clove oil is used in the preparation of
vanillin.
Adultration of cloves:
(1) Clove- stalk :
This is the selender stem of the in florescence axis and
shows opposite decussate branching. It is brownish, rough and
irregularly wrinkled longitudinally, with less pleasant odour.
It can be detected in powder cloves microscopically by:
(a) Presence of isodiametric thick-walled
sclereids.
(b) Phloem fibers with crystal sheath.
(c) Presence of prisms of calcium oxalate from
cortex and pith.
(d) Presence of starch granules.

(2) Mother Clove:

It is the unripe fruits of cloves. They contain much less

volatile oil. They contain much starch from the seed, while
powder clove is free from starch.
(3) Exhausted cloves :
It is clove deprived from all or most of the volatile oil
which has been removed by steam distillation. Exhausted cloves
is darker in colour, much shrunken and float on water surface.