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Action of plant growth regulators over the development of Lippia alba.Lippia alba, a Brazilian species, from the Verbenaceae family, is planted and used throughout Brazil in traditional medicine such as analgesic, calminative and sedative, using aqueous extract of leaves. This study investigated the effect of GA 3 , ethephon and CCC spray solutions on the growth of L. alba at different times of the year. The experiment was carried out at São Manuel Experimental Station from the Universidade Estadual Paulista in Botucatu, Brazil, from December 1995 to December 1996. The experiment consisted of 7 treatments with three replications in complete randomized blocks, and the treatment was applied to the plots and at harvest time, to the subplots. The treatments included control, giberellic acid (GA 3 50 and 100 mg.L -1 ), 2-cloroetil-fosfonic acid (ethephon 100 and 200 mg.L -1) and 2-cloroetil-trimetil ammonium chloride (CCC-1000 and 2000 mg.L -1 ). The vegetable regulators were applied at two different periods, forty and a hundred days after establishment of the experiment, and the growth of the plants was evaluated six times. After the first application, the plants were collected at intervals of 14 days. Plant growth regulators GA 3 , and CCC tended to elevate the results of the evaluated parameters (dry matter of stem, leaves, flowers and total) but the results always stayed smaller or equal to the control.

Diagnosticou-se o perfil dos consumidores de supermercados em Pato Branco (PR), com relação às suas preferências pelas plantas medicinais e condimentares, como subsídio à produção por pequenos produtores rurais. Os consumidores preferem produtos orgânicos, observam a aparência e o preço do produto, e vão ao mercado uma vez por semana, preferencialmente aos sábados. As dez plantas medicinais preferidas, em ordem decrescente, são camomila, anis, boldo, carqueja, guaco, malva, poejo, espinheira-santa, menta e sálvia. As dez plantas condimentares preferidas, em ordem decrescente, são cebola, cravo, canela, orégano, alho, nóz-moscada, pimentão, cebolinha, endro e salsinha.

Fora, Martelos, 36016-970, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil, 2 Central Analítica, Farmanguinhos -FIOCRUZ, 21041-250, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil, 3 Departamento de Horticultura, Faculdade . This work aimed to analyze the secretory ducts and the essential oil of the leaves of Foeniculum vulgare in different periods of the year. For this purpose, the anatomic characterization, and histochemical tests of the leaves were performed as well as the comparative anatomy of the secretory ducts. The essential oil was obtained from the leaves and fruits by hidrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer, each analysis was repeated three times for leaves collected during the winter and spring, and for fruits collected in the Summer. The results obtained for the secretory ducts, corresponded to the yield reduction of essential oil in the leaves collected in the end of the spring. The major substance of the essential oil of the leaves and fruits, in all seasons of the year was trans-anetol. Therefore, it was evidenced that the secretory ducts and yield of essential oils are related, and also that the substances are subject to the seasonality, according to the phenologic stage of the plant.Keywords: Foeniculum vulgare, seasonality, secretory ducts, essential oil. INTRODUÇÃOFoeniculum vulgare Mill. é uma planta originária da Europa, ocorrendo com freqüência em Portugal e Espanha, mas sendo cultivada em diversos países, principalmente, na região do mediterrâneo, Ásia, norte da África e América do Sul (Costa, 1994;Czygan et al., 1994). Ela foi introduzida no sul do Brasil pelos colonos no século XVI (Pio Correia, l984) e, atualmente, existem grandes culturas de funcho nos estados do Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina e Paraná (Cruz, 1964;Mathias et al., 1972).Segundo Muckensturm et al. (1997), a espécie F. vulgare pode ser dividida em duas subespécies, piperitum e vulgare, sendo que a subespécie vulgare é reconhecida por quatro variedades e uma destas variedades (variedade vulgare) é reconhecida por três quimiotipos, estragol, estragol/anetol e anetol.Na literatura científi ca consultada, foram encontrados diferentes trabalhos sobre os aspectos químicos, merecendo destaque para aqueles da autoria de Sur et al., 1991;Muckensturm et al., 1997;Figueiredo et al., 2000;Bilia et al., 2000; e Piccaglia;Marotti, 2001.Em relação aos aspectos anatômicos foliares do funcho, não foram encontrados trabalhos específi cos, mas Judd et al. (1999), mencionaram que os ductos secretores de óleos voláteis são utilizados como marcadores morfológicos em Apiaceae e que os mesmos ainda são De acordo com Ricklefs (1996), alguns padrões globais de temperatura e umidade, resultantes da absorção solar local e da redistribuição da energia térmica, estão associados com cada tipo de planta e com sua prosperidade a uma estreita faixa de condições ambientais. Portanto, devido a aclimatação do funcho no Brasil, que apresenta climas tropicais e subtropicais, ou seja, diferentes daqueles da região de o...

Essential oils were obtained from fennel seeds, dill, cumin and coriander. Their antimicrobial activity was tested on isolated clinical specimens of patients treated at the University Hospital of the School of Medicine of Botucatu, SP, UNESP. Microorganisms were grown in BHI (Brain Heart Infusion/Oxoid) at 37 o C/18 hours and resuspended in 0,5 Mac Farland's Standard (1,5 x 10 8 CFU/mL). The diffusion method was performed, putting 10 µl of the essential oils on paper disks (6mm of diameter) (Blank Disks /CECON) at 37 o C/24 hours. After this period, the disks were put on plates containing Mueller Hinton Agar (Oxoid) and inoculated with the microorganisms. After 48 hours at 37 o C, inhibitory zones were measured (mm) for the respective oils and strains. The essential oil from Anethum graveolens showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (inhibitory zone=18 mm), Salmonella sp. (=11 mm) and E. coli (10 mm). The Cuminum cyminum essential oil was effective against E. coli, P. aeruginosa and Salmonella sp. and their inhibitory zones were 18, 10 and 23 mm, respectively. Coriandrum sativum oil was active only against Salmonella sp. (18 mm) and Foeniculum vulgare inhibited only E. coli (9 mm).

The family Verbenaceae comprises about 175 genera and 2300 species, distributed in tropics and subtropics, mainly in temperate zone of southern hemisphere. The lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla (L'Herit) Britton) is a perennial, bushy plant originally from South America. The essential oil of this plant is used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and perfumery industry. Therapeutic properties include febrifuge, sedative, stomachical, diuretic, and antispasmodic activities. The present work aimed to identify the chemical composition of essential oil of Aloysia triphylla leaves. The study was done in Lageado Experimental Farm of the Department of Plant Production-Horticulture, Agronomical Sciences College, São Paulo State University Campus of Botucatu. Leaves of lemon verbena from Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Garden, were collected in the end of winter (September/2001). The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation, in Clevenger apparatus. 100 g of leaves were used in each extraction. Four extractions were performed during three hours. The essential oils of the leaves were analyzed in Gas Chromatography Mass spectrometry (CG-MS, Shimadzu, QP-5000), equipped with capillary column DB-5 (30 m x 0,25 mm x 0,25 mm), split 1/35, injector for 220 C°, detector for 230 C°, dragged by gas He (1,0 mL/min), with programmed temperature for 60 C° to 240 C°, 3 C°/min. The identification of the substances was held by comparison of their mass spectra with data of the CG-MS (Nist 62 lib), literature references and retention index of Kovats. The main constituents of essential oils were geranial (29.54 %), neral (27.01 %), limonene (15.93 %), geranyl acetate (4.0 %) and geraniol (3.96 %). This species possesses high quantity of monoterpenes and low quantity of sesquiterpenes.

Aloysia triphylla (L'Hérit) Britton is a perennial and bushy plant, with simple, entire, lanceolate and whorl shaped leaves and originally from South America. It is used as medicinal plant in Brazil with stomatic and sedative properties. The employment of stem cuttings for propagation of pre-selected plants, acquired great importance, because it eliminates the juvenile phase of seedlings, which can be produced in a shorter period of time. The rooting of stem cuttings is stimulated by auxin and, boric acid supply is essential for growth and development of initial rootlets. This micronutrient is required 48 hours after plant segments have been placed into auxin solution and it can be supplied any time, including the seedling growth period. The experiment was carried out in the Department of Plant Production, UNESP-Botucatu-SP-Brazil, with stem-cuttings of Aloysia triphylla (L'Hérit) Britton, Verbenaceae obtained from the Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Garden. The aim of the work was to verify the influence of growth regulators and boric acid on stem cutting rooting of this species. The 15 cm-stem cuttings, without leaves, were submerged during 24 hs in the following solutions: water; 150 mg.L-1 of IBA; 150 mg.L-1 of IBA+ Boric acid; 250 mg.L-1 of IBA; 250 mg.L-1 of IBA + Boric acid. The statistical design was entirely randomized with 5 treatments and 3 replications, totalizing 15 plots with 10 stem cuttings each. They were planted on propylene trays with vermiculite and kept under spraying condition during twenty five days. The best results were observed in treatment 250 mg.L-1 of IBA+ Boric acid on number of roots, length of roots, rooting percentage, fresh and dry weight of leaves when compared with all other treatments. We can conclude that this treatment is the most suitable for stem cutting rooting of this species.