Palynological Authentication of Six Medicinal Legume Species Collected from Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah

Abstract

Accurate identification of medicinal plants is highly necessary to ensure their safety and efficacy. This study aims to authenticate six medicinal plants belong to legume family (Fabaceae Family). Pollen morphology marker was used to authenticate the six studied species. Initial identification was carried out in the field. Later it was confirmed using regional flora and botanical guides, including flora of Saudi Arabia and online database. Pollen grains were isolated and transferred to slides. A light microscope (LM) at magnifications ranging from 10x to 40x is used to analyze the detailed morphology.Quantitativefndings revealed that the studied species; Cullen plicatum, Leucaenaleucocephala, Senna italic and Tephrosia apollinea possess monad pollen grains, typically suboblate to triangular convex. In contrast, Pithecellobium dulce and Vachellia flava exhibited polyad grains that are oblate and circular. The polar axis ranges from 19–22 µm in C. plicatum to 53.0–56.97 µm in L.leucocephala, while the equatorial diameter reaches up to 100 µm in P. dulce. These fndings contribute to the standardization of pollen identification methods, ensuring improved quality control and authentication of medicinal plants for pharmaceutical and industrial applications. Also, this study contributes in linking traditional medicinal knowledge with palynological evidence, which is valuable for biodiversity documentation and herbal standardization in Saudi Arabia.