Abstract

Maytenus emerginata Willd. is an ever green medicinally useful tree that tolerates various types of stresses of the desert. In present study Maytenus emerginata plant parts stem, leaves, fruits and flowers and unorganized tissue established on MS medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/L BAP+1 mg/L NAA was analysed for phytosterol content by Subramanian and Nagrajan 1969 method. Phytosterols have been identified and confirmed by TLC, M.P., UV maxima and IR studies. The maximum amount of β-sitosterol, stigmasterol and total sterol content has been estimated in leaves and minimum in fruits. Stem showed amount of individual sterols and total sterol higher than fruit but less than flowers and leaves .Unorganized tissue showed very little amount of sterols than leaves with highest amount of sterols. Amount of β-sitosterol was always greater than stigmasterol in vivo and in vitro.

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