STAINING EFFECT OF DYE EXTRACTED FROM LEAVES OF Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L., & Tectona grandis L., ON ANGIOSPERMIC STEM TISSUES

Natural dyes are colored compounds present in many plants, including fruits, stems, leaves, bark, and roots. Commercially, these biodegradable dyes were used to color fabrics, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, leather, and paint. Natural dyes are incredibly advantageous as alternatives to synthetic dyes. The current study examines the extraction of plant dyes from fresh and dry leaves of Tectona grandis and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis with ethanol and water, as well as their efficacy as a stain for angiospermic stem tissues. A 10% w/v crude extract of Tectona grandis and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis fresh and dried leaves in ethanol and water was used to stain the stem cross section of angiospermic plants such Boerhavia chinensis L. (Dicot) and Stenotaphrum secundatum Kuntze (Monocot). The vascular bundle of the angiospermic stem cross section of Boerhavia chinensis was heavily stained with dye derived from Tectona grandis and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis fresh and dried leaves in ethanol, whereas the ground parenchyma was very mildly stained. The dye extracted from Tectona grandis and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis leaves in 10% w/v ethanol stained the sclerenchyma of Stenotaphrum secundatum Kuntze stem cross section more effectively than the parenchyma of Boerhavia chinensis. Within each arterial bundle, xylem cells were heavily stained, although the cortex and medulla were not. This opens up a new avenue for research and additional investigation into improved methods of extracting the dye in concentrated form in a wider range of solvents, as well as better means of generating stains.