A Pharmacognostical Study of Opuntia Ficus-Indica Mill Cultivated in Assiut

O. ficus-indica Mill. Is a succulent plant belonging to family Cactaceae. The genus Opuntia received the attention of many investigators in many countries due to the fact that the crude extracts obtained from several species used in different therapeutic purposes.Accordingly , it was deemed of interest to investigate the plant phytochemically with a view to isolate , characterize and identify its chemical constituents whenever possible . Moreover , the macro-and micro-morphology of the plant was studied in order to identify it in the entire and powdered forms .This thesis include three parts :Part I : Botanical study :A - Morphological characters .B - Microscopical characters .Part II : Phytochemical study .Part III : Antimicrobial and antitumour studies .