A taxonomic revision of the genera Gerbera sect. Isanthus, Leibnitzia (in Asia), and Uechtritzia (Compositae, Mutisieae)

Hansen, H. V. 1988. A taxonomic revision of the genera Gerbera sect. Isanthus, Leibnitzia (in Asia), and Uechrrirzia (Compositae, Mutisieae). - Nord. J. Bot. 8: 61–76. Copenhagen. ISSN 0107–055X.
The Asiatic part of Compositae tribe Mutisieae subtribe Mutisiinae scapose group is revised. It includes one section of the genus Gerbera , sect. Isanthus with 6 species: G. maxima, G. raphanifolia, G. delavayi, G. henryi, G. nivea , and G. gossypina , the genus Leibnitzia with 4 species, L. anandria, L. knorringiana, L. nepalensis , and L. ruficoma , and the genus Uechtrirzia with 3 species, U. kokanica, U. armena , and U. lacei . The species are mainly distributed in the Himalaya Region and W. China (Yunnan), but some occur in S. USSR, and L. anandria is widespread; Leibnitzia probably also occurs in Central America with 2 endemic species. A distribution map showing the Asiatic range of Gerbera piloselloides (sect. Piloselloides ) is presented.     

Notes on Gerbera sect. Pseudoseris (Compositae-Mutisieae)

Gerbera L. sect. Pseudoseris (Baill.) Jeffr. (Compositae, Mutisieae) is endemic to Madagascar. It is not known in detail and cannot be revised, but it appears to include eight species, which are typified in this paper. The taxonomic state of the section is briefly discussed.     

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Leibnitzia Cass. (Asteraceae: Mutisieae: Gerbera-complex), an Asian-North American disjunct genus

Leibnitzia comprises six species of perennial herbs that are adapted to high elevation conditions and is one of only two Asteraceae genera known to have an exclusively disjunct distribution spanning central to eastern Asia and North America. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Leibnitzia and other Gerbera-complex members indicates that Leibnitzia is monophyletic, which is in contrast with our expectation that the American Leibnitzia species L. Lyrata and L. Occimadremis would be more closely related to another American member of the Gerbera-complex, namely Chaptalia. Ancestral area reconstructions show that the historical biogeography of the Gerbera-complex mirrors that of the entire Asteraceae, with early diverging lineages located in South America that were followed by transfers to Africa and Eurasia and, most recently, to North America. Intercontinental transfer of Leibnitzia appears to have been directed from Asia to North America. Independent calibrations of nuclear (ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region) and chloroplast (trnL-rpl32 intron) DNA sequence data using relaxed clock methods and either mean rate or fossil-based priors unanimously support Miocene and younger divergence times for Gerbera-complex taxa. The ages are not consistent with most Gondwanan vicariance episodes and, thus, the global distribution of Gerbera-complex members must be explained in large part by long-distance dispersal. American species of Leibnitzia are estimated to have diverged from then- Asian ancestor during the Quaternary (ca. 2 mya) and either migrated overland to North America via Beringia and retreated southwards along high elevation corridors to their- present location in southwestern North America or were dispersed long distance.     

Trichoclin,a new furocoumarin from trichocline incana

The structure for trichoclin, (E)-8-(3-methyl-4-hydroxy-2-butenyloxy)-psoralen, a new furocoumarin isolated from Trichocline incana, has been established. Phellopterin and isopimpinellin were also obtained. The new side chain of trichoclin was confirmed by synthesis.     

Structural aspects of cypsela and seed development of Trichocline catharinensis (Cabrera): a Brazilian endemic species

Protoplasma - This is the first study to describe in a timescale morphohistological and ultrastructural characteristics of fruit (cypsela) and seed development in Trichocline catharinensis, which...     

Mining plant diversity: Gerbera as a model system for plant developmental and biosynthetic research

Gerbera hybrida is a member of the large sunflower family (Asteraceae). Typical of Asteraceae, Gerbera bears different types of flowers in its inflorescence. The showy marginal flowers comprise elongate, ligulate corollas that are female, whereas the central and inconspicuous disc flowers are complete, with both male and female organs. As such, Gerbera offers great potential for comparative developmental research within a single genotype. Moreover, different Gerbera varieties show an impressive spectrum of color patterns, directly displaying responses to developmental cues at all important morphological levels (flower type, flower organ and within organs). Further, Gerbera harbors an arsenal of Asteraceae-type secondary metabolites, not present in other model plants. With powerful reverse genetics methods, a large collection of EST sequences and a new cDNA microarray, Gerbera has become a model plant of the sunflower family.     

Taxonomic revision of Solanum sect. Chamaesarachidium (Solaneae, Solanaceae)

The delimitation of Solanum sect. Chamaesarachidium, as well as its relationship with sect. Episarcophyllum and certain species of sect. Solanum, is presented. Three species are included in Solanum sect. Chamaesarachidium (S.annuum, S.chamaesarachidium, and S.gilioides), which are described in detail and illustrated. The following combination of characters defines Solanum sect. Chamaesarachidium: the small annual habit, the pinnatifid to pinnatisect leaf blade, the inflorescence opposite or subopposite to the leaves, the number of flowers per inflorescence (3–14), the campanulate corolla, the very small anther size (1.1–2.7 mm long), the accrescent fruiting calyx with a well-marked venation, the absence of sclerosomes in the pericarp, the tuberculate seed coat, and the Andean habitat.     

延迟荧光分析和激光共聚焦技术在检测非洲菊发育过程中表皮细胞叶绿素变化中的应用

以非洲菊Gerberahybrida为研究对象,对其生长发育过程（P1．P6期）中外轮舌状花进行延迟荧光（delayedfluorescence,DF）分析,并利用激光共聚焦成像系统对其各期表皮细胞中叶绿素的分布和相对含量进行检测,以研究非洲菊外轮舌状花发育过程中延迟荧光改变与其叶绿素变化的关系。结果发现在非洲菊外轮舌状花从P1到P6期颜色由嫩绿色变为绿色再逐渐变为金黄色的过程中,其荧光强度变化是先升高后降低。激光共聚焦成像结果表明,其花瓣表皮细胞中叶绿素的相对含量从P1到P4期先是逐渐增多,而后从P4到P6期逐渐减少。到后期只是在保卫细胞中还能观察到叶绿素的存在。实验结果表明应用DF技术,可以有效、无损伤地快速检测非洲菊花瓣中叶绿素的相对含量,结合荧光光谱分析以及激光共聚焦扫描显微成像技术,研究花瓣在发育过程中的叶绿素降解情况。     

国产广义大丁草属的订正及地理分布

依据最新广义大丁草属的概念对中国产这一属群的植物进行了订正,亦即中国有大丁草属Leibnitzia Cass,火石花属Gerbera Cass.和兔耳一支箭属Piloselloides(Less.)C.Jeffrey ex Cufod。并对一些名称进行了认真的查考和相应的分类学处理,讨论了相应的地理替代与地质历史的关系。经整理,中国大丁草属含4种,火石花属可能含6种,兔耳一支箭属含1种。以横断山为核心的中国西南部也许是该属群的一个多样化中心和分化中心。     

GRCD1, an AGL2-like MADS box gene, participates in the C function during stamen development in Gerbera hybrida

Despite the differences in flower form, the underlying mechanism in determining the identity of floral organs is largely conserved among different angiosperms, but the details of how the functions of A, B, and C are specified varies greatly among plant species. Here, we report functional analysis of a Gerbera MADS box gene, GRCD1, which is orthologous to AGL2-like MADS box genes. Members of this group of genes are being reported in various species in growing numbers, but their functions remained largely unsettled. GRCD1 expression is detected in all four whorls, but the strongest signal is seen in the developing stamen and carpel. Downregulating GRCD1 expression by antisense transformation revealed that lack of GRCD1 caused homeotic changes in one whorl only: sterile staminodes, which normally develop in whorl 3 of marginal female florets, were changed into petals. This indicates that the GRCD1 gene product is active in determining stamen identity. Transgenic downregulation of GRCD1 causes a homeotic change similar to that in the downregulation of the Gerbera C function genes GAGA1 and GAGA2, but one that is limited to whorl 3. Downregulation of GRCD1 expression does not reduce expression of GAGA1 or GAGA2, or vice versa; and in yeast two-hybrid analysis, GRCD1 is able to interact with GAGA1 and GAGA2. We propose that a heterodimer between the GRCD1 and GAGA1/2 gene products is needed to fulfill the C function in whorl 3 in Gerbera.     

Large scale interaction analysis predicts that the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gerbera hybrida</Emphasis> floral E function is provided both by general and specialized proteins

Background  

The ornamental plant Gerbera hybrida bears complex inflorescences with morphologically distinct floral morphs that are specific to the sunflower family Asteraceae. We have previously characterized several MADS box genes that regulate floral development in Gerbera. To study further their behavior in higher order complex formation according to the quartet model, we performed yeast two- and three-hybrid analysis with fourteen Gerbera MADS domain proteins to analyze their protein-protein interaction potential.     

Are the trichomes in corollas of Mutisieae (Asteraceae) really twin hairs?

The corollas of three species of Onoseris , 13 species of Trichocline and one species of Uechtritzia (Asteraceae, Mutisieae) exhibit trichomes that are morphologically similar to the twin hairs which are traditionally considered exclusive of the cypselas in Asteraceae. Four types of trichomes were found: 1-celled, 2-celled, 3-celled, and 4-celled. The 3-celled and 4-celled corolla hairs are those which most resemble the typical cypsela twin hairs. The ontogeny of the corolla hairs was analysed and coincidences with the ontogeny of the cypsela twin hairs were found. (1) An anticlinal division of the epidermal mother cell originates two hair cells which, in turn, originate the basal cells (sometimes one of them is reduced or similar to the epidermal cells) by oblique or periclinal subdivision. (2) In some cases the basal cell(s) of the 3- or 4-celled corolla hair elongates and reaches the same length as the hair cells. The same kind of trichomes have been demonstrated in cypselas of Mutisieae. (3) The 1- and 2-celled corolla hairs have already been described as variants of the cypsela twin hairs. Based on this evidence we conclude that the corolla hairs of Onoseris , Trichocline and Uechtritzia are twin hairs. It is hypothesized that the 1–4 corolla hairs could be involved in water absorption, as occurs in the cypsela twin hairs.  © The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2002, 140 , 427–433.     

Exogenous ammonium inhibits petal pigmentation and expansion in Gerbera hybrida

Petal pigmentation is the most important aspect in natural flower coloration. In the present study, the inhibition of petal pigmentation by exogenous ammonium was investigated. Ray floret petals detached from inflorescences of Gerbera hybrida (Shenzhen No. 5) were cultured in vitro on media supplied with different forms of nitrogen and its assimilated compounds. The expression of a set of genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis and regulation was determined by Northern blotting assay. It was found that ammonium (NH4+), not nitrate (NO3-), in millimolar concentrations inhibited anthocyanin accumulation. The expressions of Gerbera chalcone synthase 1 (GCHS1), Gerbera chalcone synthase 2 (GCHS2) and Gerbera dihydroflavonol-4-reductase (GDFR) decreased, while six other related genes showed no significant changes after NH4+ treatment. Further studies on NH4+ function indicated that glutamine (Gln) acted as a downstream factor of NH4+ to suppress petal pigmentation. Both exogenous Gln and NH4+ were found to inhibit anthocyanin accumulation in the petals, and the application of Gln was also found to inhibit the expressions of GCHS1, GCHS2 and GDFR. The application of NH4+ also resulted in an increase in the activity of Gerbera glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.2) along with a rapid increase of Gln content. When methionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of glutamine synthetase (GS), was added, it was found to block the NH4+-induced inhibition of pigmentation. From these experiments, we conclude that the NH4+-induced suppression of petal pigmentation is not because of NH4+ toxicity, and the inhibition of pigmentation caused by the addition of exogenous NH4+ is the result of its assimilation into Gln.     

Reproductive meristem fates in Gerbera

Flowering plants go through several phases between regular stem growth and the actual production of flower parts. The stepwise conversion of vegetative into inflorescence and floral meristems is usually unidirectional, but under certain environmental or genetic conditions, meristems can revert to an earlier developmental identity. Vegetative meristems are typically indeterminate, producing organs continuously, whereas flower meristems are determinate, shutting down their growth after reproductive organs are initiated. Inflorescence meristems can show either pattern. Flower and inflorescence development have been investigated in Gerbera hybrida, an ornamental plant in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. Unlike the common model species used to study flower development, Gerbera inflorescences bear a fixed number of flowers, and the architecture of the flowers differ in that Gerbera ovaries are inferior (borne below the perianth). This architectural difference has been exploited to show that floral meristem determinacy and identity are spatially and genetically distinct in Gerbera, and we have shown that a single SEPALLATA-like MADS domain factor controls both flower and inflorescence meristem fate in the plant. Although these phenomena have not been directly observed in Arabidopsis, the integrative role of the SEPALLATA function in reproductive meristem development may be general for all flowering plants.     

Further research on chemotaxonomy of paeonol and analogs in Paeonia (Ranunculaceae)

In this paper, the paeonol, paeoniflorin and their analogs were analyzed in the roots of 14 species and 2 subspecies of Paeonia L. The existence and content of these compounds were discussed in three sections, sect. Moutan, sect. Paeonia and sect. Onaepia. In sect. Moutan, paeonol and its analogs were high in content in all species. In sect. Paeonia, low content of paeonol and its analogs were found in plants of four taxa, P. lactiflora, P. anomala ssp. veitchii, P. mairei and P. intermedia. None of these compounds was found in sect. Onaepia. Paeonol has a simple structure and is distributed widely in plant; its decrease and loss may be the result of evolution. Therefore, it is deduced that the relationship among the three sections of Paeonia might be that woody sect. Moutan is the more primitive and derived from the ancestor of Paeonia first. For the herbaceous sections, sect. Paeonia is more closely related to sect. Moutan than to sect. Onaepia. In sect. Moutan, there are less paeonol and its analogs in the species of subsect. Vaginata than in those of subsect. Delavayanae. Thus, the former may be considered more advanced. In sect. Paeonia, the taxa with minor content of paeonol and its analogs are diploid except P. mairei. Among them, P. lactiflora and P. anomala ssp. veitchii are relatively primitive by morphology. None of paeonol and its analogs was detected in the species with specialized form.     

基于ITS和matK序列的獐牙菜亚族 (龙胆科龙胆族)分子系统学

为探讨獐牙菜亚族（subtribe Swertiinae）各属之间和一些属内的系统关系,本研究选取了该亚族14属68种1变种,采用最大简约法（maximum parsimony）和贝叶斯法（Bayesian inference）对样品核基因ITS和叶绿体基因matK的两个片段进行独立和联合分析。结果显示：Bartonia位于亚族的最基部;喉毛花属（Comastoma）、肋柱花属（Lomatogonium）和假龙胆属（Gentianella）都非单系,处于同一个较为进化的分支中;獐牙菜属折皱组（Swertia sect. Rugosa）和獐牙菜组（S. sect. Swertia）亲缘关系最近,宽丝组（S. sect. Platynema）和藏獐牙菜组（S. sect. Kingdon Wardia）亲缘关系最近;口药花属（Jaeschkea）与獐牙菜属多枝组（S. sect. Ophelia）的大籽獐牙菜（Smacrosperma）亲缘关系最近。同时讨论了獐牙菜亚族形态分类与分子数据不一致的原因。     

Heterologous expression of dihydroflavonol 4-reductases from various plants

Dihydroflavonol 4-reductases (DFR) catalyze the stereospecific reduction of dihydroflavonols to the respective flavan 3,4-diols (leucoanthocyanidins) and might also be involved in the reduction of flavanones to flavan-4-ols, which are important intermediates in the 3-deoxyflavonoid pathway. Several cDNA clones encoding DFR have been isolated from different plant species. Despite the important function of these enzymes in the flavonoid pathway, attempts at heterologous expression of cDNA clones in Escherichia coli have failed so far. Here, three well known heterologous expression systems for plant-derived genes were tested to obtain the functional protein of DFR from Gerbera hybrids. Successful synthesis of an active DFR enzyme was achieved in eukaryotic cells, using either baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or tobacco protoplasts (Nicotiana tabacum), transformed with expression vectors containing the open reading frame of Gerbera DFR. These expression systems provide useful and powerful tools for rapid biochemical characterization, in particular the substrate specificity, of the increasing number of cloned DFR sequences. Furthermore, this tool allows the stereospecific synthesis of (14)C-labeled leucoanthocyanidins in high quality and quantity, which is a prerequisite for detailed biochemical investigation of the less understood enzymatic reactions located downstream of DFR in anthocyanin, catechin and proanthocyanidin biosynthesis.     

A Taxonomical Revision of Fossil Evergreen Sclerophyllous Oaks from China

Evergreen sclerophyllous oaks (Quercus subg. Quercus sect. Brachylepides and part of sect. Engleriana) were dominant in Hengduan Mt., south west China, since the Late Tertiary. About 17 species from China have been recorded hitherto. However, some mistakes and confusion were made in their taxonomy and nomenclature. Therefore the nomenclature of the fossil would also be incorrect. An attempt is made in present paper, to revise such mistakes and contusion. 14 species of sect. Brachylepides were reduced to 7 and 3 species of sect Engleriana to one. In addition, the key to these fossil species was made.