Exotesta morphology of the Gardenieae — Gardeniinae (Rubiaceae)

Persson, C. 1995. Exotesta morphology of the Gardenieae-Gardeniinae (Rubiaceae). -Nord. J. Bot. 15: 285–300. CGpenhagen. ISSN 0107–055X.
Exotesta morphology of 68 species in 59 genera of the Gardeniinae were examined with the aid of scanning and light microscopy. The shape of the exotesta cells in surface is either isodiametrical or elongate and both shapes occur among New World and Old World genera. All genera, except for Monosalpinx, Posoqueria and Macrosphyra , are provided with secondary thickenings in the cell walls of the exotesta. The majority of the genera has a thickened radial wall. In the Asian genera Catunaregam, Deccania, Tamilnadia and the mainly Pacific genera, Atractocarpus and Trukia thickenings of the radial wall are very low or absent. In nearly half the genera the inner tangential wall is provided with thickenings, usually in the shape of a continuous plate. However, in four African genera, Atractogyne, Didymosalpinx, Mitriostigma and Sherbournia , the wall is provided with elongate anastomosing ribs. Atractocarpus differs markedly from the rest of the Gardeniinae by its ring-like thickenings in the inner tangential wall. Thickenings, in the shape of a continuous plate, in the outer tangential wall is restricted to three neotropical genera, Alibertia, Amaioua and Borojoa . Presence of distinct knobs is common in palaeotropical genera, whereas in neotropical genera this feature is only present in Casasia and Kotchubaea . It is concluded that data on exotesta morphology alone does not support any of the previously proposed informal groups, but may still be an important character to deduce phylogenetic relationships, primarily on a level just above the genus.     

Phylogeny of the Gardenieae (Rubiaceae)

The phylogeny of Gardenieae (Rubiaceae) is evaluated using 70 morphological and anatomical characters and 81 terminal taxa. After successive reweighting of the characters and modified bootstrap tests the following is concluded. The position of the Diplosporinae genera Argocoffeopsis, Calycosiphonia, Cremaspora and Tricalysia with the genera belonging to the tribes Aulacocalyceae, Coffeeae, Octotropideae and Pavetteae, suggests that this subtribe does not belong in Gardenieae. Posoqueria is nested among outgroup genera and consequently is not a member of the tribe. Robbrecht & Puff's informal 'tetrad group' is monophyletic. Likewise, their 'Alibertia group' is supported as monophyletic, although slightly rearranged. On the other hand, their 'Aidia group' must he greatly expanded with several genera in order to be monophyletic, but the monophyly of this group is weakly supported. Several disputed genera should be included in Gardenieae ( Anomanthodia, Amaioua, Brachytome , and supposedly Bertiera ). Most inferred groups, however, exhibit low bootstrap values and should he viewed with caution.     

Agouticarpa, a new neotropical genus of Tribe Gardenieae (Rubiaceae)

Agouticarpa, a new genus of the informalAlibertia group (Rubiaceae), is described and illustrated. It comprises six species, and occurs from Costa Rica to Bolivia. Three species are here described as new:Agouticarpa grandistipula, A. hirsuta, andA. velutina. Additionally, three new combinations are made:A. curvifolia andA. williamsii (previously inGenipa) andA. isernii (previously inAlibertia). Agouticarpa is characterized by being dioecious, having elliptic to abovate, membranaceous stipules, male flowers in a branched dichasial or thyrse-like inflorescence, a poorly developed cup-shaped calyx, pollen grains with 3–7 apertures, and large globose fruits.     

Elaborate petals in Australian Spermacoce (Rubiaceae) species: morphology, ontogeny and function

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Australian Spermacoce species display various types of elaborate petals. Their precise morphology, ontogenetic origin, and function are hitherto unknown. The aim of the present paper is to unravel the development and nature of the diverse types of elaborate petals in Spermacoce through a floral ontogenetic study. METHODS: The floral ontogeny of six species characterized by different types of corolla appendages was studied by scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. In order to elucidate the possible functions of the elaborate petals, field observations were conducted as well. KEY RESULTS: Scanning electronmicrographs show that full-grown petals of Spermacoce lignosa, S. phaeosperma and S. redacta bear appendages on their ventral side. Despite their different appearance at anthesis, the appendages develop very similarly in all three species. They are initiated at the same developmental stage and are first visible as two arcs of primordia converging from the upper margins of the petal towards its midvein and downwards. In S. brevidens, S. caudata and S. erectiloba, the full-grown petals have two long, concave protuberances, which develop from the tissue at both sides of the petal's mid-vein. In these three species, initiation of appendages on the ventral side of the petals is also observed, but they are hardly visible on the mature petals. The two types of elaborate petals tightly enclose the anthers, both in bud and during most of the flowering period. CONCLUSIONS: Among Australian Spermacoce species, two types of elaborate petals can be distinguished. The former hypothesis that the two types of elaborate petals are essentially homologous is here rejected. Field investigations point out that the elaborate petals might play a role in the pollination biology of the species.     

中越茜草科栀子族植物拾零

报道了中国茜草科Rubiaceae栀子族tribe Gardcnieae一新记录属和二新记录种：越南茜属Rubovietnamia Tirveng．、长管越南茜R．aristata Tirveng．和中越大果茜Fosbergia pettelotii Merr．ex Tirveng．＆Sastre;以及越南茜草科栀子族的一新记录种,即大围山紫冠茜Rothmannia daweishanensis Y.M．Shui＆WH．Chen。     

Pollen morphology of the Gardenieae-Gardeniinae (Rubiaceae)

Pollen grains of 107 species of 61 genera of the Gardeniinae were investigated by scanning electron and light microscopy. The subtribe is europalynous and grains occur either as monads, tetrads or massulae. Grains are porate, colporate or rarely pororate. The majority of the genera has 3-zonoaperturate pollen grains. However, deviating numbers of apertures occur in Byrsophyllum (4–8) and Pseudomantalania (4–5). Pantoporate pollen occurs in Randia . The average equatorial size (E) of monads varies between 13 μm in Anomanthodiu to 59 μm in Posoqueria . The tetrads vary from 37 μm in Casasia to 61 μm in Calochone and Euclinia . The exine is usually reticulate, but also foveolate, rugulate, perforate and psilate exine occurs in the subtribe. The thickness of the exine is only 0.3 μm in tetrad grains of Randia armata and in the pantoporate monad grains of R. ruiziana , whereas the thickest exine occurs in Posoqueria (2.8 pm) and Euclinia (2.9 μm). Tectal excrescenses are generally absent. However, three genera with pollen in tetrads, namely Euclinia, Gardenia and Oligoco-don , show this feature. Contrary to the subtribe most genera are fairly stenopalynous, but in the neotropical genera Alibertia and Randia several different types of pollen are encountered.     

Riodocea (Rubiaceae, Gardenieae), a new genus from the Brazilian Atlantic forest

The genusRiodocea is here described from material collected in the várzea forest of the Rio Doce Valley, northern Espírito Santo.Riodocea is a monotypic genus probably related to the Amazonian endemicKutchubaea. A line drawing shows general morphology and photomicrographs show pollen morphology ofRiodocea pulcherrima. Distribution maps ofRiodocea andKutchubaea are included. The valley of the Rio Doce is here included in the Bahian Hylaea, defined as a subregion of the Brazilian Atlantic forest. The connections between the Amazonian Hylaea and the Bahian Hylaea are discussed.     

The delimitation and taxonomic position of the tropical African generaLeptactina andDictyandra (Rubiaceae)

The closely related African generaDictyandra andLeptactina are redelimited. The two genera are distinguished by long tubular corolla-tubes with included anthers (Leptactina) vs. much shorter tubes with exserted anthers (Dictyandra), rather than—as previously thought—presence or absence of multilocellate anthers. The discovery of a new species (Dictyandra congolana from the Congo and W-Zaire) confirms this. It can be concluded, especially from comparative morphological studies of fruits and seeds, thatDictyandra andLeptactina are related toPavetta, Tarenna, Ixora, etc., i.e. the group of genera in theCoffeeae s.l. with terminal inflorescences. It is proposed that the tribePavetteae be revived to accomodate those genera.Presented at the meeting of May 4, 1983 of the Koninklijke Belgische Botanische Vereniging.     

Phylogeny of Gardenieae (Rubiaceae) based on chloroplast DNA sequences from the rps16 intron and trnL(UAA)-F(GAA) intergenic spacer

Chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) sequences of the rps 16 intron and the trn L (UAA)-F(GAA) intergenic spacer were obtained from 59 species, to evaluate phylogenetic relationships among members of the Gardenieae, Rubiaceae. The results indicate that Gardenieae is polyphyletic and that genera included in the subtribe Diplosporinae should be transferred to the Coffeeae and Octotropideae. The Octotropideae tribe may also be polyphyletic. It is also demonstrated that the tribe Pavetteae is polyphyletic. In addition, the present data support a basal position for the disputed genus Bertiera within the Coffeeae clade. Of the informal groups proposed by Robbrecht & Puff within the Gardenieae, the Alibertia group is strongly supported, and is estimated to also include Ibetralia, Genipa aff. williamsii , and one undescribed taxon. However, Genipa americana was not part of this clade suggesting that Genipa is polyphyletic. The Tetrad group is not supported, and character optimisations suggest that pollen released in tetrads may have arisen three times. Most of these genera appear in the same clade as the three neotropical genera Sphinctanthus, Rosenbergiodendron , and Tocoyena , all of which bear pollen in monads. Atractogyne, Mitriostigma , and Oxyanthus form the second group with pollen in tetrads, whereas Gardenia is embedded in a third group. Massularia , with polyads, occurs either singly on a large polytomy or at the base of the Atractocarpus-Porterandia-Trukia clade.     

Pollen morphology of Canthium,Keetia and Psydrax (Rubiaceae: Vanguerieae) in southern Africa

Pollen of all the southern African members of Canthium, Keetia and Psydrax was studied by means of LM, SEM and TEM. Palynologically these three genera can easily be distinguished from one another, exine structure and sculpturing being the most useful characters. The sexine is essentially perforate with short columellae not usually distinguishable in SEM in the Canthium type, coarsely reticulate with long columellae in the Keetia type and more finely reticulate with short columellae in the Psydrax type. Palynologically Canthium sensu stricto (used here to refer to the Canthium complex excluding Psydrax, Keetia and Pyrostria) is clearly distinct from Keetia and Psydrax, but similar to the other members of the Vanguerieae. This supports the proposed subdivision of Canthium sensu lato in southern Africa into these three genera. Differences amongst the various Canthium sensu stricto species suggest at least three different pollen sub‐types. Bridson's placement of C. inerme and C. suberosum in the subgenus Lycioserissa is supported by the pollen morphology. It is suggested that C. ciliatum, C. kuntzeanum, C. spinosum and C. vanwykii may also belong to this subgenus. The following placements are supported by palynology: C. gilfillanii and C. mundianum in the subgenus Afrocanthium and C. setiflorum in Bullockia.

The presence of intine protruding from the apertures is shown not to be an artefact, but a phenomenon characteristic of many Rubiaceae. The term “protruding oncus”; is proposed for these structures.     

The morphology and systematic position of Prionotylus Fieber and Centroplax Horvath (Heteroptera: Coreidae)

An account is given of several aspects of the morphology of the genera Prionotylus Fieber and Centroplax Horváth. The systematic position of these genera within the family Coreidae and the generic assignment of Prionotylus meridianus Villiers are considered.     

The generic position of Ustilago maydis, Ustilago scitaminea, and Ustilago esculenta (Ustilaginales)

Three species of smut fungi (Ustilaginales, Basidiomycota) of economic importance, Ustilago maydis on corn, U. scitaminea on sugar cane, and U. esculenta on Zizania latifolia, were investigated in order to define their systematic position using morphological characteristics of the sori, ultrastructure of teliospore walls, and molecular data of the LSU rDNA. LSU rDNA suggests that U. maydis and U. scitaminea belong to the genus Sporisorium. This has already been proposed for U. scitaminea, which develops sori with whip-shaped axes corresponding to columellae. U. maydis and U. scitaminea, like typical species of Sporisorium, present peridia and columellae in their sori. Therefore, U. scitaminea is called Sporisorium scitamineum. U. maydis, however, is not placed in the genus Sporisorium here, because ongoing investigation of molecular data from the ITS rDNA region yields contradictory results and because the name Sporisorium maydis is occupied by an imperfect fungus. U. esculenta is recognized as Yenia esculenta. This placement in a separate genus is based on molecular data and on unique teliospore ultrastructure, i.e. apically enlarged, partly confluent warts developing on a strongly folded plasmalemma, and the exosporium and endosporium forming part of the ornamentation. Part 193 in the series „Studies in Heterobasidiomycetes“ from the Botanical Institute, University of Tübingen.     

The distribution,morphology, and taxonomic position of Psychrolutes pustulosus (Schmidt, 1937) (Scorpaeniformes: Psychrolutidae)

The external morphology, osteology, and distribution of a rare fish species Psychrolutes pustulosus (Scorpaeniformes: Psychrolutidae) is examined based on an extensive material for the first time. P. pustulosus shows an extreme degree of reduction of the skeleton among the Psychrolutidae. The comparative morphological analysis confirms the placement of this species in the genus Psychrolutes rather than in Gilbertidia. The new data show that P. pustulosus is widespread in the Sea of Okhotsk. The occurrence of this species in the Sea of Japan (Tatar Strait, Peter the Great Bay) is recorded for the first time. Reports on the findings of P. pustulosus in the Bering Sea are erroneous.