Taraxacum (Spectabilia) nordstedtii Dahlst. in Central Europe (Studies inTaraxacum)

The present study provides a survey of the variability, distribution, ecology and other features ofTaraxacum (sect.Spectabilia) nordstedtii Dahlst. in central Europe. Chromosome counts (hexaploid chromosome number?2n=48?has been confirmed) of the species are also given. A lectotype has been chosen of the syntypes. It is pointed out thatT. nordstedtii is likely to occur in Austria, Bavaria and Poland.     

Selected chromosome counts of the Czechoslovak flora II

Chromosome numbers are presented in the following 16 Phanerogams of the Czechoslovak flora:Amaranthus blitoides S. Watson,Anthoxanthum alpinum Á. Löve etD. Löve Acter amellus L.,Bistorta major S. F. Gray,Cardamine hirsuta L.,Cardamine parviflora L.,Chrysosplenium oppositifolium L.,Dactylis glomerata L.subsp. aschersoniana (Graebner) Thell.,Elatine hydropiper L. s. l.,Geranium phaeum L.,Hieracium lachenalii C. C. Gmel.,Jovibarba sobolifera (Sims) Opiz,Kickxia spuria (L.)Dum.,Persicaria hydropiper (L.)Spach,Sedum alpestre Vill. andTephroseris crispa (Jacq.) Schur. Six of them are reported for the first time from Czechoslovakia, the others are mostly first reports of chromosome numbers from the Bohemian and Moravian regions. A new diploid number of 2n=36 is given inElatine hydropiper L. s. l. All results are compared with as yet published data.     

On the homonyms in the genusTaraxacum (studies inTaraxacum 2.)

A survey of homonyms in the genusTaraxacum is given. 10 new names are proposed (partly as a result of collaboration with the authors of illegitimate names.), 8 other homonyms are listed. Homonyms which were recorded previously in the literature (or names that were substituted by new names) are only briefly mentioned.     

On the Evolutionary and Biogeographic History of Saxifraga sect. Trachyphyllum (Gaud.) Koch (Saxifragaceae Juss.)

Arctic-alpine plants in the genus Saxifraga L. (Saxifragaceae Juss.) provide an excellent system for investigating the process of diversification in northern regions. Yet, sect. Trachyphyllum (Gaud.) Koch, which is comprised of about 8 to 26 species, has still not been explored by molecular systematists even though taxonomists concur that the section needs to be thoroughly re-examined. Our goals were to use chloroplast trnL-F and nuclear ITS DNA sequence data to circumscribe the section phylogenetically, test models of geographically-based population divergence, and assess the utility of morphological characters in estimating evolutionary relationships. To do so, we sequenced both genetic markers for 19 taxa within the section. The phylogenetic inferences of sect. Trachyphyllum using maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses showed that the section is polyphyletic, with S. aspera L. and S bryoides L. falling outside the main clade. In addition, the analyses supported several taxonomic re-classifications to prior names. We used two approaches to test biogeographic hypotheses: i) a coalescent approach in Mesquite to test the fit of our reconstructed gene trees to geographically-based models of population divergence and ii) a maximum likelihood inference in Lagrange. These tests uncovered strong support for an origin of the clade in the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America followed by dispersal and divergence episodes across refugia. Finally we adopted a stochastic character mapping approach in SIMMAP to investigate the utility of morphological characters in estimating evolutionary relationships among taxa. We found that few morphological characters were phylogenetically informative and many were misleading. Our molecular analyses provide a foundation for the diversity and evolutionary relationships within sect. Trachyphyllum and hypotheses for better understanding the patterns and processes of divergence in this section, other saxifrages, and plants inhabiting the North Pacific Rim.     

Taxonomic revision of Lepisorus （J. Sm.） Ching sect. Lepisorus （Polypodiaceae） from China

The taxonomy of Lepisorus （J. Sm.） Ching sect. Lepisorus in China was revised based on herbarium specimen examinations, field observations, and microscopic study of rhizome scales, soral paraphyses, leaf epidermis, and spores. As a result, nine species were recognized： Lepisorus macrosphaerus （Baker） Ching, Lepisorus asterolepis （Baker） Ching, Lepisorus marginatus Ching, Lepisorus kuchenensis （Y.C. Wu） Ching, Lepisorus megasorus （C. Chr.） Ching, Lepisorus kawakamii （Hayata） Tagawa, Lepisorus subsessilis Ching ＆ Y.X. Lin, Lepisorus affinis Ching, and Lepisorus nudus （Hook.） Ching. Lepisorus kawakamii （Hayata） Tagawa was reinstated; Lepisorus gyirongensis Ching ＆ S.K. Wu and Lepisorus longus Ching were reduced to synonyms ofL. nudus and L. affinis, respectively. The subdivision ofLepisorus macrosphaerus was not accepted. Rhizome scales and paraphyses are the most useful characters for species delimitation as well as for infrageneric classification. Characteristics of the leaf epidermis and spore ornamentation are usually stable and thus of great significance in understanding the relationships among groups within the genus.     

Systematics ofNama (Hydrophyllaceae): Flavonoids and phyletic position of sect.Arachnoidea and sect.Cinerascentia

Eight flavonoids, four 6-oxygenated flavones, two methyl ethers of luteolin, apigenin 6,8-C-diglucoside and quercetin 3-O-glucoside, were isolated fromNama lobbii andN. rothrockii, sole members of sects.Arachnoidea andCinerascentia, respectively. Both taxa diverge markedly from other namas in morphology and chromosome number and their placement inNama has been questioned. The occurrence of 6-oxygenated flavones in these taxa adds to their already distinctive nature. Flavonoid evidence argues that both are more closely allied toEriodictyon than either is toNama.     

Floral morphology to discriminate taxa between and within Cytisus sect. Alburnoides, sect. Spartopsis and sect. Verzinum (Genisteae, Fabaceae)

Delimitation of sections is controversial within the genus Cytisus L. (Fabaceae, Genisteae). A morphological study has been conducted on 19 taxa from sections Alburnoides, Spartopsis and Verzinum to clarify their discrimination. Thirty-five quantitative and qualitative characters were recorded on a maximum of 15 dry or living flowers per taxon. Three multiple correspondence factor analyses (MCFA) were performed on a matrix based on 22 of the 35 recorded morphological characters to (1) compare the variability within and between individuals and (2) distinguish groups among the studied taxa. MCFA showed that both flowers sampled from the same plant or different individuals could represent the morphological variability of a taxon. MCFA also clustered the 19 taxa into three groups corresponding to sections Alburnoides, Spartopsis and Verzinum as defined by Cristofolini and Troia (Taxon 44:733–746, 2006). However, floral morphology has not been sufficient to discriminate taxa within sections. A key of the three studied sections based on floral characters is given.     

Satellited chromosomes,systematics and phylogeny inTaraxacum (Asteraceae)

A survey is made of the occurrence, nature and frequency of satellited chromosomes in the agamospermous genusTaraxacum. Species belonging to the 10 sections thought to be most primitive in the genus lack satellited chromosomes. In most other sections, a characteristic satellited chromosome is seen with a large euchromatic region distal to the presumed nucleolar oraniser region (NOR). In sections of a precursor type, there is always one chromosome of this Taraxacum type per haploid genome. In sections thought to be of an advanced type the number of such satellited chromosomes is very unstable, sometimes even within the same tissue. In sectionHamata, two such satellited chromosomes are invariably found in triploids. This finding strongly supports the integrity of this section, suggests that the species of the section are monophyletic, and have evolved from a single ancestor subsequent to the occurrence of obligate agamospermy. In three sections of the genus, satellited chromosomes of the conventional type with a very small distal euchromatic region distal to the NOR are reported for the first time in the genus.     

山茶属油茶组、短柱茶组和红山茶组植物叶的红外光谱分析及其分类学意义

利用傅立叶红外光谱仪和OMNI采样器直接、迅速、准确地测定山茶属Camellia4组63种2变种植物叶片的红外光谱,结果表明：各分类群（种）的红外光谱具有高度特异性,其红外光谱图的变化可以作为山茶属植物属下的分类依据之一。这也暗示了利用标准红外光谱图库,可以区分和鉴定出山茶属植物的种类。经主成分分析后的红外光谱数据构建的树型聚类图与先前的形态分类结果大体一致,能将油茶组sect.Oleifera和短柱茶组sect.Paracamellia植物明显区分,并且各组中亲缘关系较近的种聚在一起。因此支持它们作为两个独立的组处理。但是,红山茶组sect.Camellia内的滇山茶亚组subsect.Lucidissima和光果红山茶亚组subsect.Reticulata植物在聚类图上很难区分,建议将这两个亚组植物进行归并。最后讨论了张宏达和闵天禄系统中存在分歧的油茶组、短柱茶组和红山茶组内的种间分类关系。     

Pollen morphology of Croton sect. Lamprocroton (Müll. Arg.) Pax (Euphorbiaceae) and its taxonomic implications

A palynological analysis of 22 taxa of Croton sect. Lamprocroton (Müll. Arg.) Pax was accomplished in order to obtain evidence for a good interspecific delimitation and phylogenetic characterization of this group. Samples of 22 taxa (from which approximately 90% of the species belonged to this section) were obtained from herbarium specimens; moreover, pollen grains were analyzed with light and scanning electron microscopy. Characters observed from pollen grain diameter and from exine ornamentation were registered and compared. Pollen grains were found to be spherical, apolar, inaperturate and with a diameter ranging from 49.32±0.94 μm in C. ehrenbergii Schltdl. to 86.42±1.33 μm in C. muellerianus L. R. Lima . Pollen morphology of three recently described species of Croton was analyzed for the first time herein. In addition the results of this study confirm the distinctness of these species but do not support a recently proposed new variety of C. pallidulus Baill.     

Synopsis ofVerbesina sect.Ochractinia (Asteraceae)

A taxonomic revision ofVerbesina sect.Ochractinia is presented. 40 species plus 7 additional infraspecific taxa are recognized. A table of the distribution of the species, key to the species and synonymy are included. Relationships to other sections ofVerbesina and species relationships within sect.Ochractinia are discussed.     

Cousinia kermanensis and C. pulcherantha spp. nov. (Compositae,sect. Congestae and sect. Leiocaules) from southeastern Iran

Cousinia kermanensis sp. nov. (sect. Congestae Bunge) and C. pulcherantha sp. nov. (sect. Leiocaules Bunge) are described from Kerman in southeastern Iran. These species are compared to their closest related species, C. decurrens Regel and C. oophora Rech. f., respectively. The habitat of C. kermanensis is lowland mountains or hills with poor soils inside the steppe of Artemisia sieberi Besser. Cousinia pulcherantha grows on highland slopes of mountains with deep soils inside the steppe of Artemisia aucheri Boiss. Illustrations of the new species are presented.     

山茶属油茶组和短柱茶组叶解剖特征及其分类学意义

在光学显微镜下观察了山茶属Camellia油茶组sect.Oleifera和短柱茶组sect.Paracamellia 21种（张宏达系统）植物叶解剖特征。结果表明：叶表皮细胞形状均为不规则形;垂周壁式样浅波状或波状,对两组分类具有重要作用。气孔器只存在于叶的下表皮,均为环列型。基于17个叶解剖学及细胞学性状,应用PAST软件对两组进行聚类分析和主成分分析,结果表明：能将两组植物进行明显区分,并且各组中亲缘关系较近的种聚在一起。本研究结果支持将大姚短柱茶C.teniiSealy归入离蕊茶组sect.Corallina;支持狭叶油茶C.lanceoleosa H.T.Chang ＆ J.S.Chiu与窄叶短柱茶C.fluviatilis Hand.-Mazz.,短柱茶C.brevistyla Coh.St.与钝叶短柱茶C.obtusifolia H.T.Chang和粉红短柱茶C.puniceiflora H.T.Chang,长瓣短柱茶C.grijsii Hance与陕西短柱茶C.shensiensis H.T.Chang的合并;建议将褐枝短柱茶C.phaeoclada H.T.Chang作为细叶短柱茶C.microphylla（Merr.）Chien的亚种。研究证明山茶属植物的叶解剖性状在属内分类中具有重要的分类学意义。     

Hair morphology inPlantago sect.Coronopus (Plantaginaceae)

The presence of bottle-like hairs has been described in four hitherto uninvestigated taxa ofPlantago sect.Coronopus sensuDietrich. This hair type is a feature characteristic of sect.Coronopus.