Seed morphology in some European aconites (Aconitum,Ranunculaceae)

The seed coat morphology, investigated in taxa representative of the main European groups ofAconitum, are in good agreement with the current taxonomy of the genus. The seed coat microcharacteristics (warty epidermal cells) are very constant. There is a trend for the reduction of longitudinal wings on the edges concomitant with the development of ridges and transverse wings on the faces. Another morphological progression leads from smooth to rugulose and eventually to transverse wing-bearing seed faces. A working hypothesis suggests an ecological adaptative significance to these changes.     

Ecogeographical differentiation patterns inAdonis sect.Consiligo (Ranunculaceae)

Adonis sect.Consiligo is split into three subsections based on morphology, growth pattern, pollen and fruit morphology. For all species distribution maps are provided and discussed with regard to their ecology and climatic requirements. These data reveal additional characters that support the classification of the taxa. Most species of the section grow in continental Eurasiatic steppes and mountain steppe habitats. Only the species of subsect.Amurenses grow in Far Eastern temperate forests and prefer a more oceanic climate. The taxonomic position of these strongly divergent species is supported by the distributional and ecological data. The evolution ofAdonis sect.Consiligo occurred under strong climatic control. During evolution the taxa could only slightly widen their ecological amplitude and, thus, ecology remained rather stable except that of the subsect.Amurenses. Ecological and distributional data can be used to validate taxonomy and phylogeny and reveal additional informations.     

Molecular phylogeny and evolution of the AsianAconitum subgenusAconitum (Ranunculaceae)

Classification of the genusAconitum (Ranunculaceae) has long been considered quite difficult because its species show high levels of morphological and ecological variability. The molecular phylogeny of Asian aconites,Aconitum subgenusAconitum was, therefore, studied based on RFLP and sequences of the intergenic spacer between thetrnL (UAA) 3′ exon andtrnF (GAA), and of thetrnL intron, of the chloroplast DNA. UsingAconitum subgenusLycoctonum as an outgroup, we obtained a statistically reliable molecular tree composed of six clades branched radiatively at the very base. There are three clades of Japanese aconites, a single clade of the species of Yunnan and Himalayas, and two clades of Siberian plants. All the tetraploid taxa of Japan we studied did not show any difference based on the molecular characters analyzed, though they have been classified into many taxa. Evolution and phytogeography of the Asian aconites as well as the phylogeny are discussed.     

Lipid content and fatty acid composition in hypogeous organs ofHelleborus species (Ranunculaceae)

Root and rhizome of fourHelleborus species:H. viridis, H. odorus, H. niger, H. foetidus were examined throughout a two-year period in order to determine the variation of lipid content and fatty acid composition during the ontogenetic cycle. In the deciduous geophytesH. viridis andH. odorus subsp.laxus the lipid content reaches its maximum during the quiescent phase, whereas in the evergreen geophyteH. niger the lipid content is highest during the main growth period. In the chamaephyteH. foetidus lipid content is always very low and it does not show variation throughout the year. In all species the fatty acids detected in the neutral fraction are myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acid. Palmitic and linoleic acid are always present in larger quantities. The pattern of the relative content of saturated/unsaturated fatty acids seems to be linked to the life form of these species.     

Flavonoid variation of theAconitum jaluense complex (Ranunculaceae) in Korea

Thirteen flavonoid compounds were isolated and identified from five Korean species in theA. jaluense complex; they were glycosylated derivatives of the flavonols kaempferol, quercetin, and isorhamnetin, and of the flavone apigenin. The flavonoid data revealed the presence of two entities in the complex in Korea; one includesA. jaluense s. str. and the other includes the remaining four species which have identical flavonoid profiles. Based on these results, in conjunction with evidence from the morphology, it is suggested that the taxa should be recognized as two sub-species ofA. jaluense s. l. The flavonoid data also provide strong evidence for the occurrence of hybridization betweenA. jaluense s. str. andA. japonicum subsp.napiforme at Mt. Chiri in southern Korea.     

The annual species ofAdonis (Ranunculaceae)—a polyploid complex

The five annual species ofAdonis L., sect.Adonis, growing in Israel, form a series of diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid species. Their somatic chromosome numbers are 2n = 16 inA. annua L.,A. dentata Del. andA. palaestina Boiss., 2n = 32 inA. microcarpa DC., 2n = 48 inA. aestivalis L.; counts forA. dentata, A. palaestina andA. microcarpa are new records. There are indications that alloploidization may have been involved in the process of speciation in sect.Adonis. A taxonomic survey of the 8 species of the section reveals that a higher ploidy level is usually combined with a larger distribution area.     

Chloroplast DNA restriction site mapping and the phylogeny ofRanunculus (Ranunculaceae)

A chloroplast DNA restriction site map forRanunculus sceleratus (Ranunculaceae) was constructed using 14 restriction endonucleases. The total size of the chloroplast genome is 152.4kb. No inversions were detected relative to the tobacco chloroplast DNA. Cladistic analyses of chloroplast DNA restriction site polymorphism were employed in order to elucidate the phylogeny among 76 species of the genusRanunculus in a wide sense and one species ofTrautvetteria. A total of 341 informative restriction site changes were detected. Parsimony jackknifing, bootstrapping and decay analysis were undertaken in order to evaluate the amount of support for the monophyletic groups. The results suggest that the analysed species ofRanunculus are divisible into two main clades. Only few of the traditional sections and subgenera ofRanunculus are monophyletic. The genusTrautvetteria is nested within a clade comprising, e.g.Ranunculus cymbalaria, R. andersonii, R. lapponicus andR. ficaria. SubgenusBatrachium lies within a larger clade containing, e.g.R. sceleratus andR. hyperboreus. Contractions of the inverted repeat due to parallel deletions of 200–300 bp close to the J_SB have occurred in many clades and the phylogenetic distribution of this size reduction was mapped among the species.     

迁西乌头(毛茛科)的名实订正

通过标本观察,发现描述自我国河北迁西县的毛茛科乌头属植物迁西乌头(Aconitum qianxiense W.T.Wang)与华北和东北地区常见的北乌头(A.kusnezoffii Reichb.)没有本质区别,故将前者处理为后者的异名。     

毛茛科六新种

该文描述了毛茛科六新种：(1)托里乌头,与阿尔泰乌头近缘,区别为其茎和叶无毛,总状花序极密集,雄蕊花丝多有1或2小齿。(2)门源翠雀花,与大通翠雀花近缘,区别为其茎极短,花序总状,退化雄蕊瓣片不分裂。(3)云台山铁线莲,与裂叶铁线莲近缘,区别为其叶为二回羽状复叶,花较小,雄蕊花丝呈黑色,无脉。(4)黑丝铁线莲,与前种云台山铁线莲在亲缘关系上极为相近,区别为其小叶较小,多呈狭卵形或披针形,聚伞花序也较小,通常只具3花。(5)五台山毛茛,与砾地毛茛相似,区别为其基生叶被柔毛,花瓣蜜槽具鳞片,心皮具短而粗的花柱和小柱头。(6)靖西铁线莲,与宝岛铁线莲在亲缘关系上接近,区别为其茎疏被短柔毛,小叶卵形或狭卵形,不分裂,聚伞花序有1~3花,萼片较大(长1.7~2 cm,宽0.5~0.7 cm)。     

毛茛科五新种

描述了毛茛科五新种:(1)托里乌头,与阿尔泰乌头近缘,区别为其茎和叶无毛,总状花序极密集,雄蕊花丝多有1或2小齿。(2)门源翠雀花,与大通翠雀花近缘,区别为其茎极短,花序总状,退化雄蕊瓣片不分裂。(3)云台山铁线莲,与裂叶铁线莲近缘,区别为其叶为二回羽状复叶,花较小,雄蕊花丝呈黑色,无脉。(4)黑丝铁线莲,与前种云台铁线莲在亲缘关系上极为相近,区别为其小叶较小,多呈狭卵形或披针形,聚伞花序也较小,通常只具3花。(5)五台山毛茛,与砾地毛茛相似,区别为其基生叶被柔毛,花瓣蜜槽具鳞片,心皮具短而粗的花柱和小柱头。     

中国毛茛科翠雀属的分类学研究(十二):竞生翠雀花的名实订正

通过标本室和野外观察,发现根据云南西北部中甸标本描述的毛茛科竞生翠雀花（Delphinium yangii W.T.Wang）与此前记载分布于该地及四川西南部（康定、小金、汶川）的宝兴翠雀花（D.smithianum Hand.-Mazz.）属于同一分类实体,故将前者处理为后者的异名。     

中国毛茛科翠雀属的分类学研究(八):短尾翠雀花的名实订正

发现近来根据云南西北部丽江标本描述的毛茛科短尾翠雀花(Delphinium brachyurum W. T. Wang)与此前根据该地标本描述的丽江翠雀花(D. likiangense Franch.)属于同一种植物,故将前者处理为后者的异名。     

中国毛茛科翠雀属的分类学研究(十三):狭序翠雀花的名实订正

发现根据甘肃南部标本描述的毛茛科狭序翠雀花（Delphinium angustipaniculatum W.T.Wang）与此前记载分布于甘肃南部和四川北部的松潘翠雀花（D.sutchuenense Franch.）属于同一种植物,故将前者处理为后者的异名。讨论了松潘翠雀花与其可能的近缘种秦岭翠雀花（D.giraldii Diels）和疏花翠雀花（D.sparsiflorum Maxim.）的形态区别。     

The phylogeny ofActaea (Ranunculaceae): A biogeographical approach

Phylogenetic analyses of the genusActaea were performed using morphological, ecological and biogeographical characters. Using solely morphological characters, the relationships of the three identified species-groups remain uncertain. Close biogeographical examination and comparison of the areas with ecological peculiarities as well as climate data gave important insight into the phylogeny ofActaea and the whole tribe. Consequently, the obtained biogeographical data were used for phylogenetic reconstructions. Both, from the point of view of morphological and biogeographical data,A. pachypoda andA. asiatica are the most ancestral species. They grow on the east sides of the continents, mainly in broad-leaved forests. In West Eurasia the apomorphicA. spicata andA. acuminata occur under similar climatic and ecological conditions, but these species are adapted to another climate rhythm. The most advanced species (A. erythrocarpa, A. rubra) are to be found in the boreal forests where they are widely distributed. This biogeographical approach revealed that the evolution of the species led to a gradual widening and shifting of their ecological constitutions.     

中国毛茛科翠雀属的分类学研究(十四):光序翠雀花二新异名

广布于中国-喜马拉雅地区的毛茛科光序翠雀花（Delphinium kamaonense Huth）在我国甘肃、青海、四川和西藏具有相当连续的分布区,在分布区内颇为常见,几为杂草。通过标本室和野外观察,发现根据西藏波密、察隅标本描述的展毛光序翠雀花[D. kamaonense var. glabrescens（W. T. Wang）W. T. Wang]和根据西藏类乌齐标本描述的倒心形翠雀花（D. obcordatilimbum W. T. Wang）与光序翠雀花没有本质区别,故将二者均处理为光序翠雀花的异名。     

Spatial fragrance patterns within the flowers ofRanunculus acris (Ranunculaceae)

Floral scents emitted from different flower parts ofRanunculus acris were investigated by trapping headspace volatiles onto Porapak Q followed by solvent desorption and GC-MS analysis. Isoprenoids, strongly dominated bytrans--ocimene, constituted the principal class of volatiles in all flower parts except pollen; sesquiterpenes were especially diverse. Odors collected separately from petals, stamens, and sepals + gynoecium comprised the same volatiles, but these were present in disparate proportions among the flower parts, thereby creating subtle contrasts within the flower. The main sources of volatiles were the petals and stamens, which made equal contributions to the whole-flower fragrance. Emissions from the petals differed quantitatively between the apical and basal petal regions, thereby paralleling optical nectar-guide patterns. Pollen odor was markedly unlike that of other flower parts, with only few volatiles, a high representation of 5-methylene-2(5H)-furanone (protoanemonin), and no detectabletrans--ocimene. The distinctiveness of the pollen's volatile profile suggests that it may serve a signalling role to pollen-feeding insects.     

中国毛茛科翠雀属的分类学研究(四):五花翠雀花的名实订正

通过标本室和野外观察,发现根据云南中甸标本描述的毛茛科五花翠雀花(Delphinium quinqueflorum W.T.Wang)与当地颇为常见的澜沧翠雀花(D.thibeticum Finet&Gagnep.)没有本质区别,仅为其稍矮小的植株,故将前者处理为后者的异名。     

云南翠雀花属二新种

该文描述了自云南西北部发现的毛茛科翠雀花属二新种:短葶翠雀花(Delphinium breviscaposum W.T.Wang)和丝苞翠雀花(D.filibracteolum W.T.Wang)。短葶翠雀花与察隅翠雀花(D.chayuense W.T.Wang)在亲缘关系上相近,前者与后者的区别在于短葶翠雀花植株具3条簇生短花葶,总状花序的轴和花梗无毛,小苞片较长,萼片较小,退化雄蕊的瓣片不分裂;丝苞翠雀花与拟长距翠雀花(D.dolichocentroides W.T.Wang)近缘,前者与后者的区别在于丝苞翠雀花的花组成圆锥花序,花梗、萼片和萼距均较短,退化雄蕊的爪无附属物,心皮无毛。     

中国毛茛科翠雀属的分类学研究(七):岩瓦翠雀花的名实订正

通过标本室和野外观察,发现根据云南西北部维西标本描述的毛茛科岩瓦翠雀花(Delphinium yanwaense W. T. Wang)与云南西北部颇为常见的中甸翠雀花(D. yuanum Chen)没有本质区别,故将前者处理为后者的异名。中甸翠雀花在叶的分裂程度上变异颇大。