A new species,new combinations,and a new name in Acanthaceae from northern South America

A new species of Acanthaceae (Ruellia saülensis) is described and illustrated from French Guiana, and three new combinations (Justicia potarensis, J. flaviflora, andJ. tobagensis) and one new name (Justicia coppenamensis) are proposed. The new species is compared to its closest relative (Ruellia rubra), and a justification of the transfers is provided.     

Further notes on Bolivian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Justicia</Emphasis> L. (Acanthaceae)

Two new taxa of Justicia are recognised from Bolivia. Justicia fuentesii J. R. I. Wood is described as a new species. The two isolated populations of Justicia mesetarum Wassh. & J. R. I. Wood can be distinguished by a range of minor morphological differences and are treated as distinct subspecies with subsp. chiquitana J. R. I. Wood described as new. The new taxa are illustrated and mapped.     

A new species ofJusticia sect.Ansellia (Acanthaceae) from Tanzania

Justicia brevipedunculata, a new species ofJ. sect.Ansellia endemic to Tanzania, is described and illustrated. Detailed palynological information is given, and relationships to other species of the section are discussed.     

New species of Justicia (Acanthaceae) from the Guianas

Four new species,Justicia oldemanii, J. mcdowellii, J. wilhelminensis, andJ. prevostiae are described, illustrated, and compared with their closest relatives. A key to species ofJusticia from the Guianas is also provided.     

中国爵床科—新记录种——毛萼爵床

报道中国爵床-(Acanthaceae)爵床属—新记录种——毛萼爵床(Justicia poilanei Benoist).该种分布于云南南部石灰岩地区,在标本馆长期被鉴定为野靛棵(Justicia patentiflora Hemsl.),但与后者的区别在于它的花冠长约2 cm,花萼裂片三角状卵形和花药基部不具芒状附...     

New species of Justicia (Acanthaceae) from the Planalto of Brazil

Two new species,Justicia clivalis andJ. irwinii, are described, illustrated, and compared with their closest relatives.     

New names,combinations and synonyms in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Justicia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stenostephanus</Emphasis> (Acanthaceae)

Summary  Preparation of a catalogue of the plants of Colombia requires 30 new combinations in Stenostephanus Nees and five in Justicia L. to bring nomenclature up to date. Three new names Justicia littoralis J. R. I. Wood, J. albicans J. R. I. Wood and J. magdalenensis J. R. I. Wood are coined for Jacobinia lindaviana Rusby, Chaetothylax leucantha Leonard and Justicia disparifolia J. R. I. Wood respectively. The genus Pelecostemon Leonard is considered to belong to sect. Chaetothylax (Nees) V. A. W. Graham of Justicia L. Several species of Stenostephanus from Colombia and Venezuela are treated as synonyms of earlier species.     

Two new species of Justicia sect. Harnieria (Acanthaceae) from Tanzania

Two new species of Justicia L. are described: Justicia ukagurensis Hedrén and Justicia sulphuriflora Hedrén, both from crystalline mountains of eastern Tanzania.     

Relative effects of Justicia americana litter on germination,seedlings and established plants of Polygonum lapathifolium

Justicia americana (L.) Vahl is one of the most common species associated with seasonally variable aquatic habitats in the south-central U.S.A. When water levels decline, litter of Justicia decomposes on the exposed mudflats where most emergent aquatic species typically germinate and establish. In this study, we have tested the effects of aqueous leachates of Justicia shoots on the germination, seedling growth and established plant growth of Polygonum lapathifolium L., a common annual colonizer of exposed mudflats. Maximal leachate concentrations were prepared using quantities of litter comparable to those estimated for natural stands of Justicia. At these concentrations, seed germination and transplant growth were unaffected, but seedling growth was inhibited. When Polygonum was tested with lower concentrations of Justicia leachate, germination was still unaffected, but seedling growth was found to be enhanced, especially at the lowest concentrations. Using mannitol as an inert osmotic agent, Polygonum seedling growth was found to be inhibited at osmotic potentials equivalent to those of all leachate concentrations. Thus, the effects of leachate on seedling growth include both osmotic and non-osmotic components. Overall, the results support the hypothesis that the seedling stage of the plant life cycle is the stage most susceptible to permanent effects by the chemicals released from decomposing litter.     

Three new species of Justicia sect. Justicia (Acanthaceae) from tropical Africa

Three new species of Justicia sect. Justicia (Acanthaceae) are described: Justicia regis from Kenya, Justicia acutifolia from Tanzania, and Justicia telloensis from Cameroun.     

Justicia tetrasperma sp. nov.–a linking species between Justicia and Monechma (Acanthaceae)

Justicia tetrasperma , a new species of Justicia sect. Monechma , is described on material from Shaba in Zaire. Its capsules with four smooth and compressed seeds is a character combination in favour of an inclusion of Monechma in Justicia .     

Efficient synthesis of jusbetonin, an indolo[3,2-b]quinoline glycoside, and its derivatives

Jusbetonin, an indolo[3,2-b]quinoline alkaloid glycoside originally isolated from Justicia betonica, and its derivatives were synthesized. The key steps in the synthetic strategy were the construction of indolo[3,2-b]quinoline skeleton and efficient coupling with the saccharides, in which the α-d-glycopyranosyl bromides were shown to be effective donors. Primary screening showed that all synthesized compounds possessed moderate proliferation inhibitory activity.     

Chemicals isolated from Justicia adhatoda Linn reduce fitness of the mosquito,Aedes aegypti L

Extracts from Justicia adhatoda L. (Acanthaceae) strongly reduced the fitness of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti Linn. The methanolic extracts inhibited several enzymes responsible for protecting insects from oxidative and other damage, including glutathione‐S‐transferase, superoxide dismutase, cytochrome P450, and α‐ and β‐esterases. They increased repellency (maximum repellency at 100 ppm) in host‐seeking adult females using the “arm‐in cage assay.” Histopathological examination showed the extracts led to serious midgut cell damage. Justicia adhatoda extracts led to reduced fecundity and oviposition of gravid females compared to controls. The extracts led to substantially reduced A. aegypti survival. We infer that the extracts have potential to reduce pathogen transmission by suppressing population growth of A. aegypti, and possibly other mosquito species.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Justicia jamisonii</Emphasis> Jongkind &; Vollesen (Acanthaceae), a new species from Guinée,Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya

A new species, Justicia jamisonii is described and illustrated. It resembles Rungia paxiana but has a much narrower membranous margin on the inflorescence bracts and the corolla is hairy on the outside. The species has an extraordinary geographical distribution, it is only known from Guinée and C?te d’Ivoire in the west and Kenya in the east, two areas separated by a c. 4,700 km gap. It is described here in Justicia because the genus Rungia will soon be united with the older genus Justicia by the second author.     

New furofurano lignans from Justicia simplex

A new 3,7-dioxabicyclo[3,3,O]octane lignan, named justisolin, and a new lignan O-glucoside, named simplexoside, were isolated from the whole plant of Justicia simplex D. Don. (Acanthaceae), collected at fruiting. The structure of the free lignan was established as 2e-(3,4-methylenedioxy-6-hydroxy)-phenyl-6e- Piperonyl-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]octane (1) and that of the glucoside as 2e-(3-methoxy-4-O-β-d- glucopyranosyl)-phenyl-6e-piperonyl-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]octane (2) on the basis of chemical transformation and spectral evidence. The biological functions of these and related lignans are appraised.     

The effects of high altitude cosmic radiation on some members ofAcanthaceae

To study the effect of high altitude cosmic radiation the seed material of 15 species ofAcanthaceae was subjected to 3 types of exposures in balloon flights at an altitude of 30 900 to 38 100 metres. Germination behaviour was recorded and cytological studies were made. In the material subjected to one exposure, no detectable cytological or morphological change could be recorded. Material subjected to two exposures showed a 1 1/2 to 2 fold increase in cellular dimensions. A fragmented chromosome was observed inRostellularia procumbens. Flowering inJusticia betonica was advanced by 3 weeks. Among the species subjected to 3 exposures, two species showed diminution in height, and entered into flowering earlier than the controls. A study of germination behaviour showed, in general, that the decrease in germination percentage was directly proportional to the amount of radiation. The results indicate that the treatment with cosmic radiation may be helpful in reducing the period between sowing and harvesting. Therefore, if similar experiments be conducted on crop plants, they might yiled interesting and important results from the agricultural point of view.     

Notes on SE Asian Acanthaceae 1

The taxonomic importance of the rising placenta in capsules of Acanthaceae is briefly discussed, particularly in relation to Justicia versus Rungia. Rungia naoensis is described as a new species. Justicia imlayae and J. internodialis are new names. New combinations are Justicia stolonifera, Pseuderanthemum lapathifolium, P. latifolium, Ptyssiglottis isophylla, P. kunthiana, Rungia adnata, R. burmanica, R. clauda, R. eberhardtii, R. monetaria, R. oligoneura, R. purpurascens, R. selangorensis, R. subtilifolia, R. vegeta. Antheliacanthus is a synonym of Pseuderanthemum and Polytrema a synonym of Ptyssiglottis.     

Cd AND Zn ACCUMULATION IN PLANTS FROM THE PADAENG ZINC MINE AREA

Significant cadmium (Cd) contamination In soil and rice has been discovered in Mae Sot, Tak province, Thailand where the rice-based agricultural systems are established in the vicinity of a zinc mine. The prolonged consumption of Cd contaminated rice has potential risks to public health and health impacts of Cd exposed populations in Mae Sot have been demonstrated. The Thai government has prohibited rice cultivation in the area as an effort to prevent further exposure. Phytoextraction, the use of plants to remove contaminants from soil, is a potential option to manage Cd–contaminated areas. However, successful phytoextraction depends on first identifying effective hyperaccumulator plants appropriate for local climatic conditions. Five sampling sites at Padaeng Zinc mine, Tak province were selected to collect plant and soil samples. Total Cd and Zn concentrations in sediments or soils were approximately 596 and 20,673 mg kg^?1 in tailing pond area, 543 and 20,272 mg kg^?1 in open pit area, 894 and 31,319 mg kg^?1 in stockpile area, 1,458 and 57,012 mg kg^?1 in forest area and 64 and 2,733 mg kg^?1 in Cd contaminated rice field. Among a total of 36 plant species from 16 families, four species (Chromolaena odoratum, Gynura pseudochina, Impatiens violaeflora and Justicia procumbens) could be considered as Cd hyperaccumulators since their shoot Cd concentrations exceeded 100 mg Cd kg^?1 dry mass and they showed a translocation factor > 1. Only Justicia procumbens could be considered as a Zn hyperaccumulator (Zn concentration in its shoot more than 10,000 mg Zn kg^?1 dry mass with the translocation factor > 1).