Rubiacearum Americanarum Magna Hama Pars XIX. New species of Palicourea (Psychotrieae) from Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela

Eight new South American species ofPalicourea are described and illustrated:P. crystallina from north-central Peru differs fromP. loxensis from Ecuador, also described herein, by its longer calyx limbs, 1.2–2.5 mm long, with the lobes often unequal in length;P. cutucuana from southern Ecuador differs fromP. angustifolia in its broader leaves and inflorescences and larger corollas;P. gelsemiiflora of northern Peru is distinguished by its pedicels 11–20 mm long, calyx limbs 7–11 mm long, relatively large yellow corollas with tubes 32–33 mm long, relatively large fruits 12–13 mm long, and pyrenes with an unusual spongy wall;P. gemmiflora of southern Ecuador and northern Peru differs fromP. subtomentosa by its longer corollas with horn-like projections on the abaxial surfaces of the lobes;P. lemoniana of southwestern Venezuela differs fromP. nitidella by its corolla tubes 17–18 mm long with the lobes pubescent abaxially and fromP. grandiflora by its secondary leaf veins only 7–10 pairs and corollas externally with lanose trichomes to 0.5 mm long;P. loxensis of southern Ecuador differs fromP. garciae by its densely reticulated secondary and tertiary leaf venation, membranaceous stipules, and sessile rather than pedicellate flowers;P. otongaensis of north-central Ecuador differs fromP. holmgrenii by its longer corollas with well developed horn-like appendages borne on the abaxial surfaces of the lobes; andP. smithiana of central Peru differs fromP. lobbii by its laminar stipules with obtuse to rounded lobes only 0.5–1 mm long, yellow corollas, and pyrenes that are ridged dorsally.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Chirita luochengensis</Emphasis> (Gesneriaceae), a new species from limestone areas in northern Guangxi,China

Chirita luochengensis, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to C. linearifolia in leaf shape, but can be distinguished by the apex of leaf blade obtuse to round, corolla purplish, 3–4.2 cm long, corolla tube 2–2.5 cm long, 10–15 mm diameter at the mouth, staminodes 3, disc ca. 2.5 mm in height, pistil 2.5–3 cm long, stigma obtrapeziform, 4 mm long, and apex shallowly 2-lobed.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eleocharis cryptica</Emphasis> (Cyperaceae), a dwarf new species from Durango,Mexico

Eleocharis cryptica (Cyperaceae), known from pine-oak forest in Durango, Mexico, is described and illustrated. It belongs to Eleocharis subg. Eleocharis ser. Tenuissimae and can be distinguished by its diminutive size, with culms 2–13 mm long (including spikelets 1.3–1.7 mm long), and the folliform prolongations of its upper sheaths. It is the smallest species of Eleocharis thus far known.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pentagonia lanciloba</Emphasis>, a new species of Rubiaceae (Hippotideae) from northwestern Ecuador

Pentagonia lanciloba, a new species of Rubiaceae (Hippotideae) from the wet forests of northwestern Ecuador, is described. This new species is characterized by pinnatifid leaf blades with tapered and long-decurrent subsessile bases, floral bracts with long-acuminate to caudate apices, calyces with narrowly-lanceolate and remarkably long lobes (15–28 mm), and tomentose, orange to red corollas. The new species is illustrated, and its relationship to morphologically similar species is discussed.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dipcadi goaense</Emphasis> (Hyacinthaceae), a new species from the foothills of the Western Ghats,India

A new species of Dipcadi (Hyacinthaceae) that is allied to D. concanense (Dalzell) Baker but differs in its small flowers (13 – 18 mm long vs 35 – 47 mm long) and funnel shaped perianth tube (5 – 6  ×  5 – 6 mm vs 18 – 27  ×  4 – 5.5 mm) is described as D. goaense. The new species is apparently endemic, because it is known only from the type locality in Goa state of India. The type locality is at the foothills of Western Ghats and the habitat is a soil covered, lateritic, open area.     

Multiplication and cryopreservation of vanilla (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vanilla planifolia</Emphasis> ‘Andrews’)

A simple and efficient method for multiplication of vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) was developed using in vitro fragmented explants (IFEs) as propagules. IFEs were obtained after dissecting apices from in vitro propagated clusters of plantlets, by cutting the remaining base of these plant clusters into segments of about 1 cm in length. After 4 months of culture on multiplication medium, 100% of IFEs produced up to 15 new shoots per explant, providing an efficient additional method for in vitro propagation of vanilla that maximizes the use of available material. Cryopreservation of apices from in vitro grown plants was achieved using the droplet vitrification protocol. Maximum survival (30%) and further regeneration (10%) of new shoots were obtained for apices derived from clusters of in vitro plantlets produced from microcuttings through a three-step droplet vitrification protocol: 1-d preculture of apices on solid MS medium with 0.3 M sucrose; loading with a 0.4 M sucrose + 2 M glycerol solution for 20–30 min; and exposure to plant vitrification solution PVS3 for 30 min at room temperature. Even though the cryogenic protocol needs to be optimized to improve results, this work represents the first successful report of cryopreservation of vanilla apices.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Calycogonium bairdianum</Emphasis> (Melastomataceae: Miconieae), a new species from the Cordillera Central,Dominican Republic

Calycogonium bairdianum, a new species, is here described from the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic. It is compared to C. impressum, to which it is likely related. Although Calycogonium is not monophyletic, C. bairdianum and C. impressum may be related to other species in the genus that exhibit acarodomatia formed by hairs at the two major vein junctions on the leaf abaxial surface, a likely synapomorphy. Calycogonium bairdianum is distinguished from C. impressum by its relatively glabrous (vs. pubescent) and larger leaves (i.e., usually [2.9–]4.5–8.1 cm vs. 2.1–3.7 cm long) with veins that are plane to only slightly impressed adaxially (vs. more strongly impressed).     

Developmental morphology of Ledermanniella bowlingii (Podostemaceae) from Ghana

 Ledermanniella (c. 44 species) is the largest podostemoid genus in Africa. This paper deals with the structure and development of the Ghanaian species Ledermanniella bowlingii (J.B. Hall) C. Cusset (subgenus Ledermanniella). Characters typical for L. bowlingii include: green ribbon-like roots with exogenous lateral roots and endogenous shoots up to 120 cm; most leaves 3–7 times forked, with intrapetiolar stipules; flowers solitary or in clusters, borne on elongate stems or directly on roots; each flower bud inverted within a spathella; flowers unistaminate; tricolpate pollen in dyads; ovary mainly unilocular but bilocular at the base due to a rudimentary septum; mature capsule with eight ribs, 1.0–1.8 mm long, containing 12–34 seeds, dehiscing by two equal valves; capsule stalk with pedicel (10 mm) and gynophore (2 mm); silica bodies absent in all plant parts. Several characters of L. bowlingii are described here for the first time. The paper shows that accurate morphological analyses of African Podostemaceae are badly needed. Received September 30, 2002; accepted November 20, 2002 Published online: March 24, 2003     

Zornia subsessilis (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae: Dalbergieae), a new species from Serra do Cabral, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Zornia subsessilis, a new species from Serra do Cabral, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, is described and illustrated on the basis of field and herbarium studies. It belongs to Zornia section Zornia of subgenus Zornia and it appears to be restricted to “campo rupestre” (rocky fields) within the “cerrado” biome. This new species is characterized by its sessile to subsessile leaves, fruits with articles 4 to 5 mm long and with bristles up to 3.5 mm long.     

Spiradiclis glabra sp. nov. (Rubiaceae) from limestone areas in Guangdong,China

A new species of Rubiaceae, Spiradiclis glabra, is described and illustrated from China. The species is most similar to S. fusca, but differs by having 5–7 pairs of adaxially unconspicuous secondary veins in the leaves, stipules 2–5 mm long, calyx lobes ovate‐triangular, corollas slightly purple–reddish, tubes 13–15 mm long, inside with a pubescent ring of long hairs at the throat, and stamens near the base in long‐styled form. The conservation status of this new species was assessed as ‘Vulnerable’ (VU) according to IUCN.     

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.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Miconia</Emphasis> (Melastomataceae) from Amazonas,Brazil

Miconia manauara has been collected several times in two municipalities in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, and once in nearby Pará. It can be recognized among species in Miconia sect. Miconia by the leaves with obtuse to rounded bases, entire margins, cuspidate apices and five basal to shortly suprabasal nerves. The leaves also have glabrous mature adaxial leaf surfaces and the abaxial surface with two indument layers, the first consisting of moderate to dense, ferruginous, sessile stellate trichomes, 0.1–0.2 mm diam., and the second consisting of a dense, granulose-furfuraceous layer. The inflorescences are glomerulate, the 5-merous flowers have a caducous calyx, minutely papillose petals, ten stamens that are ventrally bilobed and with a small dorsal, obtuse tooth, and the ovaries are furfuraceous and usually covered by unbranched trichomes on their apices.     

Studies in the Capparaceae XXIII: Capparis coimbrana, a new species from Bolivia

Capparis coimbrana, a tree of the Bolivian and adjoining Brazilian subtropical to warm-temperate seasonal dry forests and savannas, is segregated fromC. petiolaris of the Pacific slope of Ecuador and northern Peru by its subcylindrical fruits (vs. spherical), white pulp (vs. yellow), sepals 3–5 mm (vs.1–3 mm), leaves with 13–24 (vs. 8–15) lateral veins per side, and by 1000 km of geographic isolation. The new species has edible fruits, but is not domesticated. The specific epithet celebrates Germán Coimbra S., eminent Bolivian ethnobotanist.

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Resumen   Capparis coimbrana es un árbol del bosque seco y sabanas subtropicales y cálidas de Bolivia y la parte adyacente de Brasil, segregada deCapparis petiolaris, que se encuentra distribuida en la región del Pacífico de Ecuador y norte de Perú, por sus frutos subcilíndricos (vs. esféricos), pulpa blanca (vs. amarilla), sépalos 3–5 mm (vs. 1–3 mm), hojas con 13–24 (vs. 8–15) pares de venas laterales, y aislada geográficamente 1000 km. Esta nueva especie posee frutos comestibles, pero no está domesticada. Su cpíteto específico honra a Germán Coimbra S., eminente etnobotánico boliviano.

     

Micropropagation of strawberry tree (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arbutus unedo</Emphasis> L.) from adult plants

Arbutus unedo L. is a species of strawberry tree, widely represented in the Mediterranean climates of southern Europe. Fruits are used to make jellies and a spirit called “medronheira.” Shoot apices and nodal segments from epicormic and coppiced shoots of adult plants were used for plant propagation. Shoot apices from epicormic shoots, which were developed in a growth chamber, showed higher rates of in vitro establishment. The results also indicated that shoot apices are more effective for plant establishment than nodal segments, with rates of establishment significantly higher after 12 wk of culture. Of the three basal media used in combination with 9.0 μM benzyladenine and 0.087 M sucrose, the FS medium with the micronutrients of the Murashige and Skoog medium gave the highest rates of multiplication, especially when the parameter analyzed was the number of clusters formed. When shoot apices from selected adult plants (AL01–AL06) were tested, the multiplication rate was not significantly different among the plants. However, in the conditions tested, shoots from the clones AL1, AL2, and AL3 showed better development, whereas shoots from AL4, AL5, and AL6 showed an impaired development and could not be rooted. Rooting was achieved in all the conditions tested, even in the absence of auxin. The inclusion of an auxin significantly increased root formation, whereas the addition of charcoal did not improve root formation. Rooted plantlets were acclimatized, and some of them are now in the field for further study.     

Morphological and molecular evidences for a new species of Lignosus (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) from tropical China

Lignosus hainanensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated on the basis of collections originating from tropical forest in Hainan Province, southern China. Both the morphology and phylogeny support this new species. It is characterized by its centrally stipitate basidiocarps arising from a distinct sclerotium, yellowish brown to cinnamon-brown pileal surface, cream to cream-buff pore surface, trimitic hyphal system with clamped generative hyphae, and oblong ellipsoid to cylindrical basidiospores. Lignosus hainanensis may be confused with L. rhinocerus, also occurring in southern China, but L. rhinocerus can be distinguished by its smaller pores (6–8 per mm) and smaller and distinctly broadly ellipsoid basidiospores (4–5 × 2.8–3 μm).     

Two new species of cystidicolid nematodes from the digestive tract of the deep-sea fish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coryphaenoides mediterraneus</Emphasis> (Giglioli) (Macrouridae) from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Two new nematode species, Ascarophis longiovata n. sp. and Neoascarophis longispicula n. sp. (Cystidicolidae), are described from the digestive tract of the marine deep-water fish, the Mediterranean grenadier Coryphaenoides mediterraneus (Giglioli), from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The former species is characterised mainly by the structure of the mouth (large pseudolabia, each with well-developed dorsal and ventral extension and small apical protrusion; submedian labia almost absent), the large, elongate-oval, non-filamented eggs (60–66 × 18–27 μm), a cervical inflation of the cuticle, bifurcate deirids, and the length of the spicules (315–360 and 120–147 μm), whereas the latter (only males available) can be distinguished by the length of the spicules (960–1,149 and 258–351 μm) and their length ratio (1:1.91–2.71), the shape of the deirids (bifurcate, with long, narrow posterior arms), and the location of the excretory pore and deirids well posterior to the level of the nerve-ring.     

In vitro propagation of seven <Emphasis Type="Italic">Daphne</Emphasis> L. species

Cultures of seven Daphne species: Daphne caucasica, D. cneorum, D. giraldii, D. retusa, D. jasminea, D. laureola and D. tangutica were established in vitro on MS/WPM based media. Five of the species responded best on MS-based media (D. tangutica, D. laureola, D. caucasica, D. retusa and D. giraldii), while the remaining two species performed best on WPM-based media (D. cneorum, and D. jasminea). Shoot proliferation was achieved from both apical and nodal explants. Shoots were sub-cultured from stock cultures, cut into nodal explants 3–5 cm long and place vertically on basal media supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of cytokinins and auxins. Individual species displayed different responses to the various cytokinins and auxins. Among species, D. jasminea produced the greatest proliferation rate with an average of 7.84 + 0.6 shoots per explant on WPM supplemented with 2.32 μM BA + 0.0045 μM TDZ + 0.054 μM NAA, while the best multiplication rate for the same species grown on the same media supplemented with a single cytokinin (BA) and no auxin was 2.60 + 1.3 shoots per explant. Following multiplication, new shoots transferred to the elongation trails and then 50–100 mm Shoots used for rooting experiments. Increased rooting efficiencies were observed on in vitro-generated shoots with the two-layer medium or dipping methods over when PGRs were uniformly incorporated into the medium. Maximum rooting frequencies (average) ranged from 59% in D. tangutica to 85% in D. jasminea. Following in vitro rooting, rooted shoots immersed in 0.01% solution of humates and planted into a standard horticultural substrate composed and watered weekly with a solution containing half-strength MS salts.     

Characterization of nine microsatellite loci for a globally vulnerable species, Reeves’s Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii)

Reeves’s Pheasant, Syrmaticus reevesii, is an endemic species of China. Due to habitat loss, poaching and human disturbance, its wild population has been decreased drastically and it is listed as a globally vulnerable species by IUCN/BirdLife/WPA (IUCN 2008). Here, we report nine new polymorphic microsatellite markers isolated from the Reeves’s Pheasant. The number of alleles per locus varies between four and fourteen, with expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.349–0.776 (n  = 90). These polymorphic loci provide a valuable tool for future population studies that relate to the conservation of this pheasant.