Palynology of South Indian Zingiberaceae

MANGALY, J. K. & NAYAR, J. 1990. Palynology of South Indian Zingiberaceae. Light microscope studies on pollen morphology of 21 Old World, tropical taxa of Zingiberaceae reveal that an exine is absent only in Kaempferia . A discontinuous exine layer consisting of circular plates joined together at margins occurs in Alpinia galanga and Amomum hypoleucum while all other taxa possess an uninterrupted exine layer which is commonly 0.7 μm to less than 2.0 μrn thick (3.2 μm in Zingiber zerumbet , 2.5 μm in Amomum hypoleucum ). Exine is spinose in Alpinia (smooth in Alpinia sanderae ), Amomum and Boesenbergia , verrucose in Eleltaria , tuberculate to areolate or striate in Zingiber , papillose in Globba and smooth or nearly so in Curcuma, Costus and Hedychiurn . Pollen grains are spheroidal, 50–90 μm in size (35 μm in Globba ophioglossa ), and inaparturate (foraminate in Costus ), except in Curcuma and Zingiber where they are ovoid to ellipsoidal, 70–135 times 60–80 μm in size and sulcate. A lamellated intine, much thicker than the exine, occurs in all, and it is thinner at the apertural region in Curcuma, Costus and Zingiber; in Elettaria and Hedychiurn it is thinner in one or few large scattered circular areas, and in Boesenbergia and Alpinia zerumbet on one side of the grains. Palynologirally Alpinia, Amomum, Boesenbergia, Kaempferia and Zingiber constitute one group while Elettaria, Hedychiurn and Costus constitute another.     

Structural analysis of subterranean organs in Zingiberaceae

Xylem structural characteristics are rarely used to separate tribes. This study aims to characterize the morphology of subterranean organs and determine both the occurrence and distribution of the vessel elements in ten species, belonging to Alpinieae and Zingibereae tribes. Species were from protected areas in the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest or from private cultivation areas. Roots and rhizomes processing followed both light and scanning electron microscopy procedures. According to morphological and anatomical characteristics, Euclidean distances among taxa were calculated, resulting in a dendrogram based on the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering. Despite our results indicating a similarity among all the species studied, they could be segregated by using qualitative and special metabolites characters in both the rhizome and the root. Vessel elements were found to be confined to the roots, presenting several basal characters in most of species, except for Alpinia purpurata and Etlingera species.     

The genus Kaempferia (Zingiberaceae) in Thailand

Three new species, Kaempferia larsenii, K. siamensis and K. spoliata are described and illustrated. A key to the Thai species is provided.     

罗平产生姜的化学成分

从生姜(Zingiber officinaleRosc.)的根茎中分离得一个骨架新颖的天然产物,经波谱鉴定为一个新的生姜内酯(1),同时分离得到7个已知化合物,分别为6-姜烯酚(2),1-去氢姜二酮(3),6-姜磺酸(4),3,5-二酮-1,7-二-{(3-甲氧基-4-羟基)-苯基}-庚烷(5),姜酮A(6),β-谷甾醇(7)和豆甾醇(8)。     

Revision of the genus Haniffia (Zingiberaceae)

The genus Haniffia is revised, in comprises two species of which one is described as new: H. albiflora from Thailand. Both species are illustrated.     

The genus Hedychium (Zingiberaceae) in Thailand

Sirirugsa, P. & Larsen K. 1995. The genus Hedychium (Zingiberaceae) in Thailand. -Nord. J. Bot. 15: 301–304. Copenhagen. ISSN 0107–05513.
Three new species of Hedychium from Thailand are described and illustrated, H. samuiense, H. tomentosum , and H. biflorum . A key to the species occurring in Thailand is provided.     

苞叶姜大小孢子发生和雌雄配子体发育

对苞叶姜（Pyrgophyllum yunnanense）大小孢子发生和雌雄配子体发育进行了显微观察,研究结果表明：苞叶姜花药2室,药壁发育属基本型,绒毡层为分泌型。小孢子母细胞经减数分裂形成左右对称型四分体,胞质分裂为连续型,成熟花粉粒为2-细胞型;子房下位,3室,胚珠多数,倒生,具双珠被、厚珠心,中轴胎座。大孢子母细胞经减数分裂形成线型（或T形）四分体,珠孔端3个大孢子退化,合点端的1个发育成功能大孢子,胚囊发育为蓼型。比较苞叶姜、黄花大苞姜（Caulokaempferia coenobialis）和海南三七（Kaem pferia rotunda）的早期胚胎学特征,表明苞叶姜与黄花大苞姜系统学关系较近,与海南三七系统学关系较远。在分类等级上,胚胎学证据支持苞叶姜独立成属。     

Validation of Zingiber collinsii (Zingiberaceae) from Vietnam

The name Zingiber collinsii is validated and some corrections to an ealier publication are given.     

Pollen histochemistry and pollen : ovule ratios in Zingiberaceae

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pollen grains of 37 species from 11 genera in the family Zingiberaceae were examined to assess qualitatively starch or lipid contents; the pollen grain and ovule numbers per flower and pollen : ovule ratios were also counted and calculated. Pollen : ovule ratios were studied to reveal patterns of variation in the Zingiberaceae. METHODS: Freshly open flowers with dehiscing anthers were collected at random from plants growing in natural habitats or in botanical gardens. Presence of lipids or starch in pollen grains was tested by Sudan solution and IKI solution, respectively, and examined under a microscope. To estimate the pollen and ovule numbers per flower, one anther from each bud was carefully dissected and all pollen grains were counted; ovaries were carefully dissected out of each flower and counted. Whenever possible, at least 10-15 buds were used in the determination. KEY RESULTS: Thirty-three of all the 37 species examined had starchy pollen. Starch was not found in only four species and lipid was not found in only one species; among the four tribes in subfamily Zingiberoideae, all species of Zingibereae and Globbeae had pollen with no starch, Alpineae and Hedychieae had pollen with and without starch, whereas, all species of subfamily Costoideae had starchy pollen with abundant lipids. The mean pollen : ovule ratios in the members of the Zingiberaceae investigated range from 3.25 +/- 1.56 to 616.52 +/- 117.83. CONCLUSIONS: The pollen nutrition types seemed not related to mating systems. The pollen : ovule ratios in members of the Zingiberaceae with the same breeding system are noticeably lower than those recorded by previous authors. The lower pollen : ovule ratios in this family are presumed to be related to the highly efficient pollination systems, mediated by pollen which can be quite glutinous and the relatively large stigma area. In most of the Alpinia species the anaflexistylous flowers have much larger numbers of pollen grains and higher pollen : ovule ratios than the cataflexistylous flowers. There are significant differences in mean pollen grain numbers and pollen : ovule ratios between different life forms but ovule numbers are approximately the same.     

Three labdane diterpenoids from Aframomum sceptrum (Zingiberaceae)

Three labdane diterpenoids, 8beta,17-epoxy-3beta,7beta-dihydroxy-12(E)-labden-16,15-olide (1), methyl 8beta,17-epoxy-3beta,7beta,15-trihydroxy-12(E)-labden-16-oate (2) and 3beta,7beta,8beta,12zeta,17-pentahydroxylabdan-16,15-olide (3) have been isolated from the seeds of Afromomum sceptrum K. Schum (Zingiberaceae) and their structures assigned on the basis of their spectroscopic properties. Nerolidol, and the known flavonoids 3-acetoxy-4',5,7-trihydroxyflavanone, and 3,4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavanone were also obtained.     

Notes on some species of Achasma (Zingiberaceae)

Six Indo–Chinese taxa of Achasma (Zingiberaceae) are discussed. Two new combinations are proposed: A. araneosum (Baker) K. Larsen and A. loroglossum (Gag–nep.) K. Larsen. Types have been selected for these and for A. pavieanum (Pierre ex Gagnep.) Loes.