Further studies in the genus Caulokaempferia (Zingiberaceae) in Thailand with the description of two new species

Two new species of Caulokempferia from Thailand, C. amplexicaule and C. pedemontana are described and illustrated. The biogeography and the diversity of the genus are discussed.     

Two new species of Boesenbergia (Zingiberaceae) from Borneo

Two new species of Boesenbergia are described from Temburong District, Brunei, Borneo and their relationships are discussed. Additional chromosome counts of Bosenbergia are included.     

Boesenbergia tenuispicata (Zingiberaceae): a new species from Thailand

Boesenbergia renuispicafa is described from southern Thailand. Its relationship is discussed.     

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 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.     

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.     

Three new species and one new combination in Boesenbergia (Zingiberaceae) from Thailand

Three new species, Boesenbergia acuminata, B. basispicata and B. petiolata are described and illustrated. Boesenbergia siamensis comb, nov. is illustrated. A key to the species in Thailand is also presented.     

Confirmation of relationships among Boesenbergia (Zingiberaceae) and related genera by RAPD

The relationships among 19 accessions of Zingiberaceae belonging to 11 species of Boesenbergia, six species of Kaempferia, and two species of Scaphochlamys from Southern Thailand were studied using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiles from leaf tissue samples. The RAPD was carried out using 10 random decamer arbitrary primers. Amplification occurred in five out of 10 tested primers (OPAM-01, OPAM-03, OPAM-12, OPB-14, OPZ-03). Total of 53 amplified bands were observed. Data obtained from the RAPD fingerprints from the samples clarified some doubts in morphological classification. The data were analyzed for the Nei and Li's Dice similarity coefficient for pair-wise comparison between individual samples and the distance matrix. The dendrogram resulting from cluster analysis, UPGMA and a principal component analysis of the RAPD result confirms a higher degree of relationship between Boesenbergia and Scaphochlamys than between Boesenbergia and Kaempferia.     

Pollen morphology of the genus Cornukaempferia (Zingiberaceae) in Thailand

Cornukaempferia is a recently described genus of Zingiberaceae which only occurs in Thailand as a rare genus with limited geographical distribution. Only three species have been described so far, including a recently described new species, C. larsenii. These three species are morphologically very similar and additional data on other biological aspects are useful for the elucidation of their relationship. Pollen morphology of all three species of genus Cornukaempferia has been studied by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen grains are monad, spherical, inaperturate. The exine sculpture is echinate with psilate between the spines for C. aurantiflora and C. longipetiolata, or echinate with regulate between the spines for C. larsenii. This obser-vation helps support the taxonomic status of C. larsenii.     

Genetic variation and species identification of Thai Boesenbergia (Zingiberaceae) analyzed by chloroplast DNA polymorphism

Genetic variation and molecular phylogeny of 22 taxa representing 14 extant species and 3 unidentified taxa of Boesenbergia in Thailand and four outgroup species (Cornukaempferia aurantiflora, Hedychium biflorum, Kaempferia parviflora, and Scaphochlamys rubescens) were examined by sequencing of 3 chloroplast (cp) DNA regions (matK, psbA-trnH and petA-psbJ). Low interspecific genetic divergence (0.25-1.74%) were observed in these investigated taxa. The 50% majority-rule consensus tree constructed from combined chloroplast DNA sequences allocated Boesenbergia in this study into 3 different groups. Using psbA-1F/psbA-3R primers, an insertion of 491 bp was observed in B. petiolata. Restriction analysis of the amplicon (380-410 bp) from the remaining species with Rsa I further differentiated Boesenbergia to 2 groupings; I (B. basispicata, B. longiflora, B. longipes, B. plicata, B.pulcherrima, B. tenuispicata, B. thorelii, B. xiphostachya, Boesenbergia sp.1 and Boesenbergia sp.3; phylogenetic clade A) that possesses a Rsa I restriction site and II (B.curtisii, B. regalis, B. rotunda and Boesenbergia sp.2; phylogenetic clade B and B. siamensis; phylogenetic clade C) that lacks a restriction site of Rsa I. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and indels found can be unambiguously applied to authenticate specie-origin of all investigated samples and revealed that Boesenbergia sp.1, Boesenbergia sp.2 and B. pulcherrima (Mahidol University, Kanchanaburi), B. cf. pulcherrima1 (Prachuap Khiri Khan) and B. cf. pulcherrima2 (Thong Pha Phum, Kanchanaburi) are B. plicata, B. rotunda and B. pulcherrima, respectively. In addition, molecular data also suggested that Boesenbergia sp.3 should be further differentiated from B. longiflora and regarded as a newly unidentified Boesenbergia species.     

Cytogenetics and taxonomy of the genus Globba L. (Zingiberaceae) in Malaya

Hexaploid chromosomal races of Globba cernua Bak. and G. patens Miq. show overlap in geographical distribution. Hybrid swarms in three separate localities on the Main Range in Malaya are analysed both morphologically and cytologically. Evidence indicates that introgressive hybridization of G. cernua Bak. by G. patens Miq. has taken place.     

Further studies on the genus Berkeleya Grev.

Detailed light and electron microscopical studies on the diatom genus Berkeleya Grev. clarify relationships between the four species and support the separtion of B. fragilis and B. micans as two distinct taxa.     

Further studies on the phylogenesis of the genus Exophiala and Hortaea

The conidial ontogenesis of the pathogenic black yeasts is studied at an ultrastructural level and their phylogenesis is discussed. Five cultures of Exophiala dermatitidis, four of E. jeanselmei, one of E. moniliae, one of E. spinifera and six of H. werneckii were observed using a scanning electron microscope.The conidial ontogenesis of the Exophiala species is not pleomorphic but only annellidic. There are definite differences in morphology of annellated tips among the Exophiala species. The ontogenesis of Hortaea werneckii consists of a combination of sympodial and annellidic conidiogenesis. Its sympodial anamorph is unique and the annellidic anamorph is considered to be a homology of the sympodial one.     

Cytological studies on the genus Holcoglossum (Orchidaceae)

The karyotypes of ten species of Holcoglossum (Orchidaceae), a highly endangered and diversified genus from China, were investigated to study the infrageneric relationships, biogeography, and speciation patterns in the Hengduan Mountains. The karyotype formulae of the studied species are as follows: 2 n  = 38 = 20m + 18sm in H. subulifolium , 2 n  = 38 = 22m + 16sm in H. amesianum , 2 n  = 38 = 26m + 12sm (6 SAT) in H. lingulatum , 2 n  = 38 = 26m + 12sm in H. wangii , 2 n  = 38 = 10m + 28sm in H. kimballianum , 2 n  = 38 = 14m + 22sm + 2st in H. flavescens , 2 n  = 38 = 24m + 12sm + 2st in H. rupestre , 2 n  = 38 = 14m + 20sm + 4st in H. sinicum , 2 n  = 38 = 16m + 14sm + 8st in H. weixiense , and 2 n  = 76 in H. tsii . The karyotypes of two tropical species, H. amesianum and H. subulifolium , are the most primitive in the genus, whereas those of four temperate alpine species, H. sinicum , H. rupestre , H. weixiense , and H. flavescens , are more advanced. H. tsii is a tetraploid and H. rupestr e may be one of its ancestors. The low frequency of polyploidy in Holcoglossum in the Hengduan Mountains region supports the conclusion that chromosome stasis during rapid speciation is common there.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 154 , 283–288.     

Taxonomic studies in the genus Peristylus (Orchidaceae) in Thailand

A taxonomic review of the Thai species of the orchid genus Peristylus is presented. Seventeen species are recognised, five of them new to Thailand. Peristylus rigidus and P. phuwuaensis are endemic species, new to science, and the widespread P. maingayi and P. mannii have recently been newly recorded in the country. In addition, two further collections do not match any known Thai species, but very much resemble P. nematocaulon from the Himalayas and China. The present study will form the basis for the taxonomic account of Peristylus in the Flora of Thailand.     

The molecular phylogeny of Alpinia (Zingiberaceae): a complex and polyphyletic genus of gingers

Alpinia is the largest, most widespread, and most taxonomically complex genus in the Zingiberaceae with 230 species occurring throughout tropical and subtropical Asia. Species of Alpinia often predominate in the understory of forests, while others are important ornamentals and medicinals. Investigations of the evolutionary relationships of a subset of species of Alpinia using DNA sequence-based methods specifically test the monophyly of the genus and the validity of the previous classifications. Seventy-two species of Alpinia, 27 non-Alpinia species in the subfamily Alpinioideae, eight species in the subfamily Zingiberoideae, one species in the subfamily Tamijioideae, and three species in the outgroup genus Siphonochilus (Siphonochiloideae) were sequenced for the plastid matK region and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) loci. Parsimony analyses of both individual and combined data sets identified six polyphyletic clades containing species of Alpinia distributed across the tribe Alpinieae. These results were supported by a Bayesian analysis of the combined data set. Except in a few specific cases, these monophyletic groupings of species do not correspond with either Schumann's (1904) or Smith's (1990) classification of the genus. Here we build on previous molecular analyses of the Alpinioideae and propose the next steps necessary to recognize new generic boundaries in the Alpinieae.