Nutlet sculpturing of selectedTeucrium species (Lamiaceae): A character of taxonomic significance

Nutlet sculpturing of 23Teucrium species belonging to six sections was studied. The nutlets of analysed species were characterized by the presence of the oil glands of various density. SectionTeucrium is well defined by very densely distributed trichomes and oil glands on nutlets. Trichomes on nutlets were absent in all other species, except inT. marum from sect.Chamaedrys. Sect.Polium is a homogeneous group, distinguished from the other sections. There are some similarities of this sect. with sect.Scordium. Species of sect.Chamaedrys are heterogeneous and overlap according to the surface sculpturing characters with the other sections. The significance of nutlet microcharacters as additional taxonomical markers in the infrageneric classification of the genusTeucrium is discussed.     

Nutlet morphology in Hemigenia R.Br. and Microcorys R.Br. (Lamiaceae)

Nutlets of Hemigenia R.Br. and Microcorys R.Br. were examined using SEM. Significant variation, mainly useful at the infrageneric level, was found in nutlet shape, nature of the attachment scar, nature of surface sculpturing, exocarp cell shape and sculpturing, and nature of the indumentum. Typical nutlets are ovoidal, strongly reticulate or rugose. The exocarp cells are isodiametric and convex to papillate. Also common are cylindrical nutlets, often with longitudinal ridging and papillate exocarp cells. Surface pitting and concave exocarp cells are rare. A cladistic analysis of nutlet characters suggests both Hemigenia and Microcorys are polyphyletic, and Microcorys paraphyletic with respect to Westringia Sm. Notwithstanding that, the infrageneric classification of Hemigenia was largely supported, while in Microcorys, there was support for sect. Hemigenioides, but sects Anisandra and Microcorys were not resolved as distinct.     

薹草属少花薹草组（莎草科）小坚果形态和微形态及其分类学意义

利用扫描电镜对少花薹草组（Carex sect. Paniceae）27种及4变种（东亚14种4变种,北美13种）小坚果形态与微形态特征进行比较观察。结果表明（：1）所有材料小坚果的形状为倒卵球形和钝三棱状,组内很一致,长度为1.53～3.59 mm,同种不同居群个体差异不显著（P>0.05）。（2）表皮细胞一般为五至七边形,偶有四边形或八边形,丝柄薹草（C. rouyana）不同个体间有变异;垂周璧式样直或微波状;硅质台平,偶有凹或略凸,具1个中心体,C. filipes var. kuzakaiensis和C. filipes var. tremula中偶见2个中心体,无卫星体,这些性状种内稳定。（3）利用表皮细胞形状、硅质台凹凸情况和中心体个数对于区分近似种具有价值,如白马薹草（C. baimaensis）和线柄薹草（C. filipes）,且可以区分一些种下等级,如线柄薹草及其变种var. kuzakaiensis、var. oligostachys和var. tremula。（4）sect. Paniceae s.s.和sect. Laxiflorae小坚果形态和微形态...     

A taxonomical revision ofThymus sect.Teucrioides (Lamiaceae)

TheThymus teucrioides Boiss. & Spruner aggregate is revised and the following new taxa, all from the alpine zone in the Greek mountains, are described:Th. leucospermus Hartvig from the calcareous mountains of Pindhos and Mt Parnassos in Sterea Ellas,Th. rechingeri Hartvig with the subsp.macrocalyx Hartvig from calcareous mountains in Sterea Ellas and N Peloponnissos, andTh. teucrioides subsp.alpinus Hartvig from the serpentine areas of N Pindhos. In the variableTh. teucrioides s. str. many characters have turned out to be markedly geographically correlated and many local populations can be distinguished by a particular combination of characters.Dedicated to Prof.K. H. Rechinger on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

Morphological studies on the nutlet of Turkish Cyclotrichium Manden. & Scheng. (Lamiaceae)

Morphological characters of the nutlets of Cyclotrichium Manden. & Scheng. in Turkey were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The genus Cyclotrichium is represented by six species in Turkey, of which two are endemic for Turkey. Nutlet morphology of the species was studied using stereoscopic microscopy and SEM, and the features were described and illustrated. Nutlet morphology of the examined specimens exhibits some variation in size, shape and sculpture. Nutlets range from 1.1 to 2.0 mm in length and 0.5 to 1.0 mm in width and are elliptic, oblong to ovoid and trigonous in shape. Nutlet sculpture can be divided into two main types: distinctly or weakly reticulate pattern in C. niveum, C. origanifolium, C. longiflorum and rounded cell arrangement in the remaining species. Micromorphological characters could be useful in solving taxonomic problems of Cyclotrichium.     

10种金花茶组植物的花粉形态及分类学意义

金花茶组(Sect.Chrysantha)植物具有很高的观赏价值,但其分类存在争议.为探讨金花茶组植物花粉的形态特征和分类学意义,该研究用扫描电镜观察了10种金花茶的花粉形状、外壁纹饰以及穿孔特征,统计了极轴长、赤道轴长和萌发沟长,并进行聚类分析.结果表明:(1)10种供试金花茶植物花粉为中粒花粉,大部分花粉形状呈近球...     

Electrophoretic seed albumin patterns and species relationships inVicia sect.Faba (Fabaceae)

Electrophoretic analysis of seed albumins (PAGE) covered 173 accessions representing nine species ofVicia sect.Faba. The number of albumin bands recorded in particular species varied from three inV. eristaloides to 23 inV. faba; in total, 38 bands were distinguished in the investigated material. The examined species, exceptV. eristalioides, showed intraspecific variation with respect to the number and relative staining intensity of albumin bands; individual variation was especially marked inV. faba and inV. narbonensis. Hierarchical clustering of the investigated taxa was based onBhattacharyya distances calculated from the electrophoretic data. The taxa grouped in three main clusters.Vicia faba and the rather remotely relatedV. kalakhensis formed one cluster. The second cluster was composed ofV. narbonensis distantly related toV. hyaeniscyamus. The third cluster comprised three subgroups: 1.V. johannis, V. galilaea andV. serratifolia, 2.V. eristalioides, and 3.V. bithynica. The obtained results are discussed with reference to taxonomic relationships inVicia sect.Faba.     

Chromosomal evolution inEpilobium sect.Epilobium (Onagraceae)

WithinEpilobium sect.Epilobium, a cytological analysis of 121 experimental hybrids, involving 40 species, indicates the presence of a widespread BB chromosome arrangement in Eurasia, Africa, and Australasia, as well as in North and South America less commonly. The AA chromosome arrangement, which differs from BB by one reciprocal translocation, occurs in North America, South America, and in at least three European species. The CC arrangement, which differs from AA by two reciprocal translocations, characterizes theAlpinae, a circumboreal group. Distinctive or only partly worked out chromosome arrangements occur in the EuropeanE. duriaei andE. nutans and in the North AmericanE. luteum, E. obcordatum, E. oregonense, andE. rigidum. With earlier results, the chromosome arrangements of some 65 of the estimated 185 species of the section have been established fully or partly.     

Hair morphology inPlantago sect.Coronopus (Plantaginaceae)

The presence of bottle-like hairs has been described in four hitherto uninvestigated taxa ofPlantago sect.Coronopus sensuDietrich. This hair type is a feature characteristic of sect.Coronopus.     

Leaf micromorphology inAgathis and its taxonomic implications

This study surveys the micromorphological surface structure of the leaves of the conifer genusAgathis (Araucariaceae) from throughout the range of the genus (Malaysia to New Zealand and Fiji) as seen with the scanning electron microscope. These data confirm that the vegetative parts ofAgathis are taxonomically highly conservative, but suggest the Melanesian and New Zealand elements to be distinctive from those of the rest of the genus, and from one another. Conclusions are compared with those that have been derived from studies based on other characters.     

Biosystematic studies inTulipa sect.Eriostemones (Liliaceae)

Evolutionary relationships and infra- and interspecific variability within the species ofTulipa sect.Eriostemones Boissier were studied. Measurements of 35 morphological characters were used for principal component and canonical variate analyses. Crossing experiments and chromosome counts were carried out. Two axes of morphological variation were encountered within the principal component plot. Variation of subsect.Biflores was traced along one axis, the species of subsect.Australes as well asSaxatiles were found along the other axis. The nomenclature of names of subsect.Biflores was considered on the basis of their geography, specific morphological characteristics and polyploidy. Conspecificity of names of all species was tested based on both morphology and crossability.     

Delimitation ofPelargonium sect.Glaucophyllum (Geraniaceae)

Pelargonium otaviense Knuth andP. spinosum Willd. are excluded from sect.Glaucophyllum, whileP. grandiflorum (Andr.)Willd.,P. patulum Jacq. andP. tabulare (Burm. f.)L'Hérit. of sect.Eumorpha are included. Sect.Glaucophyllum is characterized by green to glaucous vegetative organs and zygomorphic white to pink corolla with five narrow petals. All the species have an identical pollen and chromosome morphology, the same basic chromosome number (x = 11) and similar flavonoid patterns. A close relationship between sect.Glaucophyllum and sect.Pelargonium is indicated by the occurrence of natural hybrids and concordant characters. Isorhamnetin and luteolin have been detected in the genus for the first time.     

Taxonomy of North and Central American diploid wild potato (Solanum sect. Petota) species: AFLP data

Solanum section Petota, the potato and its wild relatives, includes about 200 wild species distributed from the southwestern United States to central Argentina and adjacent Chile, with about 30 species in North and Central America. The North/Central American region and the South American region all include diploids, tetraploids, and hexaploids. Chloroplast DNA restriction enzyme data from a prior study showed that 13 of the North/Central American species formed a clade containing only diploids, but there was low resolution within the clade. This Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) study is conducted to provide additional resolution within the North/Central American diploids and complements the chloroplast results, and prior morphological results. Wagner parsimony and phenetic analyses mostly agreed with the morphological data in supporting currently recognized species except that they suggest that S. brachistotrichium and S. stenophyllidium are conspecific. Our new AFLP data, in combination with the cpDNA and morphological data, also support sister taxon relationships for the following diploid species from North and Central America: 1) S. cardiophyllum subsp. ehrenbergii and S. stenophyllidium, 2) S. tarnii and S. trifidum, 3) S. jamesii and S. pinnatisectum, 4) S. lesteri and S. polyadenium, and 5) S. clarum and S. morelliforme.This work represents partial fulfillment for the requirements of a Ph.D. degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We thank committee members Paul Berry, Michael Havey, Thomas Osborn, and Kenneth Sytsma. We also thank John Bamberg and Staff of the Unites States Potato Genebank for germplasm and locality data; Charles Nicolet and staff of the University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center for technical help; Lynn Hummel and staff at Walnut Street Greenhouse for help in growing plants; and lab partners Brian Karas, Iris Peralta, Celeste Raker, and Sarah Stephenson for technical advice. This study was supported by CONACYT (Mexico) scholarship number 116742 granted to Sabina I. Lara-Cabrera, and the United States Department of Agriculture. Names are necessary to report data. However, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by the USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable.     

Synopsis ofVerbesina sect.Ochractinia (Asteraceae)

A taxonomic revision ofVerbesina sect.Ochractinia is presented. 40 species plus 7 additional infraspecific taxa are recognized. A table of the distribution of the species, key to the species and synonymy are included. Relationships to other sections ofVerbesina and species relationships within sect.Ochractinia are discussed.     

Investigations on the content of steroidal alkaloids and sapogenins withinSolanum sect.Solanum ( = sect.Morella) (Solanaceae)

Plant material of 55 strains from 32 species ofSolanum sect.Solanum ( = sect.Morella) has been investigated for the content of steroidal alkaloids and sapogenins. The leaf-extracts of all species contain diosgenin resp. tigogenin or both together in considerable amount. On the contrary the characteristic steroidal alkaloid solasodine was absent in these samples. For 29 species the presence of steroidal sapogenins has been proved for the first time. In unripe fruits, however, solasodine could be detected in most of the species examined. New occurences of solasodine are reported for seven further species. These chemical results may contribute to a better comprehension of the difficult genusSolanum.—Ontogenetic studies on different organs ofS. atriplicifolium show the relationship between accumulation of steroidal compounds and plant maturity.     

Utility of rDNA ITS sequences in the systematics ofTeucrium sectionPolium (Lamiaceae)

A phylogenetic study based on sequence data from the complete internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA for sect.Polium of the genusTeucrium shows both intersectional congruence and intrasectional incongruence with traditional morphological classifications. We attribute this incongruence largely to problems related to the polyploid complex studied. SectionPolium includes many poorly differentiated taxa of probable recent origin through hybridization followed by polyploidization. Both on the basis of parsimony and distance (Neighbor-Joining method) analyses,T. dunense andT. thymifolium are the species that diverge most from the sampled taxa. However, unlikeT. thymifolium, the morphology ofT. dunense is not much differentiated in relation to the other taxa. Both species are, nonetheless, the only sampled species to occupy isolated, exclusive environments and which may have undergone rapid evolution by a bottleneck effect.Teucrium dunense is found only on dunes along the Spanish and French coasts andT. thymifolium, a chasmophytic species with limited endemism, is found solely on limestone and dolomite cliffs in the low mountains in south-eastern Spain. A hypothesis is presented to explain the discrepancy between the observed comparatively large amount of ITS sequence divergence and the low morphological differentiation inT. dunense.     

Chemotaxonomic studies ofAsplenium sect.Hymenasplenium (Aspleniaceae)

We previously isolated and characterized a new free amino acid withd-configuration at the α-carbon,trans-3, 4-dehydro-d-2-aminopimelic acid and its related amino acids,d-2-aminopimelic acid and 4-hydroxy-l-2-aminopimelic acid fromAsplenium unilaterale. In this paper, we report that the biosynthetic relationshps among these three amino acids were studied using¹⁴C-and³H-labeled compounds as tracers. Glutamate and aspartate were shown to be good precursors and it was suggested that 4-hydroxy-l-2-aminopimelic acid is biosynthesized first and the twod-amino acids are derived from it. Furthermore, the distribution patterns of these non-protein amino acids inAsplenium sect.Hymenasplenium were examined in detail and they were evaluated by their biosynthetic pathway. Morphological characters especially on their rhizomes were also examined and their character phylogeny was determined by outgroup comparison. Taking all the characters available into account, the phylogenetic relationship among 7 species ofAsplenium sect.Hymenasplenium in Japan and Taiwan is discussed by the transformed cladistic method.