Books received

Chromolaena ternicapitulata is described from Sierra de Maigualida in T. F. Amazonas and a key to the species of Chromolaena from Guayana is given. Newly documented for the flora of Venezuela are M. aschersonii Hieron. and M. amazonica Baker, the second herein resurrected from the synonymy of common and widespread M. sprucei Baker. Mikania karsteniana Klot. ex Hieron. is not considered synonymous with M. pannosa Baker, thus the latter is again considered to be endemic to Guayana.     

Materials for the fungus flora of Japan (53)

Two interesting ascomycetes are described as new to Japan:Ascotricha amesii (Xylariaceae), isolated from garden soil in Osaka; andAuxarthron reticulatum, isolated from forest soil in Tokyo. ADicyma anamorph is associated with the former species. (52): Tubaki, K., Tokumasu, S. and Konno, M., Nippon Kingakukai Kaiho38: 249–250. 1997.     

Population structure,gene diversity,and differentiation in natural populations of Cedar pines (Pinus subsect.Cembrae,Pinaceae) in the USSR

Twelve natural populations of four cedar pine species,Pinus sibirica, P. cembra, P. pumila, andP. koraiensis, occurring in the Soviet Union were investigated by starch-gel electrophoresis. Frequencies of 55 alleles at 19 loci were determined. Interpopulation genetic diversity inP. sibirica andP. pumila was only 2–4 per cent of the total genetic diversity. Nei's distance coefficient (Dn) was used to estimate the level of genetic differentiation among conspecific populations and among species. Dn values among populations ranged from 0.006 to 0.038. A dendrogram constructed using Dn values divided cedar pines species into 2 clusters:sibirica-cembra (Dn = 0.030) andpumila-koraiensis (Dn = 0.143). Nei's distance between these clusters was 0.232. On the basis of the data obtained it was possible to draw the following conclusion:P. sibirica, P. pumila, andP. koraiensis are distinct species, whileP. cembra should apparently be regarded as geographicalP. sibirica race.     

Zapoteca quichoi (Leguminosae, Mimosoideae), a new species from southeastern Mexico

Zapoteca quichoi, a new species endemic to southern Tabasco, Mexico, is described and illustrated. This species exhibits morphological characteristics that place it within subgenus Amazonica, together with Z. amazonica and Z. microcephala, from Peru and Colombia, respectively.

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Resumen  Se describe e ilustra Zapoteca quichoi (Leguminosae, Mimosoideae), una nueva especie de Tabasco, México. Esta especie exhibe características morfológicas que la ubican dentro del subgénero Amazonica, junto con Z. amazonica y Z. microcephala, especies nativas de Perú y Colombia respectivamente.

     

Pollination ofNuphar (Nymphaeaceae) in Europe: Flies and bees rather thanDonacia beetles

Nuphar (Nymphaeaceae) comprises a small holarctic group of aquatic perennials whose flowers are pollinated by flies, bees, and beetles. We studied pollination in different populations of the two European speciesN. lutea andN. pumila in Norway and in Germany. Flowers are self-compatible and protogynous, preventing automatic selfing, and insect pollination is required for seed production. Sympatric populations were studied in Vest-Agder county in Norway to determine whetherN. lutea andN. pumila have the same or different pollinators. Allopatric populations ofN. lutea in Germany and Norway were then compared to determine whether their pollinator spectra differ as would be expected in an open flower with seemingly easily accessible pollen and nectar. Results of the present as well as previous studies of the pollination ofN. lutea andN. pumila show that both species are mainly pollinated by flies, including apparentNuphar specialists, such as the scatophagidHydromyza livens and the ephydridsHydrellia andNotiphila, the last also a long-known pollinator ofN. advena in Florida. Pollinator overlap between sympatric heterospecific populations was small, while allopatric conspecific populations had similar visitor and pollinator spectra. We found no evidence of pollination byDonacia beetles as reported from some North American populations ofNuphar. Dedicated to Univ.-Prof. DrF. Ehrendorfer on the occasion of his 70th birthday     

Increments to the genus Mimosa (Mimosaceae) from South America

Four new species are described and discussed: from BoliviaM. (sect.Habbasia ser.Setosae)huanchacae; from SE brazilM. (sect.Habbasia ser.Pachycarpae)chiliomera andM. (sect.Mimosa)murex; and from EcuadorM. (sect.Mimosa subser.Polycarpae)Loxensis. The two Brazilian species are illustrated.     

Taxonomic studies in the Miconieae (Melastomataceae). VII. Miconia howardiana,a new speices from Hispaniola

Miconia howardiana, which is known only from a diverse moist montane forest in the vicinity of Loma Trocha de Pey (or “Monteada Nueva”), the easternmost peak of the Sierra de Baoruco, is described and illustrated. It is compared to phenetically similar (and probably phylogenetically related) species of theMiconia favosa complex, i.e.,M. favosa, M. xenotricha, M. campanensis M. Sintenisii, M. foveolata, andM. pycnoneura. The species of this complex are characterized by bullate leaves with frequently cordate bases and often six secondary veins. Most species also have large berries and flowers, 5-locular ovaries, large inflorescence bracts and bracteoles, and more or less dendritic multicellular hairs.     

Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) in Mexico and Central America: a synopsis

As a result of a recent alpha-taxonomic study of the genusMagnolia s. str. in Mexico and Central America, four new species and four new subspecies ofMagnolia sect.Theorhodon are proposed, includingM. iltisiana, M. panamensis, M. tamaulipana, M. sororum subsp.lutea, andM. pacifica, consisting of three subspecies:pacifica, pugana, andtarahumara. Additionally, a new combination,M. guatemalensis subsp.hondurensis, is made, and a new section,M. sect.Splendentes, is erected for the Caribbean species. The results have implications for understandingMagnolia biogeography, andM. tamaulipana has potential for horticulture in temperate zones. Keys to genera, sections, and species, and maps of species distributions are presented.Magnolia grandiflora L. andM. schiedeana Schltdl. are lectotypified. Como resultado de un estudio alfa-taxonómico reciente del géneroMagnolia s.str. en México y Centro América, se proponen cuatro especies nuevas y cuatro subespecies nuevas deMagnolia sect.Theorhodon, incluyendoM. iltisiana, M. panamensis, M. tamaulipana, M. sororum subsp.lutea y.M. pacifica, la última consiste de tres subespecies:pacifica, pugana ytarahumara. Adicionalmente, se hace la combinaciónM. guatemalensis subsp.hondurensis y se erigeM. sect.Splendentes para las especies del Caribe. Los hallazgos tienen implicaciones en el entendimiento de la biogeografia deMagnolia y.M. tamaulipana tiene potencial en la horticultura de zonas templadas. Se presentan claves para géneros, secciones y especies, y mapas de distribución para las especies.Magnolia grandiflora L. yM. schiedeana Schltdl. son lectotipificadas.     

Spatial distribution of cpDNA and mtDNA haplotypes in a hybrid zone betweenPinus pumila andP. parviflora var.pentaphylla (Pinaceae)

Pinus species exhibit paternal chloroplast inheritance and maternal mitochondrial inheritance. This independent inheritance of two cytoplasmic genomes provides an exceptional environment for discriminating female (seeds) and male (pollen) components of gene flow across hybridizing species. We obtained mitochondrial genetic markers diagnostic toP. parviflora var.pentaphylla andP. pumila by PCR amplification of the intron ofnad1 on mtDNA, and examined the spatial-distribution pattern of the mtDNA haplotypes in a hybrid zone betweenP. parviflora var.pentaphylla andP. pumila in the Tanigawa Mountains of Japan. These data, in conjunction with previous information on cpDNA haplotypes and needle morphology, revealed contrastive patterns of introgression of two cytoplasmic genomes. CpDNA introgression has occurred uni-directionally fromP. parviflora var.pentaphylla toP. pumila. Conversely, mtDNA introgression has occurred in the opposite direction, fromP. pumila toP. parviflora var.pentaphylla. Levels of introgression are roughly equivalent for cpDNA and mtDNA. The contrastive spatial distribution pattern of cpDNA and mtDNA haplotypes could be caused by differential movement of seeds and pollen for interspecific genetic exchange.     

Chloroplast DNA typing by PCR-SSCP in thePinus pumila-P. parviflora var.pentaphylla complex (Pinaceae)

Pinus hakkodensis has been considered as a hybrid betweenP. pumila andP. parviflora var.pentaphylla. Chloroplast DNA typing of this putative hybrid and hypothesized parental species in the Tanigawa Mountains, Japan, was conducted by PCR and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) of the intergenic spacer betweentrnL(UAA)3′ exon andtrnF(GAA) of cpDNA. Each of the hypothesized parental species collected from other mountain regions displayed a diagnostic SSCP pattern, whereas all morphological intermediates sampled in the Tanigawa Mountains had the SSCP pattern ofP. parviflora var.pentaphylla. Furthermore, some individuals classified on the basis of needle morphology as belonging toP. pumila in this mountain region showed the SSCP pattern ofP. parviflora var.pentaphylla. This may suggest that pollen-mediated uni-directional introgression fromP. parviflora var.pentaphylla toP. pumila occurs in the Tanigawa Mountains.     

Establishment and growth pattern of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus pumila</Emphasis> under a forest canopy in central Kamchatka

We investigated the spatial distribution and growth of the Siberian dwarf pine (Pinus pumila) in a valley–foothill larch–birch (Larix cajanderi–Betula platyphylla as canopy trees) mixed forest of fire origin located in central Kamchatka with the aim of elucidating the ecological features of P. pumila when it is an undergrowth species in a forest. The spatial distribution of all individuals of all tree species was clumped, and the spatial distribution of the two canopy tree species did not repulsively affect that of P. pumila (i.e., its establishment site). These results suggest that the regeneration of P. pumila does not depend on canopy gaps. However, the analysis using a growth model indicated that the canopy trees negatively affected the growth of P. pumila and that the negative effect of L. cajanderi on P. pumila growth was stronger than that of B. platyphylla. The direction of the crown extension of P. pumila was weakly related to the open-space direction. Our results suggest that, although the spatial pattern of establishment of P. pumila is not repulsed by the distribution of canopy trees, the crown can spread horizontally toward the more sparsely populated areas of the canopy trees where they may have higher growth rates.     

Litter decomposing and ectomycorrhizalBasidiomycetes in an igapó forest

An igapó forest near the confluence of Rio Tarumã Mirim (Tarumãzinho) and Rio Negro has been studied. It is a typical ectotroph forest with a raw humus layer and suppressed litter decomposing activity by Higher (i.e., carpophore-producing) Fungi. The number of the latter is about one-fifth of that observed in the (anectotrophic) terra firme forest. All ectotrophically mycorrhizal fungi observed belonged in three families:Amanitaceae, Boletaceae, Russulaceae. Leguminosae are dominant, and of theseAldina latifolia andSwartzia cf.polyphylla were demonstrably ectomycorrhizal. The scarcity of mineral nutrients in the soils of igapó, campinarana and campina is overcome by direct cycling through ectomycorrhizae. This is in contrast to other black- and white-water inundated forest communities in Amazonia.Litter Decomposition and Ectomycorrhiza in Amazonian Forests3. Previous contributions seeSinger & Araujo (1979) andSinger & al. (1983).     

Two new Marina (Leguminosae) from the southern Baja California peninsula, Mexico

Marina victoriae andM. brevis are newly described species from the southern Baja California peninsula, Mexico. The former is a perennial herb locally abundant in the eroded hillsides at the foothills of Sierra de la Victoria, where an oak woodland and a dry tropical forest meet. The latter is an elusive ephemeral inhabiting a narrow strip of land between the mangroves and the desert scrub on an island in the Gulf of California. These two new species belong to the seriesChrysorrhizae, a group native to the Gulf of California basin.     

Two news species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Erythroxylum</Emphasis> (Erythroxylaceae) from Ecuador and Peru

Two new species of Erythroxylum from the Amotape-Huancabamba region are described and illustrated. Erythroxylum dillonii occurs in the arid zones of northern Peru, and Erythroxylum gentryi is known only from the Ecuadorian side of Cordillera del Condor. Their habitats and taxonomic relationships are discussed.     

Identification of a rust fungus onPinus pumila collected in the North Kurils, Russia

Morphological examination and PCR-RFLP analysis of the D1/D2 region in nuclear LSU rDNA were carried out to identify a rust fungus onPinus pumila collected in the North Kurils, Russia. Morphologically, the rust from the North Kurils was similar toPeridermium kurilense andEndocronartium sahoanum var.hokkaidoense in the spore surface structure, dimension and shape. In the RFLPs of the D1/D2 region it was identical toE. sahoanum var.hokkaidoense andE. sahoanum var.sahoanum, but distinct fromCronartium ribicola. Therefore, the rust fungus onP. pumila collected in the North Kurils was identified asE. sahoanum var.hokkaidoense. It was also clarified that a rust reported previously asP. kurilense was also identical withE. sahoanum var.hokkaidoense.     

Gas Exchange and Water Use Efficiency of Three Native Tree Species in Hunshandak Sandland of China

Only three tree species, i.e. Ulmus pumila, Malus baccata, and Prunus padus, are distributed in Hunshandak Sandland (HS) in Inner Mongolia, China. Field studies of gas exchange and chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence of these three tree species were conducted in three arid periods of growth season 2002. Net photosynthetic rate (P _N), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (g _s), and F_v/F_m of U. pumila were higher than in M. baccata and P. padus, especially in the midday. Hence M. baccata and P. padus were more sensitive to high temperature and irradiance than U. pumila in HS. This may be a reason for wide distribution of U. pumila in HS. M. baccata and P. padus are adapted to the back slope of fixed dune, because the micro-habitat is relatively cool and less irradiated than the slope facing sun. Water use efficiency (WUE) of U. pumila was lower than that of M. baccata and P. padus, and thus U. pumila does not form forests in this region, because the soil is dry. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Materials for the fungus flora of Japan (57)

Two microfungi are described as new to Japan:Amaurascopsis reticulatus (Amauroascaceae, Ascomycetes), isolated from forest soil in Kamakura, has not been recorded since it was originally found and is characterized by yellow to orange-red ascomata with undifferentiated peridial hyphae and globose ascospores with contorted ridges appearing irregularly punctate-reticulate; andHobsonia mirabilis (helicosporous hyphomycete), isolated from the cut stem of a thistle in Hachijo-jima, is characterized by gelatinous sporodochia and hyaline, tortuously coiled conidia. (56): Okuda, T. and Yamamoto, K., Mycoscience41: 411–414, 2000.     

New species of Hypolytrum Rich. (Cyperaceae) from the Neotropics

Five new species ofHypolytrum Rich. from South America are described and illustrated.Hypolytrum amorimii andH. jardimii, both of sect.Bullata T. Koyama, are species with pseudopetioles and colored leaves, and endemic to the rain forest of southeastern Brazil.Hypolytrum bahiense (sect.Hypolytrum), a species with a lax synflorescence and two, free and lightly scabridulous floral bracts, is endemic to the rain forest of southeastern Bahia, Brazil.Hypolytrum leptocalamum (sect.Hypolytrum), a species with lax synflorescence and spike ellipsoid to cylindrical, is restricted to area of tepuis in the Guayana Highland (Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela).Hypolytrum paraense (sect.Hypolytrum), a species with three, partly connate and densely scabridulous floral bracts, is restricted to the rain forest of the Amazon Basin, in the state of Pará, Brazil.     

Phylogenetic relationships of the Japanese minnows,Pseudorasbora (Cyprinidae), as inferred from mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene sequences

The phylogenetic relationships among threePseudorasbora fishes (Cyprinidae, Sarcocheiichthyinae) occurring in Japan (P. parva, P. pumila pumila andP. pumila subsp. sensu Nakamura [1963]) were inferred from nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. The sequences. of 1240 bp, were determined and compared for 22 specimens from 2–8 populations for each taxon, with a singlePungtungia herzi specimen as an outgroup. A total of 171 sites (13.8%) were variable among the specimens, but only 0–2 sites within each population. The phylogenetic relationships estimated by neighbor-joining, maximum-parsimony and maximum-likelihood methods confirmed a sister relationship between the twoP. pumila subspecies, with a high level of confidence. However, their genetic distinction from each other (4.1±0.4SD % sequence difference on average) was at a level similar to that between them andP. parva (5.9±0.5%). The geographic distribution of the twoP. pumila subspecies, which are separated by the Fossa Magna region, suggests that the genetic divergence of the two subspecies originated from a vicariant process separating the freshwater ichthyofaunas of eastern and western Honshu.Pseudorasbora parva populations were divided into two genetic groups (1.8±0.2% sequence difference), one group comprising continental and part of the Japanese populations, and the other the remaining Japanese populations. This suggests that at least two genetically divergent lineages had been originally distributed in Japan, but a strong possibility remains that the present situation has resulted from artificial transplantation.     

Laminar hydathodes inUrticaceae: Survey of tribes and anatomical observations onPilea pumila andUrtica dioica

Laminar hydathodes are known from only three dicot families. InUrticaceae they are associated with minor vein junctions in all five tribes, as surveyed from cleared leaves of 43 species in 30 genera. Only one species lacked hydathodes. Exclusively adaxial hydathodes were found in 28 genera. In tribeElatostemeae, laminar hydathodes inPilea andPellionia species are abaxial, adaxial, or on both surfaces. Guttation was observed in four species.Urtica dioica (adaxial) andPilea pumila (abaxial) were studied anatomically in detail. Hydathodes in the former have normal bundle structure but xylem gaps sometimes occur. In the latter, phloem is displaced in three previously undescribed ways: 1) ends abruptly near hydathode, 2) curves into connecting vein at adjacent junction, or 3) departs xylem, skirts hydathode independently, and rejoins adjacent xylem strand. Laminar hydathodes are a unifying character of theUrticaceae, and they also strengthen its close relationship to theMoraceae.