Two new species ofMarasmius from eastern Honshu, Japan

Two new species belonging toMarasmius (Agaricales) are described and illustrated from eastern Honshu, Japan:Marasmius capitatus sp. nov. (sectionEpiphylli), forming capitate cystidia and small basidiomata with a membranous, white pileus and a minutely pubescent, filiform stipe without basal mycelium, was found on dead fallen leaves ofCryptomeria japonica; Marasmius nivicola sp. nov. (sectionGlobulares), having entirely white, collybioid basidiomata with a furfuraceous to pruinose stipe and distinctly intervenose lamellae, was found on leaf litter of broad-leaved forest.     

Three new species ofMarasmius sectionSicci from eastern Honshu, Japan

Three new species belonging toMarasmius sectionSicci (Agaricales) are described and illustrated from eastern Honshu, Japan:Marasmius nocturnus sp. nov., forming a dark brown pileus and marginate lamellae, was found on leaf litter inPasania—Quercus forests;Marasmius occultatus sp. nov., producing brownish orange or light brown basidiomata and long, cylindrical-fusoid basidiospores, was found on dead fallen twigs ofAphananthe aspera andQuercus myrsinaefolia;Marasmius opulentus sp. nov., having a reddish orange pileus and a pubescent stipe, was found on leaf litter in laurel-leaved forest.     

Marasmius brunneospermus, a new species ofMarasmius sectionGlobulares from central Honshu, Japan

A new species ofMarasmius sectionGlobulares, Marasmius brunneospermus sp. nov., found in the lowland forest of Kanagawa and Chiba, Japan, is described and illustrated. This species is characterized by a hygrophanous pileus with rugulose-reticulate disk, well-developed basal mycelium attached to an extensive mycelial mat in leaf litter, and conspicuous fusoid-ventricose pleurocystidia. In addition, its brown spore print mottled with white parts is unusual as an infrageneric character in the genusMarasmius.     

Mating studies, new species, and new reports of Marasmius from northern Thailand

The mating systems operating in seven species of Marasmius collected recently in northern Thailand were determined. Marasmius cremeus belonging to sect. Sicci subsect. Siccini ser. Leonini, and Marasmius straminiceps belonging to sect. Marasmius subsect. Sicciformes are described as new species. Five members of sect. Marasmius were tetrapolar (bifactorial), viz. M. apatelius, M. guyanensis, M. nigrobrunneus, M. ruforotula, and M. straminiceps. Two members of sect. Sicci were bipolar (unifactorial), viz., M. corneri (syn. M. incarnatus) and M. cremeus. Our data support the hypothesis that the mating system is consistent within infrageneric taxa. The seven species that are herein described, illustrated, and compared with phenetically similar species represent the first reports for this genus in Thailand.     

New species of Cuphea section Melvilla (Lythraceae) and an annotated key to the section

Three novelties inCuphea sectionMelvilla subsect.Pachycalyx are described from Brazil;C. andersonii andC. cylindracea from Pará, andC. sabulosa from Amazonas. An annotated key to the 47 species ofCuphea sectionMelvilla is provided, the first since the 1903 monograph of the family, which then included 27 species in the section. The key identifies those species ofCuphea with thick, dorsally convex, red- or yellow-tubed flowers distributed from Mexico to Argentina.     

New and noteworthy species in Begonia section Gireoudia (Begoniaceae) from Mexico

Two new species are described inBegonia sectionGireoudia:B. rafael-torresii andB. mariti.Begonia karwinskyana, known previously only from its type, is described more amply and discussed.     

Studies on Middle American Begonia (Begoniaceae) I

Begonia xilitlensis, a new species inBegonia sectionGireoudia from Mexico is described, illustrated, and discussed, and the taxonomic and nomenclatural status of two others,Begonia glandulosa andB. stigmosa, is evaluated with a lectotype chosen for the former.     

Four new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crinipellis </Emphasis>and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Marasmius </Emphasis>in eastern Honshu,Japan

 Four new species of Crinipellis and Marasmius (Agaricales, Basidiomycetes) in eastern Honshu, Japan, are described and illustrated: (1) Crinipellis conchata sp. nov. (section Excentricinae), forming a conchate pileus and a strongly excentric, short stipe, was found on a dead twig of Trachelospermum asiaticum in Mt. Takao, Tokyo; (2) Marasmius funalis sp. nov. (section Androsacei), forming a densely white-hispid, dark brown stipe bearing numerous setiform caulocystidia, was found on a dead twig of Cryptomeria japonica or on leaf litter in Tokyo and Kanagawa; (3) Marasmius maculosus sp. nov. (section Sicci), having a relatively large, reddish-brown pileus distinctly mottled with pale colored spots and Siccus-type cheilocystidia and pileipellis cells with relatively long setulae, was found on leaf litter in the lowland forest of Kanagawa and Chiba; and (4) Marasmius sasicola sp. nov. (section Marasmius), having a small, plicate-sulcate pileus, a filiform, wiry, blackish stipe, collariate lamellae, and Siccus-type cheilocystidia and pileipellis elements, was found on fallen dead leaves of grass bamboo in Kanagawa. Received: January 30, 2002 / Accepted: May 24, 2002     

Two new species ofMarasmiellus from eastern Honshu, Japan

Two new species ofMarasmiellus are described from eastern Honshu, Japan:Marasmiellus atrostipitatus sp. nov. (sectionRameales subsectionOpacini) is characterized by a white pileus and a blackish stipe covered with white pruinose to flocculos scales.Marasmiellus brunneocarpus sp. nov. (sectionTricolores) has small brownish basidiomata. Both species occur on dead leaves and twigs inQuercus-Eurya forests.     

Comparative sequencing of a microsatellite locus reveals size homoplasy within and between european oak species (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus</Emphasis> spp.)

Microsatellites (simple sequence repeats [SSRs]) are highly variable molecular markers that are a rich and readily assayed source of variation for population genetic studies. Cross-amplification between closely related species is possible when there are no (or few) sequence differences in the primer binding sites. The occurrence of nonhomologous fragments of the same size (size homoplasy) is a contraint of microsatellites. Size homoplasy can be caused by insertions/deletions (indels) in SSR flanking regions. We found that size variation in locus ssrQZAG9 is due to different repeat numbers of the SSR motifs but also to indels in SSR flanking regions. Indels were found within species belonging to sectionsRobur andCerris of genusQuercus and also between species of the 2 sections. In sectionRobur (Quercis robur L.,Quercus petraea [Matt.] Liebl.,Quercus pubescens Willd.), we detected rare alleles with an indel of 57 bp or 62 bp followed by a smaller indel of 12 bp in the SSR flanking regions. These alleles show a size range overlapping with that of alleles amplified inQuercus cerris L. (sectionCerris). Multiple alignments with sequences of sectionRobur revealed the same SSR repeat motif but multiple indels in SSR flanking regions inQ. cerris. We discuss the effects of size homoplasy of SSR loci for the study of interspecific gene flow and on estimates of population differentiation.     

A cyto-evolutional study of Campanumoea Blume (Campanulaceae) and a possible pathway for secondary karyotype formation

Campanumoea is a small genus in the family Campanulaceae, with species divided into sections Campanumoea and Cyclocodon. Sixteen accessions from Campanumoea and related genera native to China were used to study their karyotype. The results showed that chromosome characteristics were different between the two sections. For Campanumoea, the karyotypic formula was 2n = 2X = 2m + 12sm + 2st = 16,3A and for Cyclocodon it was 2n = 2X = 6m + 12sm = 18,3B. These data, combined with chromosomal length characteristics, support the restoration of section Cyclocodon as a genus. However, the incorporation of section Campanumoea into Codonopsis requires more evidence. Comparison of chromosomal length and haploid set length revealed that chromosomal segment rearrangements occurred within sections of Campanumoea and between genera, with the difference within sections being greater than that between genera. Therefore, chromosomal segment rearrangements are present in Campanulaceae, implying that chromosomal segment rearrangement plays an important role in the evolution of diversity in Campanulaceae. By comparing the chromosomal characteristic in section Campanumoea and the genus Adenophora, we concluded that the secondary chromosome type such as n = 17, 18 would be derived by autopolyploidization of n = 9, and by chromosome fusion.     

New species and combinations in Vernonia sections Leiboldia and Lepidonia (Asteraceae), with a revisional conspectus of the groups

The wholly North American sectionLeiboldia ofVernonia as revised by Jones (1979) included six species. The present treatment recognizes only three species inLeiboldia, including one newly described from recent collections. The remainder of what Jones consideredLeiboldia has been transferred into a new sect.Lepidonia (Blake) Turner which was first proposed as a monotypic genus. A key to the two sections and 10 species is provided along with an account of their interrelationships. Morphological evidence suggests that sect.Lepidonia is one of the more primitive sections ofVernonia, being as close to certain African sections as they are to the mostly American sect.Vernonia. Consideration is given to the phyletic significance and generic value of receptacular pales in the Vernonieae from which it is concluded that these have persisted in three or more quite unrelated lines of this tribe and undue weight should not be accorded these in generic considerations. Consequently, the paleaceous, monotypic generaLepidonia andBolanosa are sunk into synonymy underVernonia, the former as a distinct section, the latter into the sect.Vernonia.     

Three new species of Dalechampia (Euphorbiaceae) from Venezuelan Guayana

Three new species ofDalechampia are described from the Guayanan region of Venezuela.Dalechampia attenuistylus belongs to sectionRhopalostylis and may be most closely related toD. parvibracteata Lanj.Dalechampia megacarpa belongs to sectionDioscoreifoliae, although it is not especially close to any species in the section.Dalechampia papillistigma is also an isolated member of sectionDioscoreifolieae.     

Revision of Verbesina section Verbesina (Asteraceae: Heliantheae)

A revisionary treatment of the insular CaribbeanVerbesina sectionVerbesina (formerly sectionHamulium) is provided. Four taxa (three species and one variety) are recognized.     

Leaf flavonoid chemistry of Coreopsis (Compositae) section Palmatae

Examination of leaf flavonoids of all taxa ofCoreopsis sectionPalmatae revealed that most members synthesize an array of common flavone (mostly luteolin and apigenin) glycosides. Each diploid species or diploid member of a species is characterized by a particular ensemble of compounds. These taxa includeC. major, C. verticillata, C. pulchra, C. palmata, andC. tripteris. The latter species differs from all other taxa in producing flavonol (kaempferol and quercetin) glycosides and what appear to be 6-oxygenated compounds. Tetraploids ofC. verticillata exhibit the same flavonoids as diploid members of the species, thus flavonoid chemistry supports the hypothesis that they originated from diploids within the species. Certain populations of hexaploid and octoploidC. major are similar chemically to diploids, suggesting they also originated as intraspeciflc polyploids. Other populations of these polyploids exhibit a flavonoid profile which differs from the profile of the diploids, and this profile is nearly identical to the octoploidCoreopsis × delphinifolia. The latter taxon has been viewed by Smith (1976) and Mueller (1974) as an interspecific hybrid betweenC. verticillata andC. major and/orC. tripteris. Species-specific compounds from the former species occur inC. × delphinifolia but no compounds unique to either of the latter two species are discernable. Flavonoid chemistry is not useful in ascertaining whether either or both species have been involved withC. verticillata in producing plants referable toC. × delphinifolia. There is morphological intergradation between octoploidC. major andC. × delphinifolia, and all plants not appearing to be “pure”C. major exhibit a flavonoid chemistry likeC. × delphinifolia. All plants of sectionPalmatae considered to be alloploids (includingC. × delphinifolia) produce the same array of leaf flavonoids, including several “novel” compounds not expressed in the putative parental taxa. Two of the “novel” flavonoids are present in the geographically restricted diploidC. pulchra. The systematic and phylogentic significance of this is not readily apparent.     

Effect of short chain fatty acids on the growth of some mycorrhizal and saprophytic hymenomycetes

At a concentration of 1–2 nM, acetic acid caused pronounced or complete inhibition of growth of several mycorrhizal species of the genus Boletus. In species of the litter-decomposing genus Marasmius, the same effect was obtained only at concentrations of 8 mM or higher. B. variegatus was especially sensitive to propionic and butyric acids. With M. foetidus the inhibiting effect increased with increasing chain length of the acids.     

Two new species of Rhynchospora section Psilocarya (Cyperaceae)

Two new species ofRhynchospora sectionPsilocarya are described and illustrated.Rhynchospora eburnea is known from Amazonian Venezuela and nearby Brazil whileRhynchospora waspamensis is known only from eastern Zelaya, Nicaragua. These species are distinguished from most of the species of sectionPsilocarya by means of a key to the species found in the Americas south to and including the Amazon Basin.