The annual species ofAdonis (Ranunculaceae)—a polyploid complex

The five annual species ofAdonis L., sect.Adonis, growing in Israel, form a series of diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid species. Their somatic chromosome numbers are 2n = 16 inA. annua L.,A. dentata Del. andA. palaestina Boiss., 2n = 32 inA. microcarpa DC., 2n = 48 inA. aestivalis L.; counts forA. dentata, A. palaestina andA. microcarpa are new records. There are indications that alloploidization may have been involved in the process of speciation in sect.Adonis. A taxonomic survey of the 8 species of the section reveals that a higher ploidy level is usually combined with a larger distribution area.     

Seed oil fatty acid patterns of theAconitum-Delphinium-Helleborus complex (Ranunculaceae)

Many members ofRanunculaceae contain unusual fatty acids in their seed oils. This leads to rather typical genus-specific fatty acid patterns or fingerprints in these seed oils. The members of theDelphinioideae and/orHelleboroideae, however, do not contain highly unusual fatty acids. Nevertheless, their seed oil fatty acid fingerprints are also fairly typical and genus-specific, and the patterns found are rather consistent throughout several species of one genus. It was found that species ofAconitum do not contain fatty acids with 20 carbon atoms.Delphinium, Consolida, Helleborus, Nigella and others do contain C₂₀ fatty acids. In allHelleborus species, for example, there was a consistent C₂₀ fatty acid pattern of 20:020:120:2>20:3. Species ofNigella andGaridella contain high levels,Helleborus low levels, of 20:2n-6 in their seed oils.Delphinium andAconitum both contain low levels of 18:3n-3, whereasHelleborus spp. consistently show high levels of this fatty acid. The genus-specific fatty acid patterns found are discussed, and a correlation with the subfamily and tribe affiliation of the genera investigated here is attempted.     

Floral development in Adonideae (Ranunculaceae)

Floral development and floral phyllotaxis in species of Adonis, Callianthemum, and Trollius (Ranunculaceae) were studied with scanning electron microscopy. The floral organs are initiated in spiral sequence and the flowers have spiral phyllotaxis. The sepal primordia are broad, crescent-shaped, and truncate, but those of petals, stamens, and carpels are rather hemispherical. A relatively long plastochron appears to be present between the last sepal and the first petal as compared with the short and equal plastochrones of all subsequent floral organs. Maturation of the stamens within the androecium appears to be centripetal. The carpels have a short ascidiate zone. Placentation is uniformly lateral, even in Adonis and Callianthemum, which have only one fertile ovule per carpel (versus median in other genera of Ranunculoideae with a single fertile ovule). In Adonis and Callianthemum at the tip of the carpel the ventral slit is gaping and the stigma is broadly exposed, whereas in Trollius the stigma is narrower and more pronouncedly decurrent along the ventral slit. The petals in Callianthemum and Trollius are more conspicuously delayed in development than those in Adonis as compared with sepals and stamens. A short carpel stipe is formed early in Callianthemum but later in Adonis and Trollius. In Trollius farreri (commonly having only five carpels in contrast to other species of Trollius) the carpels form a single (spiral) series. Thus floral development is similar in all three genera and, at a lower level, Adonis and Callianthemum are especially close but have different autapomorphies, which reflects the current classification of the genera.     

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.     

Chloroplast DNA variation inAnemone s. lato (Ranunculaceae)

Chloroplast DNA of seven species belonging toAnemone (sectt.Omalocarpus, Anemonidium, andAnemonanthea),Hepatica, andPulsatilla have been analyzed by restriction enzymes. According to the dendrogram constructed, the sections ofAnemone and the generaHepatica andPulsatilla seem to be evolutionary approximately equidistant to each others. This supports the concept that these groups should be treated on a similar taxonomic level, either as genera or subgenera.     

铁线莲属铁线莲组修订

对毛茛科铁线莲属(Clematis)中单型的翅果铁线莲组(sect. Pterocarpa)进行了分类学修订,写出了此组及其惟一种,翅果铁线莲(C. brachyura)的分类学简史和形态描述,给出此种的插图。根据其体态及花构造近似亚洲东部的辣蓼铁线莲(C. mandshurica Rupr.)和圆锥铁线莲(C. terniflora DC.)[二种均为威灵仙组(sect. Clematis)的成员],推测翅果铁线莲可能源自威灵仙组。     

A cytological study ofPelargonium sect.Eumorpha (Geraniaceae)

The chromosome numbers of seven species ofPelargonium sect.Eumorpha have been determined from material of known wild origin, and karyotypic comparisons have been made. Within the section there is variation in basic chromosome number (x = 4, 8, 9, 11), variation in chromosome size, and two species have polyploid races. The three species with chromosome numbers based on x = 11 have the smallest chromosomes (1.0–1.5 µm); chromosomes are larger (1.0–3.0 µm) in the other species.P. elongatum has the lowest chromosome number in the genus (2n = 8).P. alchemilloides is exceptional in that it has four cytotypes, 2n = 16, 18, 34 and 36, and the form with 2n = 36 has large chromosomes (2.0–5.0 µm). Evidence from a synthesized hybrid suggests thatP. alchemilloides with 2n = 16 may be of polyploid origin. The three species based on x = 11 appear to be more closely related to species from other sections ofPelargonium that have the same basic chromosome number and small chromosome size, rather than to other species of sect.Eumorpha.     

Die Verteilung der leitenden Strukturen in der Achse vonClematis vitalba (Ranunculaceae)

The vascular pattern and its origin are described in connection with the differentiation of ground tissue in the shoot. Leaf arrangement ofClematis vitalba L. is decussate, and the vascular pattern appears rather simple at first: From internode to internode six strands—three from each leaf—alternate. About six internodes from the shoot apex, the pattern is completed by accessory strands which do not leave the axis and differentiate near the primary bark and exactly between the old strands. The formation of the acessory strands is not caused by the enlargement of the axis alone, because the balance between ground and vascular tissue is already regulated by the enlargement of the primary strands.

Zweiter Beitrag der Serie Die Sproßentwicklung vonClematis vitalba (Ranunculaceae) vgl. den ersten Beitrag:Schnettker (1976).     

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.     

The phylogeny ofActaea (Ranunculaceae): A biogeographical approach

Phylogenetic analyses of the genusActaea were performed using morphological, ecological and biogeographical characters. Using solely morphological characters, the relationships of the three identified species-groups remain uncertain. Close biogeographical examination and comparison of the areas with ecological peculiarities as well as climate data gave important insight into the phylogeny ofActaea and the whole tribe. Consequently, the obtained biogeographical data were used for phylogenetic reconstructions. Both, from the point of view of morphological and biogeographical data,A. pachypoda andA. asiatica are the most ancestral species. They grow on the east sides of the continents, mainly in broad-leaved forests. In West Eurasia the apomorphicA. spicata andA. acuminata occur under similar climatic and ecological conditions, but these species are adapted to another climate rhythm. The most advanced species (A. erythrocarpa, A. rubra) are to be found in the boreal forests where they are widely distributed. This biogeographical approach revealed that the evolution of the species led to a gradual widening and shifting of their ecological constitutions.     

Spatial fragrance patterns within the flowers ofRanunculus acris (Ranunculaceae)

Floral scents emitted from different flower parts ofRanunculus acris were investigated by trapping headspace volatiles onto Porapak Q followed by solvent desorption and GC-MS analysis. Isoprenoids, strongly dominated bytrans--ocimene, constituted the principal class of volatiles in all flower parts except pollen; sesquiterpenes were especially diverse. Odors collected separately from petals, stamens, and sepals + gynoecium comprised the same volatiles, but these were present in disparate proportions among the flower parts, thereby creating subtle contrasts within the flower. The main sources of volatiles were the petals and stamens, which made equal contributions to the whole-flower fragrance. Emissions from the petals differed quantitatively between the apical and basal petal regions, thereby paralleling optical nectar-guide patterns. Pollen odor was markedly unlike that of other flower parts, with only few volatiles, a high representation of 5-methylene-2(5H)-furanone (protoanemonin), and no detectabletrans--ocimene. The distinctiveness of the pollen's volatile profile suggests that it may serve a signalling role to pollen-feeding insects.     

Taxonomical investigations onHelleborus viridis s. l. (Ranunculaceae) in Northern Italy

The taxon commonly namedHelleborus viridis in Lombardy (NW. Italy) differs from both, subsp.viridis and subsp.occidentalis, and is shown to fall within the variation range ofH. odorus subsp.laxus which has been reported so far for NE. Italy only. TrueH. viridis within Italy grows only in the Maritime Alps.     

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.     

Chromosome banding patterns in Lettuce species (Lactuca sect.Lactuca,Compositae)

Chromosome banding patterns obtained with C- and N- banding, and AgNO₃ staining were studied in somatic metaphase complements of fourLactuca species.L. sativa andL. serriola have almost identical chromosome morphology, andL. saligna differs only slightly from them, butL. virosa is quite distinct from the other species. A gross comparison of the banded karyotypes suggests a closer relationship ofL. saligna toL. sativa/serriola than toL. virosa. Our data agree with the results of previous crossing experiments in these species but conflict partly with recent RFLP data which indicate a closer phenetic relationship ofL. saligna toL. virosa than toL. sativa/serriola. Such a discrepancy may be explained assuming that domestication ofL. sativa/serriola resulted in an increased selection pressure on unique DNA sequences as demonstrated by the RFLP data. Differential evolution of specific heterochromatin classes (and presumably of highly repetitive DNA classes), as revealed by chromosome banding techniques was not linked to domestication. Thus the disparity in conclusions about relationship (in terms of genetic similarity) as based on the different experimental approaches reflects a non-parallel evolution of highly repetitive vs. unique DNA classes.     

Ecogeographical differentiation of the Submediterranean deciduous forest flora

The deciduous wood flora of southern Europe is characterized as a special nemoral-Submediterranean element. The distribution patterns of some representatives (total ranges and local areas in Roumania) are described and explained by recent climatic conditions. The northern limits of Submediterranean and Submediterranean-middle European deciduous forest taxa exhibit a continuous gradation, but only a few species with a wide ecological amplitude extend into the temperate zone.     

Ranunculus cacuminis andR. crenatus,representatives of theR. alpestris-group (Ranunculaceae) on the Balkan Peninsula

Morphological and karyological investigations as well as crossing experiments were carried out withR. cacuminis, R. crenatus, andR. alpestris. A key is presented including all 6 taxa of theR. alpestris-group. Ecological and geographical data for the Balkan Peninsula are also presented.R. cacuminis is diploid with 2n = 16 chromosomes as all taxa of the group, its karyotype exhibits no statistically significant differences to those from the 5 other taxa. In crossing experiments betweenR. cacuminis andR. alpestris, no hybrids could be obtained, whereas those betweenR. cacuminis andR. crenatus were slightly successful. According to its morphology, geographical distribution, and crossing behaviour,R. cacuminis is closely related toR. crenatus, and probably has originated fromR. crenatus by quantum speciation.     

Systematics ofJusticia sect.Pentaloba (Acanthaceae)

The transfer of the four taxa ofSiphonoglossa sect.Pentaloba toJusticia is proposed. It is shown that the taxa of this section were placed inSiphonoglossa primarily because of a single-character phenetic relationship and that they correctly belong inJusticia. In addition to morphology, data from cytology and flavonoid chemistry are also presented that support this intergeneric transfer. A key to the taxa and a detailed taxonomic treatment of the section are provided.     

A reappraisal ofPelargonium sect.Ligularia (Geraniaceae)

A study of 33 species ofPelargonium sect.Ligularia reveals four basic chromosome numbers, x = 8, 9, 10, and 11, and variation in chromosome size. From evidence of karyology and hybridization attempts, proposals are made to divide the section into smaller groups and to transfer some species to other sections.     

Subdivision ofPelargonium sect.Cortusina (Geraniaceae)

The sect.Cortusina (Dc.)Harv. s.l. is divided into the sectt.Cortusina (Dc.)Harv. s. str. andReniformia (Knuth)Dreyer, comb. nov.,P. cortusifolium L'Hérit.,P. crassicaule L'Hérit.,P. echinatum Curt.,P. magenteum J. J. A. Van der Walt, andP. sibthorpifolium Harv. remain in the sect.Cortusina s. str., while the speciesP. album J. J. A. Van der Walt,P. dichondrifolium Dc.,P. odoratissimum (L.)L'Hérit.,P. reniforme Curt., andP. sidoides Dc. are removed from the sect.Cortusina s.l. and included in the revised sect.Reniformia. Both sections are well characterized by morphological, anatomical, karyological and palynological features. The chromosomes ofCortusina s. str. are small and based upon x = 11; those ofReniformia are larger and based upon x = 8. The size and surface sculpture of the pollen grains differ markedly between the two sections. Flavones and hydrolysable tannins occur in sect.Reniformia, but are absent in sect.Cortusina s. str. After hydrolysis hydroxybenzoic acids, which are present in large amounts inReniformia, occur only in traces inCortusina. The two sections also occupy distinctly different geographical areas. A close relationship between sect.Reniformia and some species of sect.Ligularia (Sweet)Harv. is indicated by the occurrence of artificial hybrids.     

Chloroplast DNA restriction site mapping and the phylogeny ofRanunculus (Ranunculaceae)

A chloroplast DNA restriction site map forRanunculus sceleratus (Ranunculaceae) was constructed using 14 restriction endonucleases. The total size of the chloroplast genome is 152.4kb. No inversions were detected relative to the tobacco chloroplast DNA. Cladistic analyses of chloroplast DNA restriction site polymorphism were employed in order to elucidate the phylogeny among 76 species of the genusRanunculus in a wide sense and one species ofTrautvetteria. A total of 341 informative restriction site changes were detected. Parsimony jackknifing, bootstrapping and decay analysis were undertaken in order to evaluate the amount of support for the monophyletic groups. The results suggest that the analysed species ofRanunculus are divisible into two main clades. Only few of the traditional sections and subgenera ofRanunculus are monophyletic. The genusTrautvetteria is nested within a clade comprising, e.g.Ranunculus cymbalaria, R. andersonii, R. lapponicus andR. ficaria. SubgenusBatrachium lies within a larger clade containing, e.g.R. sceleratus andR. hyperboreus. Contractions of the inverted repeat due to parallel deletions of 200–300 bp close to the J_SB have occurred in many clades and the phylogenetic distribution of this size reduction was mapped among the species.