Morphology,distribution,and chromosome counts of two varieties of Hedychium villosum(Zingiberaceae)

Polyploidy is a major mechanism of adaptation and speciation in plants.Two varieties of Hedychium villosum,var.villosum and var.tenuiflorum,primarily differ in plant and flower size.Chromosome number suggests that var.tenuiflorum is diploid(2n=34)and var.villosum is tetraploid(2n=68).Although the flowers of the two varieties do not have any difference in floral shape,each can be easily distinguished morphologically because the shoots,leaves,and flowers of the tetraploid var.villosum are consistently larger than the diploid var.tenuiflorum.The two varieties each possess distinct geographic ranges and habitats,and no sympatric distribution has been found.The tetraploid var.villosum has a broader geographic distribution range and more diverse ecological habitats than the diploid var.tenuiflorum.The two varieties are also completely reproductively isolated due to the non-overlap of their flowering times.The two varieties should be recognized as two distinct species as they fulfill the requirements of various species concepts.Thus,we suggested that the tetraploid var.villosum should be kept as Hedychium villosum and the diploid var.tenuiflorum should be renewed to Hedychium tenuiflorum.     

Fresh organically grown ginger (Zingiber officinale): composition and effects on LPS-induced PGE2 production

Gas chromatography in conjunction with mass spectrometry, a technique previously employed to analyze non-volatile pungent components of ginger extracts modified to trimethylsilyl derivatives, was applied successfully for the first time to analyze unmodified partially purified fractions from the dichloromethane extracts of organically grown samples of fresh Chinese white and Japanese yellow varieties of ginger, Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae). This analysis resulted in the detection of 20 hitherto unknown natural products and 31 compounds previously reported as ginger constituents. These include paradols, dihydroparadols, gingerols, acetyl derivatives of gingerols, shogaols, 3-dihydroshogaols, gingerdiols, mono- and diacetyl derivatives of gingerdiols, 1-dehydrogingerdiones, diarylheptanoids, and methyl ether derivatives of some of these compounds. The thermal degradation of gingerols to gingerone, shogaols, and related compounds was demonstrated. The major constituent in the two varieties was [6]-gingerol, a chemical marker for Z. officinale. Mass spectral fragmentation patterns for all the compounds are described and interpreted. Anti-inflammatory activities of silica gel chromatography fractions were tested using an in vitro PGE2 assay. Most of the fractions containing gingerols and/or gingerol derivatives showed excellent inhibition of LPS-induced PGE2 production.     

Isolation and screening of endophytes from the rhizomes of some Zingiberaceae plants for L-asparaginase production

Endophytes are described as microorganisms that colonize the internal tissues of healthy plants without causing any disease. Endophytes isolated from medicinal plants have been attracting considerable attention due to their high biodiversity and their predicted potential to produce a plethora of novel compounds. In this study, an attempt was made to isolate endophytes from rhizomes of five medicinal plants of Zingiberaceae family, and to screen the endophytes for L-asparaginase activity. In total, 50 endophytes (14 bacteria, 22 actinomycetes, and 14 fungi) were isolated from Alpinia galanga, Curcuma amada, Curcuma longa, Hedychium coronarium, and Zingiber officinale; of these, 31 endophytes evidenced positive for L-asparaginase production. All the L-asparaginase-positive isolates showed L-asparaginase activity in the range of 54.17–155.93 U/mL in unoptimized medium. An endophytic fungus isolated from Curcuma amada, identified as Talaromyces pinophilus, was used for further experiments involving studies on the effect of certain nutritional and nonnutritional factors on L-asparaginase production in submerged fermentation. Talaromyces pinophilus initially gave an enzyme activity of 108.95 U/mL, but gradually reduced to 80 U/mL due to strain degeneration. Perhaps this is the first report ever on the production of L-asparaginase from endophytes isolated from medicinal plants of Zingiberaceae family.     

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.     

Density of herbaceous plants and distribution of western gorillas in different habitat types in south‐east Cameroon

The study of forest herb availability improves knowledge of ecology and conservation of gorillas that depend on such herbs. Density patterns of herbs and location of western gorilla nest sites were studied in different habitat types at a site in south‐east Cameroon to assess their relationship. Herb stems of the families Marantaceae and Zingiberaceae were identified and counted in 10,713 1‐m² plots distributed within six habitat types. Stem density correlated with light availability and ranged from 2.38 stems m^?² in near primary forest to 4.66 stems m^?² in light gaps. Gorillas showed marked preferences for habitats with high herb densities such as light gaps, swamps and young secondary forest. However, no clear relationship exists between terrestrial herbaceous vegetation and gorilla densities across Central Africa. It is suggested that differences in ecological factors and land use history within and between sites may explain differences in herb density and diversity which partly account for variations in the historical and present population distribution and density of western gorillas. Formerly logged and swamp forests, which are characterized by an abundance of herbs, may prove to be of great value in the conservation of western gorillas given appropriate forest management practices, adequate protection from poaching and limited human encroachment.     

Phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily Alpinioideae (Zingiberaceae), particularly Etlingera Giseke, based on nuclear and plastid DNA

Parsimony analyses based on DNA sequence data of the plastid group II intron rps16 and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were performed in order to examine the relationship of the pantropical subfamily Alpinioideae in Zingiberaceae (Zingiberales). Special emphasis was given to the large genus Etlingera placed in the tribe Alpinieae. A total of 50 taxa were included in the analysis. The strict consensus tree obtained by combining all data (280 parsimony informative characters of ITS, rps16, and coded indels) is well resolved with strongly supported clades. The subfamily Alpinioideae (excluding Pommereschea and Rhynchanthus) is strongly supported as monophyletic. The basal part of the tree is unresolved but a clade containing the derived genera of Alpinieae (Geocharis, Amomum, Hornstedtia, and Etlingera) is strongly supported. The establishment of Etlingera as the inclusive name for Achasma, Geanthus, and Nicolaia is also strongly supported: Etlingera is monophyletic with Hornstedtia as sister group.     

Phenylbutanoids from Zingiber cassumunar

Five novel phenylbutanoids have been isolated from the rhizomes of Zingiber cassumunar. 3,4-Dimethoxybenzaldehyde 2,4,5-trimethoxy-benzaldehyde are also reported from the same source.     

The concrete evidence of flexistyly in Plagiostachys: pollination biology of a wild ginger on Hainan Island,China

Flexistyly in Plagiostachys was first reported by Takano et al., while they provided no detailed study on pollination biology and breeding system. In this study, we tested this suspicion in one species of Plagiostachys (Plagiostachys austrosinensis). Field observations suggested that flexistyly was present in this species, and stigmatic behavior was similar to that reported for Alpinia and Amomum species. Two phenotypes (anaflexistylous and cataflexistylous) occurred in a ratio of 1:1 in natural populations. Anthesis began around 1530–1600 h and lasted for about 24 h. Pollen viability and stigma receptivity remained high throughout the flowering process. Mean nectar volume (4.15–11.30 μL) and mean sugar concentration (>32%) also remained at a high level during the flowering process. No fruit set occurred in unpollinated bagged plants. Two pollinators (Bombus pyrosoma and Vespidae spp.) and one pollen robber (Mutillidae spp.) were found as flower visitors. Fruit set following self‐pollination and cross‐pollination did not differ significantly in the cataflexistylous morph. Partial self‐incompatibility was apparent in the anaflexistylous morph. These results provide the concrete evidence of flexistyly in Plagiostachys and a more thorough understanding of its evolutionary origin in gingers.     

少花豆蔻，中国豆蔻属(姜科)一新记录种

报道了采自云南省西盟县的姜科狭义豆蔻属一中国新记录种：少花豆蔻(Amomum pauciflorum Baker)。该种与长柄豆蔻(A. longipetiolatum Merr.)形态上最为相似,但前者花冠裂片显著较宽,药隔附属体新月形而非3深裂,二者容易区别。文章对该种的形态特征和地理分布进行了补充描述,并提供了彩色图版,凭证标本存放于中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园标本馆(HIBTC)。