Two new species of Viola (Violaceae) from the Intermountain West,U.S.A.

Viola lithion andV. franksmithii are rock-dwelling endemics that belong to the North American perennial, caulescent, simple-leaved, blue-, purple-, or white-flowered group of species.Viola lithion, from the White Pine and Pilot mountain ranges of eastern Nevada and adjacent Utah, belongs to sectionChamaemelanium subsectionCanadenses. It most closely resembles the reniform-leaved, Olympic MountainV. flettii, together with which it possibly shares an ancestry with the widespread and allopatricV. canadensis. Viola franksmithii, restricted to the Logan Canyon drainage of the Bear River Range in northern Utah, belongs to sectionRostellatae subsectionRosulantes. It comes closest morphologically toV. howellii of the Coast Range, but likely evolved from the widespreadV. adunca or a common ancestor.     

东北地区被子植物新资料

东北地区位于中国东北部,地处欧亚大陆东缘,地域辽阔,环境复杂,植被类型多样,是我国北方植物种类较为丰富、植物区系起源演变发展的重要地区。该研究根据野外实地调查及资料分析,报道了东北地区2种新分布植物,分别是野生堇菜(Viola arvensis)、线叶毛膏菜(Drosera anglica)。野生堇菜为东北地区新归化种,分布于哈尔滨市帽儿山,该种在我国台湾地区有分布,原产于非洲北部、亚洲西南部和欧洲;线叶毛膏菜为中国新记录种,分布于东北长白山区。该属在东北地区还有1种,即圆叶茅膏菜(D.rotundifolia)。两者的主要区别:前者叶为线状匙形,花柱3,每个花柱2分裂至中部;后者叶片近圆形,花柱3,每个花柱深裂至基部。凭证标本保存于东北林业大学植物标本室(NEFI)。这些新资料种的发现,对于丰富东北地区植物种类及对本地区植物多样性的研究具有重要意义。     

蔓茎堇菜和柔毛堇菜多糖的抑菌抗氧化活性

利用乙醇沉淀法提取蔓茎堇菜Viola diffusa和柔毛堇菜V.principis多糖并分别进行抑菌及抗氧化试验。结果表明,蔓茎堇菜和柔毛堇菜多糖提取率分别为7.0%和8.3%。不同倍数体积无水乙醇沉淀提取的多糖抑菌和抗氧化能力不同。抑菌效果显示,蔓茎堇菜多糖对大肠杆菌和枯草芽孢杆菌的抑菌圈分别可达8.46mm和8.59mm,柔毛堇菜对大肠杆菌和枯草芽孢杆菌的抑菌圈均可达9.13mm,但两种堇菜多糖对黑曲霉和啤酒酵母未呈现抑制活性;抗氧化研究发现,蔓茎堇菜多糖抗氧化活性为243.64U·mL^-1,柔毛堇菜多糖抗氧化活性为411.78U·mL^-1。由此可见,无论是抑菌还是抗氧化活性方面,柔毛堇菜极显著优于蔓茎堇菜(P<0.01)。蔓茎堇菜和柔毛堇菜多糖都具有一定的抑菌抗氧化活性,均可作为食药两用植物资源进行开发利用。     

RAPD在三色堇(Viola wittrockiana)自交系遗传关系研究及杂种优势预测中的应用

用RAPD技术分析了18个三色堇(Viola wittrockiana)自交系的遗传多样性。21个随机引物扩增了167条带,其中127条具多态性,显示自交系间存在较大的遗传变异。用UPGMA法可将自交系聚为五大类,其分类结果与花径和材料来源地基本一致。以其中的5个自交系进行双列杂交试验,研究了RAPD遗传距离与三色堇杂交后代10个性状杂种优势的关系,实验结果表明:RAPD遗传距离仅与花数达到0.1的显著水平,而与其它8个性状杂种优势的相关性不显著;用RPAD遗传距离预测三色堇的花数杂种优势具有一定的可靠性,但用于对其它性状杂种优势的预测目前是不可行的。     

Variability of the essential oil of Viola etrusca

Essential oils obtained from different populations of Viola etrusca from Italy have been analysed to verify the phenotypic discontinuity observed in a previous study. All of the essential oils contained methyl salicylate as a main constituent. However, multivariate analysis showed differences among some populations, in particular between northern and southern ones. Results suggest that this species could be undergoing a slow schizogenetic differentiation process due to its genetic isolation.     

Floral Biology and Pollination Mechanisms in Two Viola Species—From Nectar to Pollen Flowers?

The genus Viola is represented by four related species in Brazil belonging to section Leptidium, one of the most primitive sections in the genus. Floral biology and pollination by bees were studied in Viola cerasifolia and V. subdimidiata in high-altitude areas in south-eastern Brazil. Flowers are zygomorphic and spurred. The five stamens are arranged in a cuff around the ovary, and pollen is released by means of apical connective projections, which form a cone surrounding the base of the style. The connective projections of the inferior stamens are elongated and curved to form a hook-shaped structure. Nectar-secreting tissue can occur in the basal connective appendages of the inferior stamens, which project into the spur. Flowers of V. subdimidiata secreted a mean volume of 0.14 micro l nectar over a 24-h period; approx. 40 % of flowers did not secrete any nectar. The main pollinators of these Viola species are female bees belonging to the genus Anthrenoides (Andrenidae), which search mainly for pollen. These bees seem to be oligolectic and obtain large amounts of pollen from Viola by vibrating the flowers or by moving the hook repeatedly back and forth. Males of Anthrenoides patrol Viola clusters and also feed on nectar, acting as secondary pollinators. The basic floral structure in the genus Viola fits that of 'nectar flowers'. The uncommon hook-shaped projections, scanty nectar production, and behaviour of pollinators suggest that V. cerasifolia and V. subdimidiata are shifting their reward for pollinators from nectar to pollen. Based on floral morphology, this shift may be widespread in Viola sect. Leptidium.     

Spread of violets in polluted pine forests: morphological and molecular evidence for the ecological importance of interspecific hybridization

Hybridization between plant species occurs frequently but hybrids are often restricted to ecotones or disturbed habitats. In this study we show that introgressive hybrids between the tetraploid Viola riviniana and the diploid V. reichenbachiana invaded pine forests of the Dübener Heide (central Germany), an area affected by calcareous pollutants. The spread of these violet populations was correlated with the impact of pollution on habitat conditions. We compared morphology, cytology and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) bands among six Viola populations from the Dübener Heide and three populations of each pure species. RAPD analysis using 12 primers revealed 141 scorable bands. We considered bands as species specific if they occurred in at least 75% of the plants in one pure violet species but in none of the other. Seven bands were specific to V. riviniana and 11 bands were specific to V. reichenbachiana . Two plants of a V. reichenbachiana population were identified as hybrids. Of the Viola populations from the Dübener Heide, one was diploid and could be classified as V. reichenbachiana by morphology and RAPD markers. However, the majority of the Dübener Heide populations were tetraploid, and of a more variable morphology than V. riviniana and V. reichenbachiana , showing different combinations of intermediate characters, characters of the pure species and extreme characters. Despite their overall genetic similarity to V. riviniana , these plants could be identified as introgressive hybrids between V. riviniana and V. reichenbachiana by species-specific RAPD bands. Therefore, we propose that recurrent hybridization and backcrossing resulted in novel genotypes adapted to the changed environment of polluted pine forests.     

On the origin of the sweet-smelling Parma violet cultivars (Violaceae): wide intraspecific hybridization, sterility, and sexual reproduction

Parma violets are reputed for their double, fragrant flowers and have been cultivated for centuries in Europe. However, due to a rather atypical morphology their taxonomic affinity has not been clarified. Authors have proposed an origin from three possible species, Viola alba, V. odorata, or V. suavis, or a hybrid origin. Using both ITS sequence variation and allozyme variation in 14 putative loci, we showed that the Parma violet cultivars have their origin within Viola alba and that they are best included in the Mediterranean subsp. dehnhardtii. There is no trace of interspecific hybridization. However, the cultivars appear to have a single origin in a wide hybrid within V. alba, involving parental plants from the eastern and western Mediterranean region; historical literature sources seem to indicate Turkey and Italy, respectively. The Parma violet cultivars possess high levels of allozyme heterozygosity and to some extent also within-individual ITS sequence variation. Losses of heterozygosity and within-individual ITS sequence variation in some of the cultivars indicate subsequent rare events of sexual reproduction, presumably through cleistogamous seed set. We unambiguously identify the closest wild relative of this group of cultivars, allowing growers to develop new selection procedures, and show a peculiar molecular process associated with human selection.     

中国堇菜属美丽堇菜亚属(堇菜科)植物分类学修订

对中国堇菜属美丽堇菜亚属植物进行了系统学修订,确认中国堇菜属美丽堇菜亚属植物共有6种,列出分种检索表,对《中国植物志》51卷中未记载的3种进行了详细的描述,并对塔城堇菜、深紫堇菜及隐距堇菜进行了绘图。