Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid

Supermatrix analyses reveal the importance of outgroup, gene and taxon sampling in Onosma (Boraginaceae) phylogenetics

2023-06-14T09:18:58+02:00

Tribe Lithospermeae (Boraginaceae) consists of ca. 26 genera and 470 species, in which Onosma constitutes approximately one third of the species (~150). Although the tribe is strongly supported as monophyletic, both generic and species boundaries remain ambiguous. Among them, not only the phylogenetic position of Eastern Asian Onosma species, but also the taxonomic limits of the genus remain unclear. Whether Eastern Asian Onosma is monophyletic, or the genus should be widened to include Maharanga, and maybe Cystostemon, are still open questions. For these reasons, I performed 16 phylogenetic analyses with different taxon coverages, alignments, gene regions and outgroups, with up to 746 taxa of tribe Lithospermeae and with five DNA regions, using data from GenBank. The results, with the widest taxon coverage to date, show that while genus Onosma is not monophyletic in any of the analyses, the phylogenetic relationships among Onosma s.s., Eastern Asian Onosma, Maharanga and Cystostemon differ among analyses. However, the approximately unbiased (AU) test showed that the topology (((Eastern Asian Onosma+Maharanga) Cystostemon) Onosma s.s.) is overwhelmingly supported. Therefore, the current study highlights the importance of taxon, gene and outgroup sampling in Onosma phylogenetics.

Checklist of the vascular plants of Río Muni (Equatorial Guinea): floristic analysis, diversity, endemicity, and threatened status

2023-01-17T13:24:16+01:00

An updated checklist of the vascular plants from the continental region of Equatorial Guinea (Río Muni) is presented. The catalogue (Appendix 1) is the result of the compilation of herbarium specimens (6850), species records (7985) from the botanical literature and online databases (10109 GBIF records and 8897 RAINBIO records). A database of 23517 georeferenced records was prepared by updating the nomenclatural and standardizing the locality names from all these sources. The catalogue comprises 2707 taxa (2598 species, 81 subspecies, and 28 varieties) included in 1020 genera and 178 families. About 90.6% of the taxa are considered native, 1.17% introduced and 5.96% naturalized. The 10 most diverse families are Rubiaceae (294 species), Fabaceae (290), Orchidaceae (168), Poaceae (105), Euphorbiaceae (87), Apocynaceae (85), Cyperaceae (79), Annonaceae (68), Acanthaceae (65) and Melastomataceae (61), which comprise 49.22% of the species in Río Muni. Only 11 species can be considered endemic to Río Muni; this low number reflects the absence of natural barriers in the territory. The number of threatened taxa (VU, EN and CR) is 134 (5.02% of the total evaluated), of which 43 are at risk of extinction, being within the categories of Endangered or Critically Endangered. Five species restricted to the Gulf of Guinea are considered threatened: three Endangered (Grossera angustifolia, Polyscias aequatoguineensis and Rhipidoglossum montealenense), and two Critically Endangered (Asplenium carvalhoanum and Macropodiella uoroensis), thus they should be considered as priority in management plans development and conservation strategies.

Current use of the plants of the Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis or Codex of the Cruz-Badiano in Mexico

2022-10-11T14:44:09+02:00

The Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis [“de la Cruz-Badiano Codex”] is the first work on medicinal plants of the Americas. Dictated or written in Nahuatl by the indigenous physician Martín de la Cruz and translated into Latin by Juan Badiano, both from the School of Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco, it was taken to Spain in 1552 to be offered to the king in order to win his favors for the school, and also for the trade of medicinal plants produced in New Spain by Francisco de Mendoza. Since the Codex was ‘found’ in 1929 in the Vatican Library, work has been carried out aimed at interpreting the illustrations of the plants to propose their taxonomic identity and to date there are various proposals for botanical identifications. In this work, the current medicinal use of the plant species of the de la Cruz-Badiano Codex is reported and the uses, forms of preparation and administration of the plants are compared between what is indicated in the Libellus and the current use of the species. Few coincidences are found between the uses mentioned in the Codex and current reports, due to the dynamics of traditional Mexican medicine, related and influenced by historical, geographical, economic, social, and cultural aspects.

A comparative karyological study of Helianthemum (Cistaceae): karyotype size, karyotype symmetry and evolution of chromosome number

2023-01-18T16:21:55+01:00

In this study we assessed karyotype size and symmetry for a comprehensive taxonomic and geographic representation of Helianthemum and reconstructed chromosome number evolution in the genus. Using root tips, we photographed mitotic metaphase spreads to obtain chromosome number, total haploid (monoploid) length of the chromosome set (THL), karyotype formula, Stebbins’ classification of karyotype asymmetry, interchromosomal coefficient of variation of chromosome length (CV_CL) and intrachromosomal mean centromeric asymmetry (M_CA) using MATO (Measurement and Analysis Tools). We found that shifts in chromosome number are not a major driver in the evolution of Helianthemum, whose chromosome number evolved at a constant rate of single chromosome gain or loss. Karyotype asymmetry is very low and little variable in all taxonomic categories studied, with a predominance of metacentric and submetacentric small to medium-sized chromosomes about 3 μm at the genus level. However, total karyotype length varies from 16.91 μm to 47.84 μm at the species level, with a cytogenetic signature that is not conserved within subgenera and most sections. Overall, H. subg. Plectolobum shows both the longest and the most symmetrical karyotypes. We hypothesize that the variation in karyotype size in Helianthemum is likely a consequence of chromosome rearrangements that have occurred under selective pressures.

Stellarangia namibensis (Teloschistaceae) out of the Namib Desert

2023-07-25T09:06:52+02:00

During lichenological fieldwork along the coast of the Atlantic Sahara, Morocco, we collected some remarkably long lobed “Caloplaca” specimens, which turned out to be Stellarangia namibensis. This is the first record of this species in the northern hemisphere, and represents a significant extension of the known range of a lichen previously thought to be endemic to the Namib Desert.

Typification of Stoechas pedunculata, the basionym of Lavandula pedunculata (Lamiaceae)

2023-07-24T09:35:12+02:00

A neotype for the widespread and ecologically important plant Lavandula pedunculata Mill. (Lamiaceae) [≡ Stoechas pedunculata (Mill.) Cav.] is designated. The neotype is seleccted from a modern specimen preserved at the VAL herbarium (VAL 174683) and collected in Spain.

Lectotypifications in Meliosma (Sabiaceae)

2022-07-14T13:49:47+02:00

As part of the treatment of Meliosma (Sabiaceae) for Flora Mesoamericana, four lectotypes are selected for Lorenzanea dentata var. minor Liebm., L. ira Liebm., L. grandifolia Liebm., and L. vernicosa Liebm., and four second-step lectotypifications are performed for Lorenzanea dentata Liebm., L. glabrata Liebm., Meliosma donnellsmithii Urb., and M. tonduzii Donn.Sm.