ABSTRACT
A synoptic compendium of the legumes of the Mimosoideae clade in northeastern Mexico is presented for the first time, including changes in their botanical nomenclature and retypification of genera. Furthermore, based on new information recently published, the taxonomic limits of several new genera segregated from Acacia (Acaciella, Mariosousa, Senegalia, and Vachellia) and Prosopis (Neltuma and Strombocarpa) are clarified and included. Based on field work, collection of botanical samples over the past 30 years, and reviewing botanical materials in national and international herbaria, we have completed the diversity of legumes of the Mimosoideae clade of northeastern Mexico. Three tribes (Acacieae, Ingeae, and Mimosaeae), 22 genera, 92 species, and 19 infraspecific categories were recorded. Only the genus Painteria is endemic to Mexico. Eighty-eight species are native to Mexico, and four are exotic: Acacia salicina, Neptunia prostrata, Neltuma chilensis and Albizia lebbeck. Twenty-eight species are endemic to Mexico, nine species are endemic to northeastern Mexico, and four species are endemic to only one state in Mexico. The 22 registered genera represent 44% and 65% of the generic flora of the Mimosoideae clade for Mexico and the planet, respectively, while the 92 species registered represent 3% and 18% of the species of the clade Mimosoideae for the planet and Mexico, respectively. According to the new nomenclature of legumes, the number of genera in the Mimosoideae clade in northern Mexico has increased from 19 to 24.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Although the flora of the State of Nuevo León is well known, there are few records of ethnobotancial information. An ethnobotanical study was undertaken in order to know the medicinal plants used by people living at the scrublands and oak-pine forest areas in the southern Nuevo León. Collection of plants specimens and interviews were carried out among the people of the municipalities of Aramberri, Galeana, and Zaragoza. Since former studies in the region are scarce, the aim of this work was to record the medicinal species and their uses in the scrublands and oak-pine forest areas, of southern Nuevo León, Mexico, and also to know if there are differences in the number of species and number of uses knowledge by people. METHODS: Field work was carried out over a 2 years period; useful plants were collected and a total of 105 people from 46 different villages were interviewed. A database was compiled using data collected by means of semi structured interviews. The data were analyzed by means of non-parametric statistics, using goodness-of-fit test (Chi-squared) (number of species known by people of each municipality, number of uses known by people of each municipality), Chi-squared modified to incorporate the Yates Correction (number of species known by people living at scrublands and oak-pine forest); the Kruskall-Wallis test (number of species known by women and men of the three municipalities), and the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (age and number of species known, and age and number of uses). RESULTS: A total of 163 medicinal plant species were recorded in the study area, comprising 108 wild and 55 cultivated plants. A total of 117 species were recorded in the oak-pine forest, and 111 in the scrublands area, a total of 68 were recorded in both areas; 68 medicinal species are used in all three municipalities, 40 wild and 28 cultivated. We documented 235 different medicinal uses. The most common plant parts used for medicinal purposes were found to be leaves (123 species), stems (55), fruits (28), roots (17), and bark (14). No differences were noted in the number of medicinal plant species identified among people, but differences were significant in their knowledge with respect to the number of uses among people of the three municipalities studied; people from both, scrublands and oak-pine forest know similar number of species and number of uses. Men and women of the three different municipalities knew statistically the same number of species and number of uses. There was no correlation between resident's age and number of species known and resident's age and number of uses either in Galeana or in Aramberri, but, there was high correlation among these variables in Zaragoza. CONCLUSION: In southern Nuevo León people use at least 5% of the total State flora as medicinal plants, and most of these species are included in few plant families. Most of medicinal species are wild and indigenous to the region. The two most important major plant communities, scrublands and oak-pine forest provide almost the same number of medicinal species. A third of the medicinal flora recorded are used in all three municipalities, most of them are wild. Leaves, stems and fruits are the plant parts most commonly used for healing, and boiling is the most common method used for this purpose. Men and women from the three municipalities are familiar with nearly the same number of species; however, their knowledge of the number of uses varies significantly. In Galeana and Aramberri there was no correlation between a person's age and number of species recognized, however, in Zaragoza, there existed a high correlation between these two factors.
Subject(s)
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Medicine, Traditional , Phytotherapy , Plant Preparations/therapeutic use , Plants, Medicinal , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Chi-Square Distribution , Ecosystem , Ethnobotany , Female , Humans , Male , Mexico , Middle Aged , Plant Structures , Species Specificity , Statistics, NonparametricABSTRACT
Astrophytum myriostigma Lem. es una cactácea endémica del desierto chihuahuense, México, amenazada de extinción. Con el fin de promover su conservación se realizó un experimento de germinación con semillas de 4 años de edad provenientes de una población desaparecida por efecto de actividades mineras. Se evaluaron el porcentaje y la velocidad de germinación en semillas de dos clases de tamaño significativamente distintas en longitud (P= 0,003) y peso seco (P <0,0001), pero no en diámetro. Los tratamientos fueron H2SO4, agua destilada, escarificación mecánica y enfriamiento. El porcentaje de germinación fue afectado por los tratamientos, el tamaño de las semillas y la interacción tratamiento×tamaño de semilla. Los mejores tratamientos para la germinación fueron agua destilada y enfriamiento. Las semillas pequeñas mostraron mayor germinación que el testigo en todos los tratamientos, excepto escarificación, donde presentaron baja germinación independientemente del tamaño. La velocidad de germinación fue afectada por el tamaño y la interacción tratamiento×tamaño de semilla. Las semillas pequeñas germinaron más rápido (3,8 semillas/día) que las grandes (1,7 semillas/día). El tratamiento con H2SO4 mostró mayor velocidad de germinación en semillas pequeñas que grandes y con la escarificación se obtuvo mayor velocidad en las semillas grandes. En conclusión, las semillas pequeñas de 4 años de edad germinaron más y más rápido que las grandes, lo que podría estar relacionado con la capacidad para absorber agua más rápidamente que estas últimas; o bien, podría ser una estrategia para permanecer en el banco de semillas del suelo por varios años, lo que requiere de estudios más profundos para ser corroborado
