Macromorphological and micromorphological seed features of selected taxa of Caesalpiniaceae using light and scanning electron microscopy.

Seed micromorphological and macromorphological characteristics of 12 taxa of Caesalpiniaceae from Pakistan have been studied, using light and scanning electron microscopy, to investigate the importance of seed coat features as a taxonomic tool. Great variations have been observed in color, shape, dimension, and seed surface pattern among the different genera of the family. A taxonomic key was prepared for the studied taxa. Six types of seed shapes were observed; circular, elliptical, irregular, oblong, oval, and ovoid. All examined seeds were hard except fragile seeds of Haematoxylom campechianum. Eight types of surface ornamentation have been noticed that include levigate, lugose, papillate, reticulate, reticulate irregular, reticulate regular, rhombus, and rogues. Majority of the taxa has been observed with thick ornamentation wall but thin ornamentation wall has also been recorded in few species. Fracture line of the various patterns was present in all taxa except genus Bauhinia. Three types of texture crudeness; coarse, medium, and fine have been recorded. Both micromorphological and macromorphological characters of seed are very fruitful in identification and classification of Caesalpiniaceae.

Global Succulent Biome phylogenetic conservatism across the pantropical Caesalpinia Group (Leguminosae).

The extent to which phylogenetic biome conservatism vs biome shifting determines global patterns of biodiversity remains poorly understood. To address this question, we investigated the biogeography and trajectories of biome and growth form evolution across the Caesalpinia Group (Leguminosae), a clade of 225 species of trees, shrubs and lianas distributed across the Rainforest, Succulent, Temperate and Savanna Biomes. We focused especially on the little-known Succulent Biome, an assemblage of succulent-rich, grass-poor, seasonally dry tropical vegetation distributed disjunctly across the Neotropics, Africa, Arabia and Madagascar. We reconstructed a time-calibrated phylogeny, assembled species occurrence data and assigned species to areas, biomes and growth forms. These data are used to estimate the frequency of transcontinental disjunctions, biome shifts and evolutionary transitions between growth forms and test for phylogenetic biome conservatism and correlated evolution of growth forms and biome shifts. We uncovered a pattern of strong phylogenetic Succulent Biome conservatism. We showed that transcontinental disjunctions confined within the Succulent Biome are frequent and that biome shifts to the Savanna, Rainforest and Temperate Biomes are infrequent and closely associated with shifts in plant growth forms. Our results suggest that the Succulent Biome comprises an ecologically constrained evolutionary arena spanning large geographical disjunctions across the tropics.

Insect herbivores associated with an evergreen tree Goniorrhachis marginata Taub. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) in a tropical dry forest.

Goniorrhachis marginata Taub. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) is a tree species found in Brazilian tropical dry forests that retain their leaves during the dry season. That being, we addressed the following question: i) How do insect diversity (sap-sucking and chewing), leaf herbivory and defensive traits (tannin and leaf sclerophylly) vary on the evergreen tree species G. marginata between seasons? The abundance of sap-sucking insects was higher in the dry season than in the rainy season. However, we did not verify any difference in the species richness and abundance of chewing insects between seasons. Leaf herbivory was higher in the rainy season, whereas leaf sclerophylly was higher in the dry season. However, herbivory was not related to sclerophylly. Insect herbivores likely decrease their folivory activity during the dry season due to life history patterns or changes in behaviour, possibly entering diapause or inactivity during this period. Therefore, G. marginata acts as a likely keystone species, serving as a moist refuge for the insect fauna during the dry season in tropical dry forest, and the presence of this evergreen species is crucial to conservation strategies of this threatened ecosystem.

Insect herbivores associated with an evergreen tree Goniorrhachis marginata Taub. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) in a tropical dry forest / Insetos herbívoros associados a uma árvore sempre verde Goniorrhachis marginata Taub. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) em uma floresta tropical seca

Goniorrhachis marginata Taub. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) is a tree species found in Brazilian tropical dry forests that retain their leaves during the dry season. That being, we addressed the following question: i) How do insect diversity (sap-sucking and chewing), leaf herbivory and defensive traits (tannin and leaf sclerophylly) vary on the evergreen tree species G. marginata between seasons? The abundance of sap-sucking insects was higher in the dry season than in the rainy season. However, we did not verify any difference in the species richness and abundance of chewing insects between seasons. Leaf herbivory was higher in the rainy season, whereas leaf sclerophylly was higher in the dry season. However, herbivory was not related to sclerophylly. Insect herbivores likely decrease their folivory activity during the dry season due to life history patterns or changes in behaviour, possibly entering diapause or inactivity during this period. Therefore, G. marginata acts as a likely keystone species, serving as a moist refuge for the insect fauna during the dry season in tropical dry forest, and the presence of this evergreen species is crucial to conservation strategies of this threatened ecosystem.

Goniorrhachis marginata Taub. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) é uma árvore encontrada em florestas tropicais secas do Brasil que mantém as suas folhas durante a estação seca. Baseado neste fato, nós levantamos a seguinte questão: i) como a diversidade de insetos herbívoros (sugadores e mastigadores), herbivoria foliar e características defensivas (taninos e esclerofilia foliar) variam em G. marginata entre as estações seca e chuvosa. A abundância de insetos sugadores foi maior na estação seca, entretanto, a riqueza e abundância de insetos mastigadores não diferiram entre as estações. A herbivoria foliar foi maior na estação chuvosa, enquanto a esclerofilia foliar foi maior na estação seca. Não foi observado efeito significativo da esclerofilia sobre os níveis de herbivoria foliar. Insetos herbívoros reduzem a sua atividade de consumo foliar durante a estação seca, fato este devido à sua história natural e/ou mudança comportamental, provavelmente, entrando em diapausa durante este período. Nossos resultados demonstram que G. marginata atua como refúgio para fauna de insetos durante a estação seca, e que a presença desta espécie merece relevante destaque em estratégias de conservação deste ameaçado ecossistema.

Evaluación del cocimiento de diferentes biovariedades de Caesalpinia spinosa (tara) frente a cepas de Staphylococcus aureus sensibles y resistentes a oxacilina / Evaluation of different biovarieties of Caesalpinia spinosa (tara) poaching against oxacillin sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains

Objetivos: Comprobar la actividad antimicrobiana de tres biovariedades de tara frente a cepas de Staphylococcus aureus sensibles y resistentes a oxacilina. Diseño: Estudio descriptivo, prospectivo, analítico. Institución: Instituto de Medicina Tropical Daniel A. Carrión, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú. Material biológico: Tres biovariedades de tara y cepas de Staphylococcus aureus. Intervenciones: Se evaluó 31 cepas de S. aureus oxacilina sensibles y 29 resistentes, aislados de muestras clínicas, frente a tres cocimientos de tara de las zonas de Huamanga, Huarochirí y Tarma. Se preparó el cocimiento de tara y se impregnó discos en blanco para utilizarlos como un antibiograma por disco difusión. Principales medidas de resultados: Diámetro de los halos de inhibición. Resultados: Los tres cocimientos presentaron actividad antimicrobiana frente a las cepas de Staphylococcus aureus; el cocimiento de Huamanga presentó mayor halo de inhibición frente a cepas sensibles y resistentes. El cocimiento de Huarochirí mostró mayor halo de inhibición en cepas oxacilino resistentes que sensibles; la diferencia fue significativa. El cocimiento de Huarochirí tuvo una actividad menor y fue significativa, frente a los cocimientos de Huamanga y Tarma. Conclusiones: El cocimiento de Huarochirí presentó menor actividad que los de Huamanga y de Tarma...

Objectives: To determine three taraÆs biovarieties antimicrobial activity against oxacillin sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. Design: Descriptive, prospective, analytical study. Setting: Instituto de Medicina Tropical Daniel A. Carrion, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru. Biologic material: Three tara biovarieties and Staphylococcus aureus strains. Interventions: Thirty-one S. aureus oxacillin-sensitive strains and 29 oxacillin-resistant strains isolated from clinical samples were studied against three tara varieties obtained in Huamanga, Huarochiri and Tarma. TaraÆs poaching was prepared and blank discs were soaked in to use as antibiogram by disc difussion. Main outcome measures: Inhibition halos diameter. Results: All three poachings showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus strains; HuamangaÆs poaching displayed larger inhibition halo against sensitive and resistant strains. HuarichiriÆs poaching showed significant larger inhibition halo in oxacillin-resistant strains than in sensitive ones. HuarochiriÆs poaching had less significant activity as compared with Huamanga and Tarma poachings. Conclusions: HuarochiriÆs poaching exhibited less activity compared with those from Huamanga and Tarma...

Antimicrobial activity and bioautographic study of antistaphylococcal components from Caesalpinia pyramidalis Tull

The antimicrobial activity of dry methanol and ethyl acetate extracts for the leaves, bark of the stem, peel of the root, flower, fruit and seed of Caesalpinia pyramidalis Tull. (catingueira) was performed against seventeen isolates of Staphylococcus aureus MRSA multiresistant strains, which included two isolates of S. aureus MSSA and two ATCC strains. The antimicrobial activity was tested by the agar diffusion method and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was determined. The dry methanol extract of the root showed good antimicrobial activity with a MIC of less than 0.5 mg.mL-1. The dry ethyl acetate extracts exhibited lower antimicrobial activity, which might be explained by solubility problems and less diffusion in the agar medium. Results of the bioautographies also confirmed inhibition halos corresponding to the active substances present in the leaves, as well as in the flower of C. pyramidalis. The phytochemical study of the leaves, bark of the stem, peel of the root, flower and fruit of extracts from C. pyramidalis confirmed the presence of a number of known antimicrobial agents including ursolic acid, quercetin, catechin, ellagic acid, sitosterol, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins and gallic acid.

A determinação da atividade antimicrobiana dos extratos metanólicos e em acetato de etila da folha, casca do caule, casca da raiz, flor, fruto e semente de Caesalpinia pyramidalis Tull. foi realizada frente a dezessete isolados de Staphylococcus aureus MRSA multirresistentes, dois isolados de S. aureus MSSA e duas cepas padrão, pelas técnicas de poço/difusão em ágar e determinação das CMI pelo método de diluição em agar/multiinoculador de Stears. O extrato metanólico de casca da raiz indicou uma boa atividade, com CMI inferior a 0.5 mg.mL-1. Os extratos secos por extração em acetato de etila apresentaram menor atividade que se poderia explicar por problemas de solubilidade e menor difusão no meio de cultura em ágar. Resultados das bioautografias confirmaram zonas de inibição correspondente às substâncias ativas presente na folha, como também na flor da C. pyramidalis. No estudo fitoquímico das folhas, casca da caule, casca da raiz, flor e fruto dos extratos de C. pyramidalis evidenciou-se a presença de vários constituintes com reconhecida atividade antimicrobiana, entre estes o ácido ursólico, quercetina, catequina, ácido elágico, sitosterol, flavonóides, proantocianidinas e ácido gálico. Entre todos os metabólitos citados, somente o ultimo não observamos, por CCD, na casca da raiz de C. pyramidalis.

Phylogenetic relationships among morphotypes of Caesalpinia echinata Lam. (Caesalpinioideae: Leguminosae) evidenced by trnL intron sequences.

Caesalpinia echinata (brazilwood or Pernambuco wood) comprises a complex of three morphological leaf variants, characterized by differences in the number and size of the pinnae and leaflets, and occurring in allopatric and sympatric populations. The present study evaluates the utility of the chloroplast DNA trnL intron in a phylogenetic analysis of the three leaf variants along with other species of Caesalpinia and generic relatives. Our study supports the hypothesis that the name C. echinata designates a species complex and provides evidence that one of the forms, the highly divergent C. echinata large-leafleted variant, represents a distinct taxon.

Cryptic speciation in the Caesalpinia hintonii complex (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) in a seasonally dry Mexican forest.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: [corrected] The Caesalpinia hintonii group comprises six species of endemic shrubs or trees, C. epifanioi, C. hintonii, C. laxa, C. macvaughii, C. melanadenia and C. oyamae, found in scattered patches of seasonally dry forest in the Río Balsas depression and the neighbouring Tehuacán-Cuicatlán valley, which are part of the Mexican morphotectonic province of Sierra Madre del Sur. An evaluation is made of phylogeographic patterns and genetic diversity with a phylogenetic analysis of the C. hintonii complex in order to study the dynamics of speciation in this endemic group of legumes. METHODS: A phylogeographic study based on four highly variable non-coding plastid regions (trnL intron, trnL-F intergenic spacer, trnH-psbA intergenic spacer, and accD-psaI intergenic spacer) was carried out for the Caesalpinia hintonii complex. Five of the six taxa of the C. hintonii complex were included. KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The plastid analyses involving multiple accessions of each taxon from throughout their ranges resolved C. epifanioi and C. hintonii as well-supported clusters, but C. oyamae has two unexpectedly divergent lineages. Two well-supported geographic clades: eastern (C. epifanioi, C. melanadenia and C. oyamae) and western (C. hintonii and C. macvaughii) were established. The analyses performed provide evidence of recent morphostatic radiation in C. oyamae resulting from isolation and local adaptation. This pattern of genetic differentiation without morphological divergence may be a model that fits many groups of tropical woody taxa inhabiting similarly dry forests subjected to shifting selection.

The isolation and structure elucidation of new cassane diterpene-acids from Caesalpinia crista L. (Fabaceae), and review on the nomenclature of some Caesalpinia species.

New cassane diterpene-acids, neocaesalpins H and I, were isolated from the leaves of Caesalpinia crista (Fabaceae), and their structures were deduced on the basis of the spectroscopic and chemical basis. These compounds were characterized as having an alpha,beta-butenolide hemiacetal ring that is rare in nature. The lacking of 5-hydroxy group also distinguished neocaesalpins H and I from cassane diterpenes (caesalpins) occurring in other Caesalpinia species from the phytochemical viewpoint. The nomenclature of three Caesalpinia species was also reviewed, and it was found that some species belonging to the genus Caesalpinia are improperly named and should be changed to valid names.

[Studies on tannin and hydrolysate in three species of Chinese Caesalpinia plants].

OBJECTIVE: To get Chinese Caesalpinia plants that can replace the imported Tara to produce tannin and gallic acid. METHOD: Extract tannin with water, condense and hydrolyze the extracts with alkali, the hydrolysates were identified. Furthermore, an enlarged scale experiment was conducted. RESULT: Tannin contents of the plants were 32.2%, 46.6% and 58.5% respectively, the converted ratios of raw material to hydrolysate were 154:1, 11.8:1, 3.09-2.79:1 respectively. CONCLUSION: We got the Tara-replacing plants in Chinese Caesalpinia plants for the first time.

[Species and distribution of Chinese medicinal plant Caesalpinia].

OBJECTIVE: To gain a clear idea on the resources of medicinal plant Caesalpinia in China. METHOD: Conducting field investigation and consulting related specimens and data. RESULT: The distribution, growing environment and medicinal parts of 14 species of Caesalpinia have been clarified, and a key for their identification is given. CONCLUSION: A scientific basis for further study of the medicinal plant Caesalpinia in China has been provided.

[Investigation on the fruit output and ecological environment of Caesalpinia in China].

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the fruit output of Caesalpinia in China and understand its ecological environment. METHOD: On-the-spot investigation in the producing area. RESULT: The output of 8 species of Caesalpinia was estimated and their ecological environment was described. CONCLUSION: The natural resources of Chinese Caesalpinia, especially C. decapetala and C. minax, are rich, and thus worth exploring and developing.