Using microscopic techniques for taxonomic implications of seed and fruits of Delphinium L. (sensu lato) (Ranunculaceae).

In present research, micromorphological characters of the genus Delphinium L. (sensu lato) Ranunculaceae seeds and fruits were studied using microscopic techniques. A total of 37 species were studied using light (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate seeds and fruits micromorphological characteristics for the taxonomic identification and species relationship in the genus. For each taxon, 33 characters were observed and studied. All characters were analyzed using MVSP software and UPGMA method by using dissimilarity index (average taxonomic distance). Considerable differences were observed in trichomes shape of fruit and seed color features. The results revealed that all studied taxa are separated into three clades. The first clade consists of D. pallidiflorum and D. semibarbatum, which have black seed and two types of glandular and crispate trichomes in fruit. The second clade consists of D. speciosum, D. szowitsianum, D. dasystachyson, D. aquilegifolium, D. ursinum, C. trigonelloides, and C. camptocarpa, which had a brown color seeds, two types of glandular and villous trichomes on fruits also have been observed. The remaining species were classified as third clade having various colors including yellow, black, and brown color seeds, the trichome shapes included one of the following forms strigose, villous, trichomes less, glandular, hooked, and crispate trichomes in fruits. The aim of the present study is to use micromorphological characters of seeds and fruits for the taxonomic identification and species delimitation in the genus Delphinium.

Micro-morphological, environmental and phytochemical investigation of herbal medicines by using LM and SEM: A quality control tool.

The use of quality control tool for authentication of Jadwar (Delphinium denudatum Wall. ex Hook.f. & Thomson), a folk herbal drug used for the treatment of different ailments, was studied. People face problems of adulteration for this drug at global, regional, national and local levels. Two different plant species are commercially marketed in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent under the same trade name of Jadwar. One is D. denudatum Wall. ex Hook.f. & Thomson and the other is Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. ex Royle. To focus on this problem, a marketable available drug sample of Jadwar was authenticated by using basic microscopy tools (LM) and advanced chemo-taxonomic markers. Authentication, quality and standardization of this drug was achieved using morphology, organoleptography, UV and IR analyses, scanning electron microscopy of pollen and anatomical investigations. The techniques used for authentication marked the clear difference between the studied plants. Microscopic studies, chemotaxonomic investigation and other techniques used in this project provided the basis for the authentication of this species.

Flower orientation influences the consistency of bumblebee movement within inflorescences.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Plant species differ greatly in the three-dimensional arrangements of their flowers (inflorescence architecture). However, the nature of selection responsible for this diversity is poorly understood. Studies that examine among-species variation suggest that inflorescence architecture affects pollinator behaviour, and so should influence plant mating. However, few studies consider the consequences of within-population architectural variation for pollinator behaviour. METHODS: We manipulated inflorescence architecture of Delphinium glaucum to contrast bumblebee responses to normal and one-sided (secund) inflorescences. KEY RESULTS: The 'dimensionality' of manipulated inflorescences did not affect the number of flowers that bees visited; however, bees moved upward proportionally more on secund inflorescences. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that realistic within-population variation in inflorescence architecture can manipulate pollinator behaviour. These results bear important consequences for plant mating success and the coordinated evolution of inflorescence architecture and floral specialization within inflorescences. These results also question why secund inflorescences are rare, for which we propose four testable explanations.

[Normal light and fluorescence microscopy for authentication of Delphinii Brunoniani Herba of Tibet].

Dried herb of Delphinium brunonianum Royle (Ranunculaceae) has long been used under the herbal name "Xiaguobei" (Delphinii Brunoniani Herba) in traditional Tibetan medicine and prescribed for the treatment of influenza, itchy skin rash and snake bites. In order to find a useful and convenient method for the identification of microscopic features, the technique of fluorescence microscopy was applied to authenticate "Xiaguobei" of Tibet. The transverse sections of stem and leaf, as well as the powder of "Xiaguobei" were observed to seek for typical microscopic features by normal light and fluorescence microscopy. A style-like, single-cell glandular hair containing yellow secretions on the leaf, young stem and sepal of "Xiaguobei" was found. Under the fluorescence microscope, the xylem and pericycle fiber group emitted significant fluorescence. This work indicated that fluorescence microscopy could be an useful additional method for the authentication work. Without the traditional dyeing methods, the main microscopic features could be easily found by fluorescence microscopy. The results provided reliable references for the authentication of "Xiaguobei".

Establishment of zygomorphy on an ontogenic spiral and evolution of perianth in the tribe Delphinieae (Ranunculaceae).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ranunculaceae presents both ancestral and derived floral traits for eudicots, and as such is of potential interest to understand key steps involved in the evolution of zygomorphy in eudicots. Zygomorphy evolved once in Ranunculaceae, in the speciose and derived tribe Delphinieae. This tribe consists of two genera (Aconitum and Delphinium s.l.) comprising more than one-quarter of the species of the family. In this paper, the establishment of zygomorphy during development was investigated to cast light on the origin and evolution of this morphological novelty. METHODS; The floral developmental sequence of six species of Ranunculaceae, three actinomorphic (Nigella damascena, Aquilegia alpina and Clematis recta) and three zygomorphic (Aconitum napellus, Delphinium staphisagria and D. grandiflorum), was compared. A developmental model was elaborated to break down the successive acquisitions of floral organ identities on the ontogenic spiral (all the species studied except Aquilegia have a spiral phyllotaxis), giving clues to understanding this complex morphogenesis from an evo-devo point of view. In addition, the evolution of symmetry in Ranunculaceae was examined in conjunction with other traits of flowers and with ecological factors. KEY RESULTS: In the species studied, zygomorphy is established after organogenesis is completed, and is late, compared with other zygomorphic eudicot species. Zygomorphy occurs in flowers characterized by a fixed merism and a partially reduced and transformed corolla. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that shifts in expression of genes controlling the merism, as well as floral symmetry and organ identity, have played a critical role in the evolution of zygomorphy in Delphinieae, while the presence of pollinators able to exploit the peculiar morphology of the flower has been a key factor for the maintenance and diversification of this trait.

Reproductive and physiological responses to simulated climate warming for four subalpine species.

* The carbon costs of reproduction were examined in four subalpine herbaceous plant species for which number and size of flowers respond differently under a long-term infrared warming experiment. * Instantaneous measurements of gas exchange and an integrative model were used to calculate whole-plant carbon budgets and reproductive effort (RE). * Of the two species for which flowering was reduced, only one (Delphinium nuttallianum) exhibited higher RE under warming. The other species (Erythronium grandiflorum) flowers earlier when freezing events under warming treatment could have damaged floral buds. Of the two species for which flowering rates were not reduced, one (Helianthella quinquenervis) had higher RE, while RE was unaffected for the other (Erigeron speciosus). Each of these different responses was the result of a different combination of changes in organ size and physiological rates in each of the species. * Results show that the magnitude and direction of responses to warming differ greatly among species. Such results demonstrate the importance of examining multiple species to understand the complex interactions among physiological and reproductive responses to climate change.