One more Allium species for the Turkish flora: Allium saxatile

Allium saxatile M.Bieb. was collected from the north-western corner of European Turkey (Demirkoy, Kirklareli) during the field survey of the "Yildiz Mountain Biosphere Project". It has been reported as a new record for the Turkish flora. A description based on the collected specimens, photographs of its habitat and flowering plants, map of the distribution area, and its karyotype are given

Comparative morphology and fruit anatomy of Ferula szowitsiana DC. and Ferula caspica M.Bieb.

Ferula caspica and Ferula szowitsiana grow in the same area of Central Anatolia. According to Flora of Turkey, they can be easily confused for one another during the flowering time. In this study, morphological and anatomical features of these two species were examined in order to reveal their differences. Leaves, flowers and fruits of these two species were examined and necessary measurements were made. The proliferation in the inflorescence of F. caspica, was not observed in the species F. szowitziana. There were distinct morphological differences in the fruits, also, the numbers of the secretory channels were different in the anatomical sections of mericarps. Morphological differences were observed in leaf lobes of these two species. As a result, the data that can be used to distinguish between these species are shown

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Ferulago trojana E. Akalin & Pimenov

Ferulago W. Koch is a genus in the Apiaceae family comprising 34 species, of which 18 are endemic in Turkey. Ferulago species have been known since the time of Dioscorides and have been used in folk medicine for their sedative, tonic, digestive, carminative, and aphrodisiac effects, as well as for the treatment of intestinal worms and hemorrhoids. This study was conducted to evaluate the polyphenolic contents and antioxidant activities of methanol extracts of the aerial parts (HFT) and rhizomes (RFT) of Ferulago trojana E. Akalin & Pimenov by measuring their ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation induced by Fe3+-ascorbate, their DPPH center dot and ABTS(center dot+) scavenging activities, and their ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP value). The methanol extracts were also examined for their antimicrobial activity using the microbroth dilution technique. Results showed that the methanol extracts of the aerial parts of the plant, containing the highest amount of total phenolic content and flavonoids, exhibited antioxidative potential for the chain-breaking inhibition of lipid peroxidation and showed the strongest hydrogen and single electron donor activities, which could thus serve as a free radical scavenger, act as a reductant, and provide protection against oxidative stress. Although the methanol extract of rhizomes did not exhibit any inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation, it is possible that it might also have protective effects against oxidative damage by scavenging free radicals and acting as a reductant. While both the methanol extracts of the aerial parts and rhizomes of F. trojana were effective against Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and S. epidermidis, the extracts showed no activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In addition, the methanol extract of rhizomes of F. trojana exhibited antibacterial activity against Proteus mirabilis and antifungal activity against the yeast Candida albicans

First Broad Screening of Allelopathic Potential of Wild and Cultivated Plants in Turkey

Turkey has one of the richest plant diversities in the Mediterranean region. In the current literature, no broad screening has been conducted on the potential allelopathy of plants from Turkey. This study aimed to evaluate the allelopathic activity of a large number of plants from Turkey for the first time and to determine the species with significant plant growth inhibitory potentials by bioassay. Dried samples of different plant parts were collected from local herbalists. The sandwich method was used to evaluate the potential allelopathy of 126 medicinal plants belonging to 55 families. The results of lettuce radicle and hypocotyl growth for 10 and 50 mg sample treatment conformed to normal distribution. Significant inhibition on lettuce radicle elongation with 10 mg sample was observed in 40 species, out of which 27 species showed over 50% inhibitory activity. The results suggested that these species could contain potential inhibitory compounds against lettuce radicle or hypocotyl growth. The calyxes of Hibiscus sabdariffa (3.2% of control) and the seeds of Prunus dulcis (5.7% of control) showed the most potent growth inhibitory activity on lettuce radicle elongation. The potential plant growth inhibitory effects of these plants, together with the fruits of Rhus coriaria and seeds of Prunus mahaleb, have been reported in this study for the first time. All these plants are medicinal, and the results hereby presented provide essential information about the allelopathic effects of medicinal plants from Turkey

The flora of Yıldız Mountains (Kırklareli) Biosphere Project area

A floristic study of the Yi{dotless}ldi{dotless}z Mountains Biosphere Project was undertaken between May and October 2009. The project area is located in the north-eastern part of European Turkey, within flora square A1-A2 (E) (Ki{dotless}rklareli), and covers about 1300 km2. The list of vascular plants was prepared mainly based on specimens collected during the flora surveys of the Project and supplemented by earlier gathered specimens kept in the EDTU, ISTE, and ISTO herbaria. In the project area 1315 taxa, belonging to 505 genera and 113 families, were determined. Among these, 18 taxa are Pteridophytes, 4 Gymnospermae, 1035 Dicotyledones, and 258 Monocotyledones. The 3 largest families are Compositae (153 taxa; 11.5%), Leguminosae (119 taxa; 9.1%), and Graminae (102 taxa; 7.9%). The richest genus is Trifolium (62 taxa). Among the more significant finds of this floristic survey of the research area are 15 endemic taxa for Turkey and 29 taxa that are not recorded in the Asiatic part of Turkey, a new species for plant science (Allium rumelicum M.Koçyiǧit & N.Özhatay), 3 new records for Turkey (Allium saxatile M.Bieb., Anthoxanthum aristatum Boiss., and Elatine triandra Schkuhr), and 8 new records for European Turkey. © TÜBİTAK