A botanic garden as a tool to combine public perception of nature and life-science investigations on native/exotic plants interactions with local pollinators

Life-sciences are pointing towards an alarming worldwide pollinator decline. This decline proceeds along with overall biodiversity losses, even in the context of urban landscapes and human welfare. At the same time, social-sciences are arguing an increased distance from nature, experienced by citizens. The strong connection between the public good and pollinator sustainability, even in urban areas, is well-documented. However, usually basic and applied life-sciences tend to underestimate public perception of nature, which is better tackled by the fields of social-sciences. Therefore, more efforts are needed to link scientific questions and public 'perception' of nature. We designed a transversal project where research questions directly confront public concerns: i.e., even while addressing scientific knowledge gaps, our questions directly arise from public concerns. Social studies highlighted that appreciation of (exotic) plants is related to the impact they may have on the surrounding natural environment: therefore, we investigated links of native and exotic flowers to local pollinators. Other studies highlighted that scientific results need to link to everyday individual experience: therefore, we investigated pollination modes of the renown Salvia, native and exotic, largely used in cuisine and gardening. The botanic garden was the promoter of scientific questions addressed by the public, and also collated the results in a travelling exhibition. The exhibition, together with a dedicated catalogue, were especially designed to enlighten the wide public on the relationships that plants, native and exotic alike, establish with the surrounding world.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tools to Tie: Flower Characteristics, VOC Emission Profile, and Glandular Trichomes of Two Mexican Salvia Species to Attract Bees

A plant can combine physical and chemical tools to interact with other organisms. Some are designed for pollinator attraction (i.e., colors and volatile organic compounds-VOCs); others can act to discourage herbivores (i.e., non-glandular trichomes). Few studies fully address available tools in a single species; notwithstanding, this information can be pivotal in understanding new interactions out of the home range. We characterized flower traits, emission profiles of constitutive compounds from flowers and leaves, micro-morphology of the glandular trichomes, and listed flower visitors of two Mexican bird-pollinated Salvia species (S. blepharophylla and S. greggii), growing in an Italian botanical garden. Flowers were highly variable in their morphometric characteristics. In both species, four trichome morphotypes with similar histochemistry and distribution were documented for leaves and flowers except the calyx abaxial side. The vegetative emission profiles were qualitatively more complex than the floral ones; however, common compounds occurring in high relative percentages were β-caryophyllene and germacrene D. Floral bouquets were dominated by limonene and β-pinene in S. greggii and by 1,8-cineole in S. blepharophylla. Two potential (non-bird) pollinators were especially abundant: small bees belonging to the genus Lasioglossum and large bees belonging to the species Xylocopa violacea. Our study highlights the plasticity of these plants, as well as tools that can be conveniently used to establish novel interactions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Using Medicinal Plants in Valmalenco (Italian Alps): From Tradition to Scientific Approaches

This ethnobotanical survey was carried out in Caspoggio (Valmalenco, SO, Italy) with the purpose of investigating the traditional uses of medicinal plants. Moreover, a bibliographic research meant to validate or refute the uses, focusing on the potentially responsible compounds, was performed. Fifty-nine species, attributable to 30 families (Asteraceae, Pinaceae, Malvaceae, and Lamiaceae the most cited), were mentioned. Arnica montana, anti-inflammatory for traumas and musculoskeletal pains; Pinus mugo, expectorant; Malva sylvestris, anti-inflammatory and soothing; Achillea moschata, digestive. The compounds, responsible for the therapeutic activities, are often polyphenols and terpenoids: helenanin in A. montana, -pinene, -3-carene, and limonene in P. mugo, gossypin and malvin in M. sylvestris, luteolin and apigenin in A. moschata. Scientific evidence for at least one of the traditional activities described was found for 50 species but only in 26 out of 196 works consulted, it is possible to make a comparison between investigated extracts and traditional preparations. This study is thus a stimulus to new phytochemical investigations, mimicking as much as possible the traditional preparations. This work is part of the European Interreg Italy-Switzerland B-ICE project, aimed at creating a management model for the ongoing climate change and searching for new sources of territory valorization as attractions for tourists

Children's versus adult's knowledge of medicinal plants: an ethnobotanical study in Tremezzina (Como, Lombardy, Italy)

The study was developed in order to collect information about knowledge on medicinal plant uses by students from some primary school classes located in a small community on the western shore of Lake Como (northern Italy). This information was compared with the one collected from the students' relatives and from other people they were in contact with, in order to evaluate differences and similarities between the children's and the adults' knowledge. Two workshops were led in each of the classes taking part in the project. The first one was performed to introduce our research and the topic of healing plants to the students. During the second workshop we asked the students to fill a survey focusing on which plant remedies they would use as medicines. In another phase of the project each child was given a new survey to be filled in at home while conducting the interviews with their relatives or other adults. Tremezzina children reported the use of 24 medicinal species; 78% of students listed at least one species but only 9% showed to know more than three species and uses. In total, adults reported 85 species in eighteen categories of use. Children listed eight species and eleven uses that were not reported by the adults, suggesting that some of the Tremezzina children's knowledge of the medicinal plants are specific to them. Both children and adults learned about the use of the medicinal plants mainly from their family; however, other sources of knowledge were also reported. Differences related to age and gender in both the informants' groups were also discussed. Our results provide valuable qualitative and quantitative data on the plants used for the medicinal purpose within the studied community. Keywords: Children, Parents, Ethnopharmacological knowledge, Knowledge transmissio

Ultrastructural insight into terpene-producing trichomes and essential oil profile in Salvia greggii A. Gray

Micromorphological investigations on the terpene-producing trichomes at the active secretory stage were performed on leaves and flowers of the Mexican Salvia greggii A. Gray (Lamiaceae), cultivated in Italy. Two types of glandular trichomes are described and compared: peltate, widespread on both the vegetative and the reproductive organs, and medium-stalked capitate, typical of the calyx abaxial side. The histochemical evidences indicate an exclusive terpene production for both morphotypes. TEM survey highlighted several common ultrastructural features that validated the light microscope observations, however a great variability was detected at the plastidome level. Different plastid populations characterized each trichome type, also in relation to the different distribution pattern on the plant epidermis. In the peltates plastids invariably displayed a well-developed internal membrane system and various types of osmiophilic inclusions: on the leaf and the calyx plastoglobuli were also observed, whereas on the corolla abundant starch grains. True leucoplast are only detected in the calyx capitate trichomes. 49 compounds were detected in the essential oil (EO) obtained from the aerial parts, with terpenes representing 98.76% of the total EO, besides negligible amounts of non-terpene derivatives and apocarotenoids. Sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes occurred in similar relative abundances: 52.7% versus 46.1%, respectively. Among sesquiterpenes, γ-muurolene (11.48%) and guaiol (6.15%) dominated for hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds, respectively. β-pinene (20.24%) prevailed among the monoterpene hydrocarbons, resulting also as the most abundant compound in the essential oil. 1,8-cineole (11.00%) is the dominant compound of the oxygenated monoterpenes. The ultrastructural appearance of the plastidome was linked with the various terpene classes present in the EO profile. We argued that monoterpenes were probably synthetized in the calyx capitate trichomes and the sesquiterpenes in the peltates

Flavonoid characterization and in vitro antioxidant activity of Aconitum anthora L. (Ranunculaceae).

In this paper, we report studies on morphological, phytochemical, and biological aspects of a population belonging to Aconitum anthora L. Two compounds, quercetin 3-O-((beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 -> 3)-(4-O-(E-p-coumaroyl))-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 -> 6)-beta-D-galactopyranoside))-7-O-CX-L-rhamnopyranoside (1) and kaempferol 3-O-((beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 -> 3)-(4-O-(E-p-coumaroyl))-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 -> 6) -+6)-beta-D-galactopyranoside))-7-O-alpha-C-L-rhamnopyranoside (2), together with two known flavonol glycosides (3-4) were isolated and identified from A. anthora. The antioxidant activity of the four identified flavonoids was screened by three in vitro tests