The tribe Scrophularieae (Scrophulariaceae): A Review of Phylogenetic Studies

Molecular data have been increasingly used to study the phylogenetic relationships among many taxa, including scrophs. Sometimes they have provided phylogenetic reconstructions that are in conflict with morphological data leading toa re-evaluation of long-standing evolutionary hypotheses. In this paper, we review reports of the recent knowledge of the phylogenetic relationships within Scrophularieae (2011-2016).We discuss methods of data collection and analysis, and we describe the areas of conflict and agreement between molecular phylogenies.&nbsp

Diversity and distribution of endemic and threatened plant species in the Sorkhabad Protected Area, Zanjan, NW Iran and identification of the biodiversity hotspots in the area

Protected areas are a mainstay of biodiversity conservation. All over the world, plant biodiversity is at risk and every year the number of threatened species increases dramatically. Many of these species are endemic. Sorkhabad Protected Area is situated in Zanjan Province, NW Iran, and is located in the Irano-Anatolian global biodiversity hotspot. The aim of this study is to investigate endemic and threatened vascular plant species, classify the local rarity of these species and identify hotspots of them in this area. 81 endemic species belonging to 59 genera within 22 families and 116 threatened species belonging to 86 genera within 46 families were collected from the area. Fabaceae with 16 and Asteraceae with 14 endemic species are the two largest families and Astragalus L. with 13 endemic species is the largest genus in terms of the number of endemic species. The degree of endemism in the Sorkhabad Protected Area is 15.2 percent. The distribution map of species was prepared using ArcGIS 10.3. The hotspots in terms of endemic and threatened species richness were identified, occupying all told 50,709 ha (41.35%) of the Sorkhabad Protected Area. Identifying the hotspots will help to obtain a proper management program and consequently preserve the biodiversity of this area

Floristic study of Kiasar National Park, Iran

Kiyasar National Park is a mountainous region in Mazandaran province, Kiyasar district, 70 kilometers far from Sari city, with an area of approximately 9530 hectares. The altitude of the area ranges from 883 m to 2775 m in Shahdeg pick. This park is located in the central Alborz. The mean annual rainfall is 650 mm and the mean annual temperature is 12˚C. Based on classical methods of regional floristic studies, approximately 720 specimens were collected during 2007 through 2008. The total number of 378 identified plant species belonged to 321 genera and 73 families. The dicots with 320 species were the richest group, following by monocots with 49 species, gymnosperms with 4 species and pteridophytes with 5 species respectively. The largest families were Asteraceae (43 species), Lamiaceae (33 species), and the most diverse genera included Astragalus, Salvia and Stachys. There were 11 endemic species among the plants of the area. The life form of all plant species was determined via Raunkier,s method. Hemicryptophytes constituting 37% of the biological types were dominant, followed by therophytes and cryphtophytes with 31% and 16% respectively. The largest chorotype was Irano-Turanian, with 120 species

ETHNOBOTANICAL USE OF Typha domingensis Pers. (TYPHACEAE) IN AN ARID ZONE: SISTAN, IRAN

International audienceTypha domingensis is a species with economic importance in Sistan (Zabol), Iran. The distributions of this species are the aquatic environments in the wet (north Iran), semi arid (northeastern Iran), and arid zones (centre and southeastern Iran). Hamun had been a shallow lake in Sistan (Iran andAfghanistan). T. domingensis had a vast and dense distribution around and inside of the lake, but the lake dried up since several years ago (1996), and currently the region is a dry desert. In this situation T. domingensis grows only rarely now. Since Iranian part of Sistan have had periodical dryness in Hamun in several years ago (1969 - 1975), it seems that the lake perhaps have a chance to come back again. The indigenous people of many villages around the former lake are still dependent on this plant, using it for making “pardeh” (a kind of curtain). Thus, they provide the plant from the another part of Hamun Lake in Afghanistan. When the lake had water, many people fished and hunted wild birds. They had manufactured some kinds of boats for these purposes from T. domingensis, which can be found in a few local museums or in costal regions of the old lake at present

ASTRAGALUS ANDABADENSIS (FABACEAE), A NEW SPECIES OF ASTRAGALUS SECT. INCANI FROM ZANJAN PROVINCE, IRAN

Astragalus andabadensis (Fabaceae) an endemic to Zanjan province, Iran is described here as a new species. It is placed in the section Incani DC. due to its medifixed hairs, free stipules, and bibracteolate flowers, and it appears to be most closely related to A. latifolius Lam. An illustration of the species is provided

Introducing High-yielding Populations of Native Species of the Genus Thymus in Iran

Natural essential oils derived from plants have particular importance in various markets such as agricultural, pharmaceutical, healthcare, cosmetics, and hygiene industries. Thyme has a special significance among the rest of aromatic plants. Thyme essential oil is yellow, brownish, and reddish to brown and is obtained from the distillation of leaves and flowers of Thymus vulgaris, as well as other species of thyme. It has various applications in the healthcare and cosmetic industries. Therefore, searching for different types of thyme to produce essential oils can be appealing to various industries. The results of the comparison of dry matter and essential oil production among 108 populations of 9 species of Iranian thyme and 4 populations of agricultural thyme (T. vulgaris) showed that the native populations of thyme species in Iran have a much higher economic and pharmacological potential than T. vulgaris. For instance, the specific populations of T. kotschyanus and T. daenensis can produce dry matter and essential oils in higher yields. The germplasm to be cultivated and utilized could be chosen purposefully by the designated usage of the product. If the purpose of producing thyme is to obtain dry matter for seasoning or spice, then the population 104 of T. kotschyanus, population 60 of T. fallax, population 91 of T. kotschyanus, and population 107 of T. daenensis could be considered. If, however,  the purpose of cultivation of thyme is to extract essential oils, then population 104 of T. kotschyanus, population 60 of T. fallax, population 90 of T. daenensis and population 67 of T. fedtschenkoi could be utilized.Key words: Thyme Crop, Native Thyme, Essential Oil Production, Medicinal Plants, Economic Plants. IntroductionThyme essential oil is a dark yellow or reddish-brown liquid with a strong pleasant smell and a sharp and persistent taste, which is obtained by the distillation of the leaves and flowering branches of Thymus vulgaris L. and other thyme species. It has been shown that 40% of its volume is made up of phenols (thymol and carvacrol) and a small amount of cymene and linalool.Genus Thymus L. has significant species diversity and includes 220 to more than 250 species in the world, scattered in the northern temperate region, from Greenland to Kamchatka, and one of the most important centers of its diversity is in the Mediterranean region and West Asia. Thymus has 18 species in Iran, of which four species (T. persicus, T. marandensis, T. daenensis, T. lancifolius) are endemics.Studying the chemical diversity of different populations, at both interspecies and intraspecies levels, remains one of the important aims of plant phytochemical studies with the purpose of discovering chemical types containing optimal amounts of known compounds or new compounds with medicinal value. Materials and MethodsSeeds of 108 populations of 9 native species of thyme, along with 4 populations of cultivated thyme from different regions of Iran were obtained. In the winter of 2009, the seeds were planted in the greenhouse, and in the following spring, they were transferred to the research farm.Seedlings were planted on the farm, in three replicates with a completely random block design and grew for 3 years under the same agricultural conditions. Then, in the fourth and fifth years, the stems were harvested and dried in the shade at room temperature. The dry weight of the samples was measured with a digital scale. Extraction of essential oils was performed using water and a Clevenger apparatus for three hours.Active ingredients were separated using a gas chromatography device connected to a mass spectrometer (GCMASS). Identification of spectra was calculated with the help of their inhibition indices and with the injection of normal hydrocarbons (C7-C25) under the same conditions and with the injection of essential oils by a computer program in BASIC language. In this study, the amounts of 10 important chemicals, i.e., p-cymene, 1,8-cineol, δ-terpinene, Linalool, Thymol, carvacrol, Borneol, Geraniol, α-Terpineol, Geranylacetate, and α-Terpinyl acetate have been compared. The yield data of dry matter and essential oil obtained from thyme germplasms were compared in a complete random block design over several years by SAS software version 2002. Results and ConclusionThe results of the data analysis showed the average weight of dry matter and essential oil among different germplasms. The production of dry matter of each genotype during two consecutive years is not significantly different. Among the 4 samples of cultivated thyme, accession 37 had the highest production of essential oil and dry matter compared to other samples of cultivated thyme; therefore, native samples were compared with this accession.All 9 native thyme populations had a higher average essential oil production per individual plant than that of the cultivated thyme under the same conditions. The highest amount of essential oil produced belonged to T. kotschyanus. The comparison of the amount of thymol in the active ingredients of the essential oil obtained from the examined thymes showed that the essential oil of the T. migricus had the highest percentage of thymol, which is the highest percentage of thymol reported in the essential oil of any thyme species, to the best of our knowledge.By comparing the above results, it could be said that according to the purpose of using thyme, the germplasm used can be somewhat different. If the purpose of planting and producing thyme is to produce dry matter for use as a seasoning or for such uses, it can be obtained from the population of 104 species of T. kotschyanus, the population of 60 species of T. fallax, the population of 91 species of T. kotschyanus and the population of 107 species of T. daenensis can be used. However, if the purpose of planting thyme is to produce more essential oil, the population of 104 species of T. kotschyanus, the population of 60 species of T. fallax, the population of 90 species of T. daenensis, and the population of 67 species of T. fedtschenkoi can be used. Financial SupportThere is no specific 4financial support for this research to be announced

An update on the flora of Iran: Iranian angiosperm orders and families in accordance with APG IV

The increasing influence of APG classification system necessitates an update on taxa recorded in most regional floras including Iran. Many changes in circumscriptions of families and orders have occurred in APG in comparison with other classification systems. However, here we only attempt to emphasize on changes in the Iranian flora, especially in comparison with “Flora Iranica” and “Flora of Iran”. Of the overall 132 family names which have been mentioned here, 22 families are not found in Flora Iranica. Based on the APG IV system, 21 families which had been mentioned in Flora Iranica for Iran should be merged with other families. Accordingly, the angiosperms of Iran comprise 8012 species, approximately 1234 genera and 132 families placed in 39 orders. Gymnosperms (17 spp.), ferns (60 spp.) and mosses (534 spp.) included, the number of plant species of Iran exceeds approximately 8628 species. The largest angiosperms families of Iran are Fabaceae (1401 spp.) and Asteraceae (1234 spp.) in terms of number of species, and Asteraceae, Poaceae, Apiaceae and Fabaceae in terms of number of genera. The largest angiosperm order of Iran in terms of family number is Caryophyllales. The largest genera of Iran are Astragalus with about 830 species and Cousinia with about 280 species. In the two latest versions of APG a linear sequence of families is provided to be used by herbarium curators

Une espèce nouvelle et un synonyme nouveau dans le genre <i>Gypsophila</i> L. sous-genre <i>Pseudosaponaria</i> Williams (Caryophyllaceae)

Une nouvelle espèce endémique du centre de l’Iran, Gypsophila farsensis Falat., Assadi &amp; F. Ghahrem., sp. nov. est décrite et illustrée. Les caractères morphologiques (inflorescence dichasiale, calice tubulaire-campanulé à sinus hyalins, pétales deux à deux fois et demi plus grands que le calice à limbe clairement onguiculé, 17 à 27 ovules) démontrent que ce nouveau taxon doit être placé dans le sous-genre Pseudosaponaria Williams. Gypsophila farsensis, sp. nov. est affine de G. platyphylla Boiss., mais en diffère par sa stature plus réduite, ses tiges plus minces, les feuilles linéaires-lancéolées et les pétales spatulés. En outre, G. boissieriana Hausskn. &amp; Bornm. est proposé comme synonyme de G. platyphylla Boiss. La micromorphologie des semences et des grains de pollen est décrite et comparée entre les taxa décrits.Gypsophila farsensis Falat., Assadi &amp; F. Ghahrem., sp. nov. is described as a new endemic species of the Center of Iran. Morphological evidences (dichasial inflorescence, tubular-campanulate calyx with wide hyaline intervals, petals two to two and a half times as the calyx with distinct limb and claw, ovules 17-27) support taxonomic placement of the new taxon in Gypsophila L. subgenus Pseudosaponaria Williams. Gypsophila farsensis, sp. nov. is close to G. platyphylla Boiss., but it differs with having shorter habit, thinner stems, glandular-hairy lower internodes, shorter internodes, linear-lanceolate leaves with less width and spatulate petals. Moreover, G. boissieriana Hausskn. &amp; Bornm. is proposed as a synonym of G. platyphylla Boiss. Micromorphology of seeds and pollen grains is described and compared between the described taxa.</p

A New Species of Tulipa (Liliaceae) from Western Iran

Volume: 17Start Page: 437End Page: 43