A taxonomic backbone for the global synthesis of species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales

The Caryophyllales constitute a major lineage of flowering plants with approximately 12500 species in 39 families. A taxonomic backbone at the genus level is provided that reflects the current state of knowledge and accepts 749 genera for the order. A detailed review of the literature of the past two decades shows that enormous progress has been made in understanding overall phylogenetic relationships in Caryophyllales. The process of re-circumscribing families in order to be monophyletic appears to be largely complete and has led to the recognition of eight new families (Anacampserotaceae, Kewaceae, Limeaceae, Lophiocarpaceae, Macarthuriaceae, Microteaceae, Montiaceae and Talinaceae), while the phylogenetic evaluation of generic concepts is still well underway. As a result of this, the number of genera has increased by more than ten percent in comparison to the last complete treatments in the Families and genera of vascular plants” series. A checklist with all currently accepted genus names in Caryophyllales, as well as nomenclatural references, type names and synonymy is presented. Notes indicate how extensively the respective genera have been studied in a phylogenetic context. The most diverse families at the generic level are Cactaceae and Aizoaceae, but 28 families comprise only one to six genera. This synopsis represents a first step towards the aim of creating a global synthesis of the species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales integrating the work of numerous specialists around the world

Cataloge of medicinal plants in alive collections of Botanical Garden, Villa Clara

The use of medicinal plants for curative and preventive purposes occupies an important place in traditional Cuban medicine. In this regard, Fuentes (1998) reports that, despite the broad therapeutic arsenal of synthetic drugs in Cuba, the use of medicinal plants has a strong popular roots. The population uses a considerable number of decoctions and infusions of medicinal plants that have been transmitted from generation to generation through an ethnobotanical approach

Synanthropic species in the serpentine area of Motembo, Central Cuba

A list of the synanthropic flora restricted to the thorny dry s crub on serpentine (known as cuabal) in Motembo, Villa Clara, Central Cuba is given. Taxonomical wor k was based on the criteria of several studies conducted by researchers in 1990 and 1995 in addition to base t hemselves studies in 2001 and 2002. As a result, 104 infrageneric taxa behaving as synanthropic elements are reported; among these, 15 are new reports. Thymopsis thymoides var. polyantha is outstanding; it is a local endemic classified as intrapophy tes.str. Thedefinite apophytism of the Cuban synanthropic flora is also obvious in the serpentine area of Motembo; 94 synanthropic taxa occur in this ecosyste

CARACTERIZACIÓN FARMACOGNÓSTICA Y FITOQUÍMICA DE LAS HOJAS DE RAVENIA SPECTABILIS QUE CRECE EN CUBA

Introducción: Ravenia spectabilis es una especie de la familia Rutaceae, promisoria en el campo farmacéutico debido a sus acciones antimicrobiana y antioxidante. No se han descrito estudios que evalúen la composición química de la planta que crece en Cuba. Objetivo: Evaluar desde el punto de vista farmacognóstico y fitoquímico los extractos obtenidos de las hojas de Ravenia spectabilis con vistas a su posible uso terapéutico. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó la estandarización del secado a la sombra y en estufa. Se determinó la humedad residual y se cuantificaron las cenizas totales y metales del material vegetal. La evaluación fitoquímica incluyó un tamizaje de los posibles metabolitos. Se empleó la Cromatografía en Capa Delgada bajo diferentes condiciones cromatográficas para la identificación de los metabolitos que pudieran contribuir a las acciones farmacológicas. Resultados y Discusión: El método de secado en la estufa fue el más adecuado de acuerdo con los parámetros evaluados. El contenido de cenizas totales, humedad residual, metales pesados y oligoelementos se encontraron dentro de los límites permisibles descritos en normativas internacionales. Se sugiere la presencia de flavonoides, taninos, esteroides, alcaloides y cumarinas. Los extractos metanólico y de acetato de etilo mostraron un mayor número de manchas, con un revelado típico de compuestos fenólicos a la luz ultravioleta. Conclusiones: Se identificó la presencia de compuestos fenólicos mediante las técnicas de reconocimiento cualitativo, siendo el de acetato de etilo y el metanólico los de mejores resultados; lo cual sienta las bases para el desarrollo futuro de ingredientes farmacéuticos activos herbarios

Phytochemical screening and evaluation of the central nervous system activity of the ethanolic extract of Eugenia clarensis Britton & P.Wilson

Context: Eugenia clarensis Britton & P. Wilson is an endangered plant endemic of central region of Cuba. Aims: To perform phytochemical profile of ethanolic leaf extract of E. clarensis and evaluate its central nervous system (CNS) activity. Methods: The dried powder of leaves of E. clarensis was exhaustively extracted with ethanol by maceration. This extract underwent preliminary phytochemical analysis and these results were corroborated by the thin layer chromatographic technique. CNS effects were investigated in NMRI mice at doses 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg using Irwin test, curiosity tests and traction. Results: Phytochemical screening suggested the presence of phenols, tannins, triterpenoids, sterols, flavonoids, coumarins, quinones, resins and reducing sugar. The oral administration of this extract, in Irwin test, produced slight reduction in spontaneous motor activity and muscle tone in mice at doses of 400 and 800 mg/kg, moreover, it exhibited diuretic activity. In addiction this extract at dose 800 mg/kg decreased number of times which mice introduced its head into holes in comparison with the negative control. In the traction test, the mice treated with the extract showed a non-significant failure in traction at all doses tested. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the extract in higher doses has exerts a weak sedative and non-effect about the motor coordination. The results obtained in the preliminary phytochemical testing thus suggest that the ethanolic leaf extract of E. clarensis contains some metabolites, which may be responsible of sedative action

Chemical composition of essential oils from the leaves of Mosiera bullata (Britton & P.Wilson), an unexplored Cuban endemic species

Mosiera Small is a genus of Myrtaceae family with about forty species identified, including the Cuban endemic plant Mosiera bullata (Britton & P.Wilson) Bisse subsp. bullata. Mosiera species have been little investigated, and this is the first study analysing the composition of Mosiera bullata. Fresh leaf samples of M. bullata were collected from different locations near Santa Clara city, Cuba, and their essential oil was extracted. Using GC/MS, nineteen components (89.68% of the oil) were identified. The major compounds were found to be 1,8-cineole and eugenol, and a GC/FID method was analytically validated for their quantification. Chromatograms (GC/FID) of the sixteen samples studied were proposed as a fingerprint of the volatile composition of M. bullata leaves. Chemometric methods assured the reliability of the chromatographic fingerprinting. Therefore, in the present work is suggested, for the first time, a reliable and consistent chemical profile of M. bullata essential oil

The Global Caryophyllales Initiative: Towards an updated taxonomic backbone and a dynamic monograph of a major plant group

The ongoing paradigm shift in taxonomy from individual contributions to a truly collaborative and forward-looking endeavour results in a number of challenges related to distributed data management. Examination of physical specimens remains a key task, but searching for specimen data, literature, and name information is now mostly done online. In the past, these research steps involved many physical visits to collections and libraries. Although these infrastructures were and are still freely accessible and supportive for research carried out by individuals, the amount of characters, specimens, and the complexity of current analytical approaches limit what can be achieved by individual workers. Monographing is challenged because: larger genera remain unstudied and become fragmented in regional treatments; long-term availability of detailed (unpublished) primary research data is often not addressed; cross-disciplinary interoperability and open data principles are needed; and highly specialised techniques used in phylogenetic and genomic analyses require teamwork by specialists. The process towards generating truly community-based integrative dynamic taxonomic treatments is ongoing. In botany, specialist communities and networks have formed for certain plant groups, for example in the families Solanaceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, Melastomataceae-Miconieae, Asteraceae-Cichorieae, and in the order Caryophyllales. Their common aim is to create sustainable information systems according to the FAIR principles, making the information Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. At the same time, the information system is meant to support and document ongoing taxonomic research as an iterative process with tracking of changes, and backlinks to original data sources. This represents a big step forward with respect to the efficiency of the entire field of taxonomy. The Global Caryophyllales Initiative aims at creating a global synthesis of species diversity in this group (Borsch et al. 2015) encompassing about 12,500 species in more than 30 families or about 6% of flowering plants (Fig. 1). Caryophyllales include ecologically diverse, economically important, invasive, and threatened species. The Caryophyllales Network was initiated in 2011 and unites specialists from across the world (to date, 150 scientists from 37 countries). The network is recognized by the World Flora Online (WFO) Council as its Taxonomic Expert Network for Caryophyllales. Advances by the network are presented in the open-access Caryophyllales Portal (http://caryophyllales.org/), aiming to provide up-to-date phylogenetic and taxonomic information. The systematic treatment is powered by the EDIT Platform for Cybertaxonomy (https://cybertaxonomy.eu/), with the generic checklist (http://caryophyllales.org/Checklist) and some family treatments already publicly available (e.g. Cactaceae). The checklist is regularly updated in consultation with family editors. A species-level taxonomic backbone incorporating all names and pertinent nomenclatural acts and evaluations is being compiled. A compilation of the Nepenthaceae (Berendsohn et al. 2018) served as a case study for the accommodation of descriptive and other factual data, and for demonstrating the feasibility of the workflow contributing to the WFO initiative. The taxonomic treatment of Iresine (Borsch et al. 2018) is another example. These studies are fundamental in establishing a general workflow for collaborative online monographs. Several challenges remain, inter alia the genomics perspective in biodiversity informatics, proper attribution and unique identification of taxonomic concepts, review and impact assessment of individual contributions, possibilities to simultaneously display contrasting taxonomical concepts and classifications, and engaging both the wider taxonomic community and the public. The ongoing implementation shows that a dynamic online monograph requires rethinking of editorial workflows. Based on experiences with the Caryophyllales network, the taxonomic and biodiversity informatics communities are ready to meet this challenge