Structure and Development of Flowers and Inflorescences in Burmannia (Burmanniaceae, Dioscoreales)

Species of the genus Burmannia possess distinctive and highly elaborated flowers with prominent floral tubes that often bear large longitudinal wings. Complicated floral structure of Burmannia hampers understanding its floral evolutionary morphology and biology of the genus. In addition, information on structural features believed to be taxonomically important is lacking for some species. Here we provide an investigation of flowers and inflorescences of Burmannia based on a comprehensive sampling that included eight species with various lifestyles (autotrophic, partially mycoheterotrophic and mycoheterotrophic). We describe the diversity of inflorescence architecture in the genus: a basic (most likely, ancestral) inflorescence type is a thyrsoid comprising two cincinni, which is transformed into a botryoid in some species via reduction of the lateral cymes to single flowers. Burmannia oblonga differs from all the other studied species in having an adaxial (vs. transversal) floral prophyll. For the first time, we describe in detail early floral development in Burmannia. We report presence of the inner tepal lobes in B. oblonga, a species with reportedly absent inner tepals; the growth of the inner tepal lobes is arrested after the middle stage of floral development of this species, and therefore they are undetectable in a mature flower. Floral vasculature in Burmannia varies to reflect the variation of the size of the inner tepal lobes; in B. oblonga with the most reduced inner tepals their vascular supply is completely lost. The gynoecium consists of synascidiate, symplicate, and asymplicate zones. The symplicate zone is secondarily trilocular (except for its distal portion in some of the species) without visible traces of postgenital fusion, which prevented earlier researchers to correctly identify the zones within a definitive ovary. The placentas occupy the entire symplicate zone and a short distal portion of the synascidiate zone. Finally, we revealed an unexpected diversity of stamen-style interactions in Burmannia. In all species studied, the stamens are tightly arranged around the common style to occlude the flower entrance. However, in some species the stamens are free from the common style, whereas in the others the stamen connectives are postgenitally fused with the common style, which results in formation of a gynostegium

FIGURE 1 in Aegokeras gazipashensis (Apiaceae), a new species from South Anatolia, Turkey

FIGURE 1 Fifty percent majority rule tree inferred by Bayesian analysis of nrITS nucleotide sequences. Posterior probability and bootstrap support values of maximum parsimony analysis are shown.Published as part of Duran, Ahmet, Samigullin, Tahir & Lyskov, Dmitry, 2023, Aegokeras gazipashensis (Apiaceae), a new species from South Anatolia, Turkey, pp. 234-248 in Phytotaxa 613 (3) on page 236, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.613.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/834600

FIGURE 7 in Aegokeras gazipashensis (Apiaceae), a new species from South Anatolia, Turkey

FIGURE 7. Aegokeras gazipashensis: a, b—stereo microscope photograph of fruit, с—cross-section of mericarp.Published as part of Duran, Ahmet, Samigullin, Tahir & Lyskov, Dmitry, 2023, Aegokeras gazipashensis (Apiaceae), a new species from South Anatolia, Turkey, pp. 234-248 in Phytotaxa 613 (3) on page 242, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.613.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/834600

FIGURE 4 in Aegokeras gazipashensis (Apiaceae), a new species from South Anatolia, Turkey

FIGURE 4. Aegokeras gazipashensis: a—rosette form leaves, b—unbranched stem, c—branched stems.Published as part of Duran, Ahmet, Samigullin, Tahir & Lyskov, Dmitry, 2023, Aegokeras gazipashensis (Apiaceae), a new species from South Anatolia, Turkey, pp. 234-248 in Phytotaxa 613 (3) on page 239, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.613.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/834600

Aegokeras gazipashensis A. Duran & Lyskov 2023, sp. nova

Aegokeras gazipashensis A.Duran & Lyskov sp. nova (Figs. 3–8). Type:— TURKEY. C4 Antalya: Gazipaşa, Çayıryaka Yaylası, 36°30′02′′N, 32°32′18′′E, 1730 m, mountain steppe, 12 June 2021, A.Duran 10795 (holotype: HUB, isotypes: ANK, GAZI, MW barcodes MW0595828 – MW0595831). Diagnosis: Aegokeras gazipashensis is similar to A. caespitosa. It mainly differs from A. caespitosa in non-caespitose habit (not caespitose habit), habitat semi-arid mountain steppe (not crevices of limestone cliffs), base of stem without remains of old leaf bases (not with remains of old leaf bases), leaves distinctly coriaceous and glaucous (not herbaceous and ±greenish), leaflets mostly overlapped, margin acute-laciniate to dentate, cartilaginous, broadly ovate to orbicular (not without overlapping, margin dentate to serrate, not cartilaginous, ovate or oblong), petiole with well-developed sheath, clearly flattened (not with a scarcely dilated sheath). Description: Polycarpic, perennial, hemicryptophytic herbaceous plants, (7–) 10–25 cm tall. Thickened rootstock cylindrical-oblong, vertical, 5–15 mm ⌀, without petiolar remains or with rarely remains a few papery old-leaf petioles at base of stem. Stem solitary or 2, unbranched or 2–4-branched, glabrous, terete, smooth, greenish, erect, slender, 1–2 mm ⌀ at base, slightly ribbed. Leaves completely basal, ±forming a rosette, oblong, 2.5–7 × 1–1.8 cm (incl. petiole), unipinnate or pinnatisect, distinctly glaucous and coriaceous, petiole and rachis mostly sparsely minutely puberulous; petiole with a well-developed sheath, 10–40 × 2–7 mm; petiole and rachis clearly flattened, whitish membranaceous margin, entire; lamina 1.7–4 cm long; leaflets 2–5-paired, 6–13 × 6–12 mm, mostly overlapped, often lower pairs distant, sessile, broadly ovate to orbicular, simple or 2–5-lobed to pinnatisect, sometimes sparsely puberulous; margin deeply acute-laciniate to dentate, cartilaginous. Stem leafless, only at base of lateral branches sheath-like form, and oblong, whitish-green ±membranaceous, 10–17 mm long (incl. lobes), 1–3(–5) linear-subulate lobes, lobes c. 3 mm long. Inflorescence with terminal umbel only or little-branched, compound umbel. Flowers hermaphroditic; umbels 3–11-rayed; rays 11–20 mm long, equal to subequal, glabrous, slightly striate. Bracts 1–10 or rarely absent, 3–5 × 0.3–0.6 mm, lanceolate to linear, unequal, margins membranous, persistent. Umbellules 6–13-flowered, when ripe 2–8; pedicels 1.5–2.5 mm long, glabrous. Bracteoles 2–7, 1–3 × 0.2–0.4 mm, narrowly linear-lanceolate to filiform. Sepals minute, inconspicuous, ± triangular. Petals white, 1 × 0.6–1 mm, obovate to oblong, strongly incurved at the apex, inflexed lobe slightly bifid, glabrous. Filaments ca. 2 mm long. Anthers oblong, ca. 0.5 mm long, yellowish. Stylopodium clearly conical, rim slightly undulate; styles c. 1.3 mm long, ascending at first, eventually horizontal to reflexed at the apex, gracefully conical; stigma capitate. Fruit narrowly oblong to ovate, glabrous, 4–5.5 × 1.5–2 mm, greenish-yellow when ripe; mericarps ± terete, smooth ridges inconspicuous, commissure narrow; dorsal vittae 1 per vallecula, commissural vittae 2–4, numerous inconspicuous vittae also present. Mesocarp consists of parenchymatous cells and several layers of sclerenchymatous cells in middle part. Paratypes:— TURKEY. C4 Antalya: Gazipaşa, Çayıryaka Yaylası, 36°30′02′′N, 32°32′18′′E, 1730 m, mountain steppe, 27 May 2021, A.Duran 10745 (HUB). Antalya: Gazipaşa, Çayıryaka Yayla, 1700 m, 14 July 1983, H.S¸mb¸l 2336 (HUB). Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the type locality of the new species—the Gazipaşa district. The Turkish name of the new species was suggested as “gazipaşa aykeresi” (Menemen et al. 2016). Phenology: —Flowering in May-June, and fruiting in June-July. Distribution:— Aegokeras gazipashensis is a narrow endemic to Southern Anatolia (Antalya province), Turkey. This species is located in the East Mediterranean phytogeographical regions (Fig. 2). Ecology:— Taşeli Plateau is located in the provinces of Antalya, Konya and İçel. It has a different geomorphological structure with its limestone rocky character and karst topographic features. Çayıryaka is one of the plateaus in Taşeli Plateau where Aegokeras gazipashensis species grows. The altitude of the plateau varies between 1500–2500 meters. Water resources are insufficient in the entire plateau (Siler & Şengün 2014). Aegokeras gazipashensis species grows in semi-arid mountain steppes. Some of the plants that grow in the steppes in the Çayıryaka plateau are as follows; Polygala supina, Arabis androsacea, Aethionema spicatum, Gypsophila curvifolia, Helichrysum plicatum, Scorzonera longiana, S. violacea, Serratula lasiocephala, Ononis adenotricho, Thymus spyleus, Dorycnium pentaphyllum, Astragalus amoenus, Astragalus anthylloides, Daphne oleoides, Anthemis pestalozzae, Crepis willdenowii (Fig. 8). International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list category:— Aegokeras gazipashensis is known only from the type locality, an area smaller than 5 km 2 (Criteria B1, B2a, b). The number of flowering individuals in population is less than 160 (Criteria C2a and D). The area has been subjected to systematic anthropogenic activities such as transhumance, construction of new roadways and settlements, expansion of agricultural areas, and overgrazing pressure (Fig. 8). The population of the new species is very limited, and adverse effects in area of occupancy are leading to the reduction in the number of plants. Because of all these factors the species should be considered Critically Endangered (CR) according to the IUCN Red List Criteria (IUCN 2022).Published as part of Duran, Ahmet, Samigullin, Tahir & Lyskov, Dmitry, 2023, Aegokeras gazipashensis (Apiaceae), a new species from South Anatolia, Turkey, pp. 234-248 in Phytotaxa 613 (3) on pages 237-241, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.613.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/834600

FIGURE 5 in Aegokeras gazipashensis (Apiaceae), a new species from South Anatolia, Turkey

FIGURE 5. Representative specimen of Aegokeras gazipashensis (isotype MW0595830). Courtesy of the National Depository Bank of Live Systems, Moscow State University.Published as part of Duran, Ahmet, Samigullin, Tahir & Lyskov, Dmitry, 2023, Aegokeras gazipashensis (Apiaceae), a new species from South Anatolia, Turkey, pp. 234-248 in Phytotaxa 613 (3) on page 240, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.613.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/834600

New data for systematics of the genus

All 13 species of the genus Zeravschania were studied in molecular and morphological analyzes. The molecular study showed that Zeravschania is a clearly paraphyletic taxon including monotypic genera Demavendia and Haussknechtia. Further phylogenetic, anatomical and morphological studies are needed to confirm taxonomic position of these genera. Zeravschania afghanica confirms its placement in the genus Zeravschania, not in Cephalopodum or Selinum. Dichoropetalum knappii confirms its placement in the genus Dichoropetalum, not in Zeravschania

Validating the systematic placement of Eriosynaphe in the genus Ferula (Apiaceae: Scandiceae: Ferulinae) linked with the description of Ferula mikraskythiana sp. nov. from Romania

The genus Eriosynaphe had a peculiar taxonomic history by having been considered also as member of the genus Johrenia in addition to originally having been established in Ferula. It has traditionally been regarded as monotypic and no previous molecular study examined its phylogenetic position. Based on sequences of the nrDNA ITS region, here we show that Eriosynaphe is ‘deeply’ nested in one of the well supported and repeatedly recognised clades of Ferula, thus arguing for its return to the genus Ferula. Additionally, a new species, Ferula mikraskythiana endemic to the Dobrogea region of southeastern Romania is described in the present paper. This species, with its overall habit and mericarp structure, closely resembles Eriosynaphe longifolia though it differs from the latter by its much larger stature, the morphology of the leaf terminal lobes and a distinct phenology. Moreover, F. mikraskythiana is a narrow endemic to a region beyond (westward to) the wide distribution range of E. longifolia

Analysis of Primary Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Data by Neural Networks for Plant Samples Classification

Plant samples are potential sources of physiologically active secondary metabolites and their classification is an extremely important task in traditional medicine and other fields of research. In the production of herbal drugs, different plant parts of the same or related species can serve as adulterants for primary plant material. The use of highly informative and relatively easily accessible tools, such as liquid chromatography and low-resolution mass spectrometry, helps to solve these tasks by means of fingerprint analysis. In this study, to reveal specific plant part features for 20 species from one family (Apiaceae), and to preserve the maximum information content, two approaches are suggested. In both cases, minimal raw data pretreatment, including rescaling of time and m/z axes and cutting off some uninformative regions, was applied. For the support vector machine (SVM) method, tensor unfolding was required, while neural networks (NNs) were able to work directly with squared heatmaps as input data. Moreover, five data augmentation variants are proposed, to overcome the typical problem of a lack of data. As a result, a comparable F1-score close to 0.75 was achieved by SVM and two employed NN architectures. Eight marker compounds belonging to chlorophylls, lipids, and coumarin apio-glucosides were tentatively identified as characteristic of their corresponding sample groups: roots, stems, leaves, and fruits. The proposed approaches are simple, information-saving and can be applied to a broad type of tasks in metabolomics