Taxonomic individuality of Leonurus cardiaca and Leonurus quinquelobatus in view of morphological and molecular studies

The main goal of this study was to determine the number and taxonomic rank of taxa belonging to the complex Leonurus cardiaca agg. in Poland. Based on statistical analysis of selected features, two morphological forms of this plant were distinguished. In order to determine their genetic polymorphism and the relationships between them, the nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes were analysed with the use of RAPD and PCR–RFLP markers. 39 RAPD primers produced a total of 234 nuclear DNA fragments, of which 128 were polymorphic and distributed almost equally between two forms. It was found that 87 % of the compared pairs of RAPD profiles differ from each other. Five chloroplast and two mitochondrial primer pairs were used to amplify non-coding regions of organelle genomes. Restriction analysis revealed uniformity of mtDNA and occurrence of two cpDNA haplotypes, corresponding to naked and hairy forms of L. cardiaca agg. The obtained results justifies the recognition of these forms as separate species L. cardiaca s. s. L. and L. quinquelobatus Gilib., respectively. The distribution of both species in Poland is given in the paper

Materials to the flora of dandelions (Taraxacum – Asteraceae) in Błażowa (SE Poland)

The paper includes a list of localities of 35 Taraxacum species found in Błażowa town. The species belongs to 3 sections: Borea, Palustria, and Ruderalia. The record of the new species to the Polish flora – Taraxacum clarum Kirschner, Štěpánek et Trávníček – is given. Data were collected from 2011 to 2014

Chromosome numbers and stomatal cell length in Taraxacum sect. Palustria from Poland

Chromosome numbers are given for the following species of Taraxacum sect. Palustria from Poland: T. paucilobum Hudziok (2n = 24, 25), T. belorussicum Val. N. Tikhom. (2n = 24), T. subdolum Kirschner & Štěpánek (2n = 24), T. udum Jordan (2n = 24), T. trilobifolium Hudziok (2n = 24), T. bavaricum Soest (2n = 24), T. portentosum Kirschner & Štěpánek (2n = 32), T. vindobonense Soest (2n = 32), and T. brandenburgicum Hudziok (2n = 32). The chromosome numbers of T. belorussicum and T. portentosum are published for the first time, and for T. subdolum, T. bavaricum and T. brandenburgicum for the first time from Poland. The analyzed group of taxa is heterogenous in respect of stomatal size, and after pooling of data the tetraploids show bigger stomata than the triploids

Are obligatory apomicts invested in the pollen tube transmitting tissue? : comparison of the micropyle ultrastructure between sexual and apomictic dandelions (Asteraceae, Lactuceae)

With the exception of the sunflower, little information concerning the micropyle ultrastructure of the family Asteraceae is available. The aim of our study was to compare the micropyle structure in amphimictic and apomictic dandelions. Ultrastructural studies using buds and flowers during anthesis have been done on the micropyle of the sexual and apomictic Taraxacum. In all of the species that were examined, the micropylar canal was completely filled with ovule transmitting tissue and the matrix that was produced by these cells. The ovule transmitting tissue was connected to the ovarian transmitting tissue. The micropyle was asymmetrical because the integument epidermis that forms the transmitting tissue was only on the funicular side. There was a cuticle between the obturator cells and epidermal cells on the other side of integument. The micropylar transmitting tissue cells and theirs matrix reached the synergid apex. The cytoplasm of the transmitting tissue cells was especially rich in rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER), dictyosomes, and mitochondria. No major differences were detected between the micropyle structure of the amphimictic and apomictic species; thus, a structural reduction of obturator does not exist. The ovule transmitting tissue is still active in apomictic dandelions despite the presence of the embryo and endosperm. Differences and similarities between the micropyle structure in the Asteraceae that have been studied to date are discussed

Synergids and filiform apparatus in the sexual and apomictic dandelions from section Palustria (Taraxacum, Asteraceae)

An evolutionary trend to reduce “unnecessary costs” associated with the sexual reproduction of their amphimictic ancestors, which may result in greater reproductive success, has been observed among the obligatory apomicts. However, in the case of the female gametophyte, knowledge about this trend in apomicts is not sufficient because most of the ultrastructural studies of the female gametophyte have dealt with amphimictic angiosperms. In this paper, we tested the hypothesis that, in contrast to amphimictic plants, synergids in apomictic embryo sacs do not form a filiform apparatus. We compared the synergid structure in two dandelions from sect. Palustria: the amphimictic diploid Taraxacum tenuifolium and the apomictic tetraploid, male-sterile Taraxacum brandenburgicum. Synergids in both species possessed a filiform apparatus. In T. brandenburgicum, both synergids persisted for a long time without any degeneration, in spite of the presence of an embryo and endosperm. We propose that the persistent synergids in apomicts may play a role in the transport of nutrients to the embryo