Seed micromorphology in Dactylorhiza Necker ex Nevski (Orchidaceae) and allied genera

Seeds of 21 taxa of the genera Dactylorhiza (incl. Coeloglossum), Gymnadenia (incl. Nigritella) and Pseudorchis were examined by light microscope and SEM. Qualitative and quantitative characters were analyzed. In Dactylorhiza, the seeds are fusiform, but some populations of D. viridis show clavate seeds. According to the ornamentation of the periclinal walls, 3 types of seeds are recognized in this genus. The considerable variation in the seed coat ornamentation pattern in the taxa belonging to majalis, maculata, and praetermissa groups of the genus Dactylorhiza is congruent with the genetic processes that occurred during the history of this genus. Gymnadenia shows clavate seeds with stout and straight to slightly curved anticlinal walls, although these are straight to wavy in some taxa considered previously as Nigritella. These taxa also show low values of seed length. Pseudorchis has fusiform seeds without ornamentation in the periclinal walls and fine anticlinal walls. Our study supports the inclusion of the former genus Coeloglossum in Dactylorhiz

Additions to the orchid flora of Laos and taxonomic notes on orchids of the Indo-Burma region

The following nine new additions to the orchid flora of Laos PDR are reported based on surveys in the country conducted during the period 2012–2017: Bulbophyllum alcicorne, B. meson, Coelogyne suaveolens, Cyrtosia nana, Dendrobium phuketense, Oberonia rhizoides, Phaius columnaris, Thelasis khasiana and Zeuxine longilabris. The taxonomy of a further 15 orchid taxa (Bulbophyllum guttulatum, B. moniliforme, B. sarcophyllum, B. scabratum, B. seidenfadenii, B. tipula, Cleisostoma lecongkietii, Coelogyne ovalis, Dendrobium chapaense, D. crepidatum, D. wattii, Habenaria gibsonii var. foetida, H. malintana, Luisia zeylanica and Phalaenopsis pulcherrima) native to Laos or adjacent countries is reviewed, resulting in the synonymisation of 20 names. In addition, new combinations are made for Grosourdya vietnamica, Luisia sonii and Holcoglossum gaoligongense to bring them in line with recent changes in the classification of the orchid family

Vegetal grave goods in a female burial on Bornholm (Denmark) from the Late Roman Iron Age period interpreted in a comparative European perspective

Knowledge about the healing properties of plant substances is probably as old as humankind, and this can be demonstrated by botanical finds in archaeological contexts. Southern Scandinavia has a long tradition of supplying deceased persons with vegetal material for use in their afterlife, as shown by single seeds or processed plants in the form of foods, drinks or medicines. A wellknown example is the small container made of birch bark most probably filled with a kind of mead produced from honey, in the Egtved girl’s coffin a find which has been dated to the Early Bronze Age.Another fascinating plant discovery derives fromthe grave of the Fyrkat woman dated to the Viking Age: a handful seeds of the poisonous plant henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) was found in a small pocket fixed to the woman’s belt. Plant materials enclosed in small amulet boxes are quite common and are frequently attached to necklaces that the deceased had certainly worn during their lives. In this article, we discuss the organic finds from a newly excavated amulet box which was discovered in a woman’s grave at the Late Roman Iron Age site of Vellensby, on the island of Bornholm. The box contained two ‘chewing gum-like objects’ with dental impressions and three vegetal objects. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis was applied to one of the ‘chewing gums’ and the results show that it consists of a mixture of birch tar and plant oil. Based on their morphological characteristics, the three uncharred plant parts could be identified as cloves from a wild species of Allium, probably A. scorodoprasum (sand leek). The traditional medicinal application of sand leek is presented and the symbolic and possible principal meaning of amulet boxes is discussed within a comparative study of related discoveries from female burials throughout Europe