Fruit anatomy of some Ferulago (Apiaceae) species in Turkey

The genus Ferulago W.Koch is represented with 49 species in the world and 34 species in Turkey. In this study, comparative fruit anatomical properties based on mericarp shape in transverse section of 27 Ferulago species grown in Turkey are given. A description of Ferulago cypria H.Wolff, which was mentioned as a new record in an unpublished postdoctoral thesis, is also given. As a result of this study, we are able to identify and classify the species of this genus by using anatomical features of the fruit. In addition, an identification key has been prepared to represent the similarities and differences between the species. The number of vittae distributed in the mesocarp demonstrates large differences between closely related species such as F. pauciradiata Boiss. & Heidr. (5-10 vittae) and F. isaurica Pesmen (97-102 vittae). Anatomical studies also confirm morphological classification, e.g., in sections Aucheria and Anisotaenia. According to this study, F. glareosa should be placed in a section other than Anisotaenia

A new species of Eryngium (Apiaceae) from Turkey: Eryngium babadaghensis Türkiye'den Eryngium'un (Apiaceae) yeni bir türü: Eryngium babadaghensis

Eryngium babadaghensis G.Ecevit-Genç, E.Akali{dotless}n & A.Wörz sp. nova (Apiaceae, Saniculoideae) is described as a new species from the Babadaǧ (Fethiye-Muǧla) in south-west Turkey. The new species is closely related to E. kotschyi Boiss., which is endemic to Turkey. A Latin diagnosis; taxonomic descriptions; photos of the holotype, fruit, and transverse sections of the basal leaves, peduncles, and fruits; and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the calyx and surface of the scales on the mericarp of the new species are presented. The geographical distribution of the new species and E. kotschyi are mapped. Diagnostic characters of E. babadaghensis and E. kotschyi are presented with photos and in a table. © TÜBİTAK

One more Allium species for the Turkish flora: Allium saxatile

Allium saxatile M.Bieb. was collected from the north-western corner of European Turkey (Demirkoy, Kirklareli) during the field survey of the "Yildiz Mountain Biosphere Project". It has been reported as a new record for the Turkish flora. A description based on the collected specimens, photographs of its habitat and flowering plants, map of the distribution area, and its karyotype are given

Constituents of Plantago major subsp. intermedia with antioxidant and anticholinesterase capacities

The methanol extract of Plantago major subsp. intermedia (Gilib.) Lange afforded 4 known compounds, namely isomartynoside (1), 10-hydroxymajoroside (2), beta-sitosterol (3), and ursolic acid (4). Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods. After determination of the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the methanol extract, the antioxidant potentials of the crude extract and isolated compounds 1-4 were determined by beta-carotene bleaching, DPPH free radical and ABTS cation radical scavenging, and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity methods. The methanol extract, rich in phenolic contents, indicated the same DPPH free radical scavenging activity (72% inhibition) as a standard compound, butylated hydroxytoluene, at 100 mu g/mL. Isomartynoside (1), a phenylpropanoid glycoside, showed the best inhibition of lipid peroxidation, ABTS cation radical scavenging activity, and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity among the tested samples. The anticholinesterase effects of the methanol extract and isolated compounds 1-4 were established using the Ellman method. A triterpenic acid, ursolic acid (4), exhibited moderate acetyl- (54.01 +/- 0.82%) and butyryl-cholinesterase (68.74 +/- 0.36%) inhibitory activity at 200 mu g/mL. Isomartynoside (1) was isolated here for the first time from a Plantago species; the antioxidant and anticholinesterase activities of P. major subsp. intermedia and compounds 1-2 were not previously determined

Comparative morphology and fruit anatomy of Ferula szowitsiana DC. and Ferula caspica M.Bieb.

Ferula caspica and Ferula szowitsiana grow in the same area of Central Anatolia. According to Flora of Turkey, they can be easily confused for one another during the flowering time. In this study, morphological and anatomical features of these two species were examined in order to reveal their differences. Leaves, flowers and fruits of these two species were examined and necessary measurements were made. The proliferation in the inflorescence of F. caspica, was not observed in the species F. szowitziana. There were distinct morphological differences in the fruits, also, the numbers of the secretory channels were different in the anatomical sections of mericarps. Morphological differences were observed in leaf lobes of these two species. As a result, the data that can be used to distinguish between these species are shown

Antimicrobial activity of rhizomes of Ferulago trachycarpa Boiss. and bioguided isolation of active coumarin constituents

Ferulago trachycarpa (Apiaceae) is a plant used traditionally for its sedative, digestive, carminative and aphrodisiac properties with distribution in West, Southwest and South Anatolian part of Turkey. In this study the antimicrobial activities of fractionally n-hexane, dichloromethane, methanol and only methanol extracts from rhizomes of F. trachycarpa were screened against Stapylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Kiebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 4352, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Proteus mirabilis ATCC 14153, Enterococcus feacalis ATCC 29212 bacterial strains and fungal strains such as Candida albicans ATCC 10231, C. tropicalis ATCC 750 and C. parapsilosis ATCC 22019 by microdilution method. All extracts have been shown to possess antimicrobial activities against bacteria and fungal strains and according to the antimicrobial results, the isolation of the active constituents was made from the most active n-hexane and dichloromethane extracts. So, four pure compounds are known as coumarin derivatives, crenulatin (6-formyl-7-methoxycoumarin), suberosin (7-methoxy-6-prenylcoumarin), marmesin senecioate ((-)-prantschimgin) as dihydrofuranocoumarin derivative and ulopterol [6- (2', 3'-dihydroxy-3'-methylbuty1)-7-methoxy-coumarin] were isolated. Crenulatin (6-formyl-7-methoxycoumarin), suberosin (7-methoxy-6-prenylcoumarin), marmesin senecioate ((-)-prantschimgin) which are pure compounds demonstrated antifungal activity with 625 mg/L MIC against C. albicans and antibacterial activity with 1250 mg/L MIC against S. aureus (MRSA). These results indicate that extracts and pure compounds obtained from Ferulago trachycarpa could be a potential for pharmaceutical products which have antimicrobial activity

First Broad Screening of Allelopathic Potential of Wild and Cultivated Plants in Turkey

Turkey has one of the richest plant diversities in the Mediterranean region. In the current literature, no broad screening has been conducted on the potential allelopathy of plants from Turkey. This study aimed to evaluate the allelopathic activity of a large number of plants from Turkey for the first time and to determine the species with significant plant growth inhibitory potentials by bioassay. Dried samples of different plant parts were collected from local herbalists. The sandwich method was used to evaluate the potential allelopathy of 126 medicinal plants belonging to 55 families. The results of lettuce radicle and hypocotyl growth for 10 and 50 mg sample treatment conformed to normal distribution. Significant inhibition on lettuce radicle elongation with 10 mg sample was observed in 40 species, out of which 27 species showed over 50% inhibitory activity. The results suggested that these species could contain potential inhibitory compounds against lettuce radicle or hypocotyl growth. The calyxes of Hibiscus sabdariffa (3.2% of control) and the seeds of Prunus dulcis (5.7% of control) showed the most potent growth inhibitory activity on lettuce radicle elongation. The potential plant growth inhibitory effects of these plants, together with the fruits of Rhus coriaria and seeds of Prunus mahaleb, have been reported in this study for the first time. All these plants are medicinal, and the results hereby presented provide essential information about the allelopathic effects of medicinal plants from Turkey

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Ferulago trojana E. Akalin & Pimenov

Ferulago W. Koch is a genus in the Apiaceae family comprising 34 species, of which 18 are endemic in Turkey. Ferulago species have been known since the time of Dioscorides and have been used in folk medicine for their sedative, tonic, digestive, carminative, and aphrodisiac effects, as well as for the treatment of intestinal worms and hemorrhoids. This study was conducted to evaluate the polyphenolic contents and antioxidant activities of methanol extracts of the aerial parts (HFT) and rhizomes (RFT) of Ferulago trojana E. Akalin & Pimenov by measuring their ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation induced by Fe3+-ascorbate, their DPPH center dot and ABTS(center dot+) scavenging activities, and their ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP value). The methanol extracts were also examined for their antimicrobial activity using the microbroth dilution technique. Results showed that the methanol extracts of the aerial parts of the plant, containing the highest amount of total phenolic content and flavonoids, exhibited antioxidative potential for the chain-breaking inhibition of lipid peroxidation and showed the strongest hydrogen and single electron donor activities, which could thus serve as a free radical scavenger, act as a reductant, and provide protection against oxidative stress. Although the methanol extract of rhizomes did not exhibit any inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation, it is possible that it might also have protective effects against oxidative damage by scavenging free radicals and acting as a reductant. While both the methanol extracts of the aerial parts and rhizomes of F. trojana were effective against Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and S. epidermidis, the extracts showed no activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In addition, the methanol extract of rhizomes of F. trojana exhibited antibacterial activity against Proteus mirabilis and antifungal activity against the yeast Candida albicans

The flora of Yıldız Mountains (Kırklareli) Biosphere Project area

A floristic study of the Yi{dotless}ldi{dotless}z Mountains Biosphere Project was undertaken between May and October 2009. The project area is located in the north-eastern part of European Turkey, within flora square A1-A2 (E) (Ki{dotless}rklareli), and covers about 1300 km2. The list of vascular plants was prepared mainly based on specimens collected during the flora surveys of the Project and supplemented by earlier gathered specimens kept in the EDTU, ISTE, and ISTO herbaria. In the project area 1315 taxa, belonging to 505 genera and 113 families, were determined. Among these, 18 taxa are Pteridophytes, 4 Gymnospermae, 1035 Dicotyledones, and 258 Monocotyledones. The 3 largest families are Compositae (153 taxa; 11.5%), Leguminosae (119 taxa; 9.1%), and Graminae (102 taxa; 7.9%). The richest genus is Trifolium (62 taxa). Among the more significant finds of this floristic survey of the research area are 15 endemic taxa for Turkey and 29 taxa that are not recorded in the Asiatic part of Turkey, a new species for plant science (Allium rumelicum M.Koçyiǧit & N.Özhatay), 3 new records for Turkey (Allium saxatile M.Bieb., Anthoxanthum aristatum Boiss., and Elatine triandra Schkuhr), and 8 new records for European Turkey. © TÜBİTAK