PECULIAR PROPERTIES OF THE PLANT TAXONOMY AT THE HERBARIUMMUSEUM DEPARTMENT PHARMACEUTICAL AND NATURAL SCIENCES FIRST MOSCOW STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY NAMED AFTER SECHENOV

Objective: Department of Pharmaceutical and Natural Sciences of Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University offers students herbarium which should be attributed to special herbaria, namely the collection contains medicinal plants that are well known as official medicine and are widely used in folk medicine. The herbarium provides samples of medicinal plants for the formation of knowledge, practical skills of students of the pharmaceutical faculty. More than 7000 copies of herbarium sheets are offered for the work of students. Methods: Herbarium samples were identified and selected according to the engage thematic plan: Medicinal plants containing essential oils, cardiac glycosides, saponins, polysaccharides, phenolic glycosides, coumarins, lignans, flavonoids, tannins, anthracene derivatives, vitamins, fatty oils, and different groups of biologically active substances. In addition, the department made a small collection of the rare herbarium, which presents medicinal plants widely used in homeopathy, which is used for conducting elective discipline. The wide research of different branches of the medicinal plan was made with the help of pharmacognosy department. The study was carried out with an objective to estimate the need for each herbarium by topic Results: The herbarium fund was formed by the staff of the pharmacognosy department for many years on the basis of the approved pharmacognosy program. The collection is used for research by students – to perform diploma, qualifying works, and teachers to prepare teaching aids, and pharmacopeia articles develop and conduct research. The number of herbarium specimens is stored in the main fund – more than 5000. 240 species of medicinal plants belonging to 104 families are represented

Paisia, an Early Cretaceous eudicot angiosperm flower with pantoporate pollen from Portugal

A new fossil angiosperm, Paisia pantoporata, is described from the Early Cretaceous Catefica mesofossil flora, Portugal, based on coalified floral buds, flowers and isolated floral structures. The flowers are actinomorphic and structurally bisexual with a single whorl of five fleshy tepals, a single whorl of five stamens and a single whorl of five carpels. Tepals, stamens and carpels are opposite, arranged on the same radii and tepals are involute at the base clasping the stamens. Stamens have a massive filament that grades without a joint into the anther. The anthers are dithecate and tetrasporangiate with extensive connective tissue between the tiny pollen sacs. Pollen grains are pantoporate and spiny. The carpels are free, apparently plicate, with many ovules borne in two rows along the ventral margins. Paisia pantoporata is the oldest known flower with pantoporate pollen. Similar pantoporate pollen was also recognised in the associated dispersed palynoflora. Paisia is interpreted as a possibly insect pollinated, herbaceous plant with low pollen production and low dispersal potential of the pollen. The systematic position of Paisia is uncertain and Paisia pantoporata most likely belongs to an extinct lineage. Pantoporate pollen occurs scattered among all major groups of angiosperms and a close match to the fossils has not been identified. The pentamerous floral organisation together with structure of stamen, pollen and carpel suggests a phylogenetic position close to the early diverging eudicot lineages, probably in the Ranunculales.Swiss Light Source at the Paul Scherrer Institute (European Union FP6 projects) [20130185, 20141047]; Swedish Research Council [2014-5228]; Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT) [UID/MAR/00350/2013]; CretaCarbo project [PTDC/CTE-GIX/113983/2009

A palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Middle Jurassic of Sardinia (Italy) based on integrated palaeobotanical, palynological and lithofacies data assessment

During the Jurassic, Sardinia was close to continental Europe. Emerged lands started from a single island forming in time a progressively sinking archipelago. This complex palaeogeographic situation gave origin to a diverse landscape with a variety of habitats. Collection- and literature-based palaeobotanical, palynological and lithofacies studies were carried out on the Genna Selole Formation for palaeoenvironmental interpretations. They evidence a generally warm and humid climate, affected occasionally by drier periods. Several distinct ecosystems can be discerned in this climate, including alluvial fans with braided streams (Laconi-Gadoni lithofacies), paralic swamps and coasts (Nurri-Escalaplano lithofacies), and lagoons and shallow marine environments (Ussassai-Perdasdefogu lithofacies). The non-marine environments were covered by extensive lowland and a reduced coastal and tidally influenced environment. Both the river and the upland/hinterland environments are of limited impact for the reconstruction. The difference between the composition of the palynological and palaeobotanical associations evidence the discrepancies obtained using only one of those proxies. The macroremains reflect the local palaeoenvironments better, although subjected to a transport bias (e.g. missing upland elements and delicate organs), whereas the palynomorphs permit to reconstruct the regional palaeoclimate. Considering that the flora of Sardinia is the southernmost of all Middle Jurassic European floras, this multidisciplinary study increases our understanding of the terrestrial environments during that period of time