The Domestication of Annatto (Bixa orellana) from Bixa urucurana in Amazonia

Annatto (Bixa orellana) is an important colorant domesticated in theNeotropics, although it is not clear where or from which wild populations. We reviewed the available biological, archaeological, and ethnographic information about annatto, and integrated this with our recent ethnobotanical observations of cultivated and non-cultivated populations in order to evaluate the hypothesis thatwhat is classified as Bixa urucurana is the wild ancestor of cultivated annatto, Bixa orellana. Most B. urucurana populations we found in Amazonia occurred in open forests or anthropogenic landscapes, although never cultivated, and always associated with riparian environments. While cultivated annatto always produces abundant pigment, B. urucurana populations that we observed contained variable amounts of pigment, fromvery little to nearly the amount of cultivated annatto, suggesting gene flow fromcultivated to non-cultivated. Bixa urucurana has indehiscent fruits, which indicate changes in dehiscence during annatto domestication, a notable feature rarely found in other tree species. Local residents identified the non-cultivated populations aswild annatto (urucum bravo), and they emphasized their smaller fruits with less pigment, their spontaneous regeneration, their non-use, and that they hybridize with cultivated annatto. Ethnography identified the symbolic importance of annatto, but an explicit mention of origin only comes from southern Amazonia. Although the oldest annatto archaeological record came from the Caribbean, domestication occurred in northern South America, since B. urucurana does not occur in the Caribbean. Traditional ecological knowledge and morphology identified the close relationship between B. urucurana (never cultivated) and B. orellana (always cultivated). Evidence reported here strongly supports Kuntze's (1925) suggestion that Bixa urucurana Willd. is a variety of B. orellana L., thus identifying the wild ancestor of cultivated annatto. © 2015, by The New York Botanical Garden Press, Bronx, NY 10458-5126 U.S.A

Out of the Middle East: New phylogenetic insights in the genus Tamarix (Tamaricaceae)

Tamarix is one of the taxonomically most complex genera among the angiosperms, and there is little consensus regarding its infrageneric classification. Here we present the most complete phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus to date. This includes a DNA phylogenetic tree based on nuclear ribosomal ITS, and a plastid DNA phylogeny based on three intergenic spacers (trnS‐trnG, ndhF‐rpl32, and trnQ‐rps16). In total, both nuclear and plastid phylogenetic analyses include more than 70 samples of 39 species from 27 countries, which represent close to 60% of the diversity of the genus. Two complementary trees, based only on one plastid marker, are also included. The first, based on trnS‐trnG, is used to increase the number of species related to T. amplexicaulis. The second, based on ndhF‐rpl32, is used to investigate the separation between T. tetrandra and T. parviflora. The incongruence between the available infrageneric classifications and the molecular results is confirmed. A reticulate evolution is inferred from the trees, showing characters such as vaginate leaves appearing at different stages along the evolutionary history of the genus. The presence of T. canariensis outside the Canary Islands is cast into doubt, and all such records from NW Africa and Europe are here considered to belong to T. gallica. The results also suggest independence of T. karelinii from T. hispida, and T. parviflora from T. tetrandra. Relationships between a number of species are still not resolved, and additional studies will be needed to further refine the complex taxonomy of Tamarix.The FPU programme (Mo de Educaci on, Spain), the IþDþI project CGL2008-05056 (Mo de Educaci on y Ciencia, Spanish Government), the project OAPN 354-2011 (Mo de Agricultura, Alimentaci on y Medio Ambiente, Spanish Government) and complementary supporting funds ACIE10-01, ACIE11-05, ACIE13-08 and ACIE17-01 (University of Alicante, Spain) funded this research