Description of Raphignathus arcus sp. nov. with notes on an abnormal female (Acari: Raphignathidae) from the Aegean region of Turkey

A new species viz. Raphignathus arcus sp. nov., collected from litter and soil under Cirsium vulgare (Asteraceae), Crataegus monogyna (Rosaceae), Hyparrhenia hirta (Poaceae), Juniperus oxycedrus (Cupressaceae), Olea europaea (Oleaceae), Quercus coccifera (Fagaceae), Rosa canina (Rosaceae) and Verbascum sp. (Scrophulariaceae) in Afyonkarahisar, Izmir and Manisa provinces (the Aegean region of Turkey), is illustrated and described based on the adult females. Notes on an abnormal female is also given.

Taxonomy, Ecology and Distribution of Juniperus oxycedrus L. Group in the Mediterranean Basin Using Bioclimatic, Phytochemical and Morphometric Approaches, with Special Reference to the Iberian Peninsula

Several studies have been conducted in the past to clarify various aspects of species in the genus Juniperus L. One critical group is Juniperus oxycedrus L., especially from the taxonomical point of view. For this reason, we have studied the ecology, taxonomy and distribution of the taxa in the J. oxycedrus group. From an ecological and distribution standpoint, in this work we use the ombroedaphoxeric index (Ioex) to explain the presence of Juniperus populations in ombrotypes that are not optimum for these taxa. The controversy over the taxonomy of J. oxycedrus subsp. badia (H. Gay) Debeaux and J. oxycedrus subsp. lagunae (Pau ex C. Vicioso) Rivas Mart. is clarified, and it is accepted as a valid name, J. oxycedrus subsp. badia. The phytochemical differences in essential oils (EO) are addressed and their similarities analyzed; greater similarities are observed between oxycedrus and badia, and between navicularis Gand. and macrocarpa (Sm.) Ball. species. The phytochemical, molecular and distribution differences allow J. oxycedrus subsp. macrocarpa (Sm.) Ball and J. navicularis Gand. to be maintained as species. The results obtained make it possible to establish the rank to which the taxa belong and allow clear discrimination between species in groups that are difficult to interpret. Ecological, bioclimatic, phytochemical and morphometric similarities allow us to subordinate the subsp. macrocarpa to the species J. navicularis.

Adverse effects of medicinal plants used by cancer patients in Beni Mellal and the communication of this use

Moroccan cancer patients use traditional herbal medicine and no ethno botanical study has targeted them in the Béni Mellal Khénifra region. We had the objective to measure the frequency use of medicinal plants by cancer patients in the region of Béni Mellal Khénifra as well as the communication around this use and to inventory the plants used added to their adverse effects. We used an ethno botanical survey was conducted among 314 patients at the regional oncology center of Béni Mellal. The prevalence of use and the relative frequency of citation (RFC), the proportion of patients reporting this use and its adverse effects were measured. the prevalence of medicinal herbs use was 37.3% (n = 117). The citation relative frequency of plants ranged from 0.005 to 0.16. We found, also, 32 species belonging to 19 botanical families. Almost 90% (n = 102) of patients do not communicate this use and the most used plants are: Marrubium vulgare (16%), Ephedra alata (13%) and Juniperus oxycedrus (12%) Some plants seem toxic, in particular Juniperus oxycedrus used in a form of tar. The drug-plant interaction requires monitoring due to the lack of communication.

Miera y mereras de enebro (Juniperus oxycedrus L.) en Albacete

This article presents a study on the traditional use of the cade oil (miera in Spanish) and the cade oil ovens in the province of Albacete (Spain). Cade oil is the vegetable tar that is obtained by dry distillation of prickly juniper wood (Juniperus oxycedrus L.), used especially as a disinfectant by shepherds and ranchers. This process take place in specific ovens called mereras, miereras or miera ovens. These elements appear in various documentary sources, they are kept in the toponymy and even there are some ovens scattered in Albacete province, in different states of conservation.

Morphology of Juniperus Cone and Its Implications on Cone Evolution

Background The basic cone unit in Pinaceae is called bract-scale-seed complex (BSSC), in which the scale is supposed to be equivalent to an axillary shoot bearing ovules in Cordaitales. This correlation established by Florin provides a rational foundation on which an interpretation for the origin of cones in at least most Coniferales is built, and may be called Florin model for convenience. Cupressaceae is a family in Coniferales, in which the ovule-scale and its subtending bract are thought fully fused and hard to distinguish by external morphology. Results Different from Pinaceae and other typical conifers, Juniperus (Cupressaceae) appears not following Florin’s model closely. For example, the cone of Juniperus oxycedrus has only three rather than more BSSCs in a whorl, and its fleshy fructification appears more like a berry rather than a typical coniferalean cone. In this paper morphology and anatomy of Juniperus oxycedrus fructifications are documented using Micro CT. New observation demonstrates clearly that three seeds alternate the three surrounding bracts in J. oxycedrus. Conclusions Such spatial arrangement is quite different from that in typical BSSCs, in which the ovules should be aligned with their subtending bract. Together with other unexpected features in other cupressaceous cones, Juniperus my help to expand the avenue through which we can interpret the origin and homology of cones in Cupressaceae and other conifers or gymnosperms in general.