Morphology, anatomy and micromorphology of the genus Oliveria (Apiaceae)

Oliveria is a little-known, monotypic genus of the family Apiaceae. The only accepted species, O. decumbens, is distributed throughout Mesopotamia. It is an annual, aromatic plant that has been used in traditional medicine since ancient times. The aim of this study was to examine morphological, micromorphological, and anatomical characters of O. decumbens in order to increase the current botanical knowledge of this genus.

VISmaF: Synthetic Tree for Immersive Virtual Visualization in Smart Farming. Part I: Scientific Background Review and Model Proposal

Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) has received increasing interest in both research and the entertainment industry. Recent advancements in computer graphics allowed researchers and companies to create large-scale virtual environments with growing resolution and complexity. Among the different applications, the generation of biological assets is a relevant task that implies challenges due to the extreme complexity associated with natural structures. An example is represented by trees, whose composition made by thousands of leaves, branches, branchlets, and stems with oriented directions is hard to be modeled. Realistic 3D models of trees can be exploited for a wide range of applications including decision-making support, visualization of ecosystem changes over time, and for simple visualization purposes. In this review, we give an overview of the most common approaches used to generate 3D tree models, discussing both methodologies and available commercial software. We focus on strategies for modeling and rendering of plants, highlighting their accordance or not with botanical knowledge and biological models. We also present a proof of concept to link biological models and 3D rendering engines through Ordinary Differential Equations.

Paraguay Natural Ilustrado by José Sánchez Labrador SJ: Between the American Experience and Exile

This paper analyzes the work Paraguay Natural Ilustrado and discusses the impact that the American experience and the later exile in Italy had in the trajectory and intellectual production of its author, Jesuit priest José Sánchez Labrador. The four volumes have evidence of the scientific advancements in Europe in the second half of the eighteenth century, due to his contact with other exiled Jesuits and the collection of the Library of Ravenna, along with his observations of American nature and the indigenous populations of the Jesuit Province of Paraguay. His experience for thirty-four years in the Americas, and later in exile, unmistakably are present in Paraguay Natural. It contributes significantly to the reconstitution of the circulation process and appropriation of botanical knowledge and of the intellectual environment in which the Jesuit brothers and priests were in, both in the missions among the natives in America, as well as in Europe in their exile.

‘For the Sciences Migrate, Just Like People’: The Case of Botanical Knowledge in the Early Modern Iberian Empires

In his writings, Francis Bacon emphasized the interrelatedness between the migration of people and knowledge, arguing that Europeans of his time had surpassed the greatest civilizations because of their ability to traverse the world freely. Concentrating on Spanish observers who investigated New Spain’s flora, this article bridges theory and practice by examining the Iberian roots of Bacon’s views. The article examines scientific approaches for acquiring bioknowledge by Iberians who specialized in European medicine, including Francisco Hernández, Juan de Cárdenas and Francisco Ximénez. While the article recognizes the contribution of travellers and expatriates to Spain’s bioprospecting project, it also points to the ways in which the limitations of the transfer of botanical information was acknowledged, and discusses its meaning. By presenting the complexities in the communication of knowledge, I argue, naturalists in the colonies could highlight their unique vantage point in relation to “armchair” specialists in the metropole.

Traditional botanical flora of medicinal plants in the treatment of kidney stones in Iran

Medicinal plants have long been considered for the treatment of many diseases among Iranians and in recent years the use of medicinal plants has increased. In traditional Iranian medicine, many plants have been described to eliminate kidney stones, dissolve kidney stones or prevent stone formation. Based on the results Medicinal plants Cichorium intybus L. Biarum straussii Engl., Tribulus terrestris L., Nasturtium officinale R. Br., Alhagi camelorum Fisch., Adiantum Capillus-Veneris L., Anchusa italic, Alhagi maurorum, Achila mellifolium, Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medicus., Adiantum capillus- Veneris L., Pistacia khinjuk, Acanthophyllum khuzistanicum Rech. F., Malva parviflora L., Allium iranicum (Wendelbo Wendelbo), Centaurea solstitialis L., Cerasus vulgaris Miller, and etc. are medicinal plants that are used in different parts of Iran used to treat kidney stones. It was found that plant families including Fabaceae (10 plants), Asteraceae(10 plants), Brassicaceae (6 plants) and Zygophyllaceae (6 plants) have the most medicinal plants in the discussion of medicinal plants affecting kidney stones and parts such as Leaf (27%), Fruit (15%), Aerial parts (15%) and Flower (14%) are the most plant organs that are used in this area for the treatment of kidney stones. The great tendency of people in the knowledge of ethno-botany and plant flora in traditional medicine is evident in the use of medicinal plants and the historical history of the use of medicinal plants. Iranian ethno-botanical knowledge can play a good role in presenting pure ideas of traditional medicine for modern medicine.

Morpho-anatomical features of the leaves and stems of Baccharis notosergila (Asteraceae) and their relationship with the environment and chemical control

Background and aims: Baccharis notosergila is an aggressive weed inhabiting the Salado river basin, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The aims of this work were: to analyze the morpho-anatomy and histochemistry of aerial vegetative organs in order to understand the adaptation strategies that ensure its survival, as well as to expand knowledge on traits determining resistance to the control methods applied. M&M: The material collected was prepared and examined with conventional techniques of microscopy. Histochemical tests to identify starch, resins, polyphenols, and lipophilic substances were performed. Results: The major features found were small and deciduous leaves; uniseriate epidermis with massive and striate cuticle; stomata at level or slightly above the other epidermal cells and glandular trichomes secreting oily substances; stomata on both surfaces and isobilateral mesophyll. Tannins, starch and lipophilic substances were identified in leaves and stems; polyphenols, resins and lipids in ducts, and calcium oxalate crystals in leaves, stems and capitate trichomes. Conclusions: The aerial vegetative organs features of B. notosergila explain its tolerance to the unfavorable conditions of the Salado river basin area, as well as its high competitive ability over others species of the natural prairie. The reduced and deciduous leaves, the epidermal traits, and chemical substances found constitute a physical and chemical barrier reducing dehydration as well as the penetration of the herbicides applied for its control. Botanical knowledge of B. notosergila is the basis for the design and development of new and appropriate management methods for this species.

Urban Spaces, Plants, and People in the Nineteenth-Century Bogotá, Colombia

Urban Spaces, Plants, and People in the Nineteenth-Century Bogotá, Colombia. Despite recent efforts to understand the uses of plants in Latin American cities, we know little about ethnobotanical practices in the pre-industrial nineteenth-century urban environments of this region. In order to address this gap in the existing literature, I examined the uses of ornamental, edible, and medicinal plants alongside “non-timber forest products” (NTFPs) in daily life in Bogotá (Colombia) between 1830 and 1910. Primary and secondary data were collected from textual and iconographic historical sources in libraries, archives, museums, and herbaria in Colombia and the United Kingdom. The results suggest that access to urban spaces such as patios, solares, or adjacent ecosystems broadly defined the ways that people related to and used plants, which in turn illustrates how social hierarchies influenced botanical knowledge. This study represents an initial effort to explore the heretofore neglected history of ways of using plants in Latin American cities in the period immediately prior to their modernization.

The symphony of cells and skin

Climate change and migration occupy our daily diet of news today. It does and must fuel our contemporary consciousness. The following is an attempt to share the story of an epiphany about a rooted and constant connection that expands across plant life and human existence. This story’s sap is derived from oral traditions, ancestors and our collective modern botanical knowledge. It takes the form of a walk in live time across the geography of a microclimate where the epiphany occurred. The walk endeavours to awaken a conscious kinship between human and plant cells, through a story’s language, towards a daily worldwide response to consciousness about climate change.