Morpho-Anatomy of the Gynoecium and Fruit in Three Ornamental Members of Campanuloideae (Campanulaceae)

Gynoecium and fruit micromorphology and anatomy were studied using light microscopy in three species of Campanuloideae belonging to the tribes Cyanantheae ( Platycodon grandiflorus ), Wahlenbergieae ( Jasione montana ), and Campanuleae ( Adenophora liliifolia ) of the native and cultivated flora of Ukraine, to elucidate structural adaptations for fruit dehiscence. The studied species differed in flower/fruit orientation, carpel number, ovary insertion, and capsule-opening position, and the information provided a background for the discovery of common anatomical features influencing fruit dehiscence. In the studied species, the synascidiate and symplicate zones in the ovary and prominent placentae were found to be located near the mid-region of the ovary. The distinct innervation of the ovary wall and ovules was described. In P. grandiflorus , the septa and fruit wall contained a lignified parenchyma in a subepidermal position, while in J. montana and A. liliifolia , lignification was observed only in proximal portions of the septa, above the placenta ( J. montana ), or was noted as a narrow strand from the ovary base to the mid-region, called “axicorn” ( A. liliifolia ). In all the studied species, unlignified endocarpium was detected. The semi-inferior capsule of P. grandiflorus has been defined as a capsule of the Forsythia -type, with a sclerenchymatous layer in the inner zone of the mesocarpium. In J. montana and A. liliifolia , a new histogenetic type of capsule is described as Campanula -type, without lignified layers in the fruit wall and with lignified tissue in the septa, which enabled dehiscence. Our study proposed for the first time the classification of the capsules found in the studied species based on the development of openings in the superior or inferior regions of the fruits. The upright fruits of P. grandiflorus and J. montana reveal incomplete dorsiventral dehiscence in the superior region of the fruit, while dehiscence of pendent fruits of A. liliifolia is hippocrepiform-septifragal interlocular and occurs in the inferior region of the fruit at its base, as revealed previously in Campanula latifolia fruit.

Prospects for the introduction of ornamental plants of the genus Sage (Salvia L.) to the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Purpose. Analysis of species and varietal diversity of the genus Salvia L. cultivated flora of the world, including Ukraine; prognostic assessment and determination of the directions of ornamental representatives of the genus introduction to the conditions of the Forest-steppe of Ukraine. Methods. Analysis and synthesis, comparison and generalization of information data, introduction forecast. Results. The modern assortment of the genus Salvia is presented in quantitative, taxonomic, arealogical and ecological-cenotic terms. Belonging of the species of the genus to 6 main centers of origin of cultivated plants was determined, and a significant diversity of life forms (nanophanerophytes, microphanerophytes, hamephites, hemicryptophytes, theophytes), naturally formed under the influence of factors determined by different geographical and ecological-phytocenotic conditions of plant growth was reflected. Species assortment of the genus Salvia from the collection fund of the M. M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was analyzed in comparison with the collections of other Ukrainian botanical gardens. The list of decorative species of the collection, found in the natural flora of Ukraine, was given. Three groups of species have been identified by origin, what determines the conditions for plant cultivation in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. In terms of taxonomic structure, introduced sage species belong to eight (according to Bentham, 1833) out of twelve sections, which represent biomorphological diversity and confirm the high introduction potential of these plants. The species and interspecific hybrids most fully used in breeding work and represented by a significant varietal diversity were distinguished, as well as the sage assortment of the collection of ornamental plants of the NBG was presented. Conclusions. It has been revealed that the species and varietal diversity of the genus Salvia of the world cultivated flora has a significant introduction potential for the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine. It was determined that the main base for the introduction of the ornamental species of the genus Salvia in Ukraine is the collection of the M. M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The main directions of further introduction and breeding work with representatives of the genus Salvia in the Forest-Steppe conditions of Ukraine were highlighted.

Taxonomic studies on subgenus Pseudomegachile Friese under genus Megachile Latreille (Hymenoptera) from Sutlej basin plains (India)

Genus Megachile forms an integral part of the ecosystem as its members are important pollinators of both wild and cultivated flora. Surveying on a large scale helps in gathering a lot of information about their spatial and temporal data. This also helps in studying their biodiversity and taxonomy. Three species of solitary bees under subgenus Pseudomegachile Friese of the genus Megachile Latreille collected from Sutlej basin plains of India have been studied and described taxonomically. Megachile (Pseudomegachile) creusa (Bingham), M. (P.) ramakrishnae Cockerell and M. (P.) elfrona (Cameron) with 21 examples are described including their morphological characters, taxonomically important characters, zoogeographic records, floral associations along with genitalic and sternal plates. Since most of the areas included in the study have been surveyed first time for Megachile study, these are new records for the studied area.

Que plantas eram cultivadas no Horto Real de Xabregas criado por Gabriel Grisley em Lisboa no século XVII?

Resumo Gabriel Grisley, médico, botânico e químico alemão, veio para Portugal na década de 1610. Em Lisboa, perto da foz do rio Xabregas, criou um horto que teve privilégio régio. Percorreu o reino estudando a flora espontânea e cultivada. Além de Viridarium lusitanicum (1661), publicou a obra Desenganos para a medicina (1656) onde enumera e descreve 260 plantas medicinais, a maioria das quais estaria em cultura no Horto Real de Xabregas. A partir dos nomes comuns das plantas e dos nomes latinos usados por Grisley, e recorrendo a bibliografia especializada, foi possível identificar, com razoável certeza, todas estas 260 plantas. Cerca de 2/3 eram espécies da flora espontânea portuguesa. A grande maioria era de herbáceas ou lenhosas de pequeno porte. Existiam 20 arbustos, mas só cinco árvores. Todas as plantas são referidas como medicinais em bibliografia moderna, indicando que o horto de Xabregas era de cariz medicinal, como era usual nesta época. As obras de Grisley não têm merecido a devida atenção, em parte devido à inerente dificuldade em identificar plantas designadas por nomenclaturas pré- lineanas. A identificação feita no presente trabalho de todas as plantas mencionadas em Desenganos para a medicina e muito provavelmente cultivadas no Horto Real de Xabregas é o ponto de partida para um melhor conhecimento da história natural e da matéria médica do Portugal de Seiscentos, temática para a qual a informação disponível é muito escassa. Palavras-chave: Gabriel Grisley; Horto Real de Xabregas; Portugal Abstract Gabriel Grisley, a german physician, botanist, and chemist, came to Portugal in the 1610s. In Lisbon, near the mouth of the Xabregas River, he created a garden that had royal privilege. He toured the kingdom studying the spontaneous and cultivated flora. In addition to Viridarium lusitanicum (1661), he published Desenganos para a medicina (1656), where he lists and describes 260 medicinal plants, most of which were probably cultivated in the Royal Garden of Xabregas. From the common names of the plants and Latin names used by Grisley, and consulting specialized literature, it was possible to identify, with reasonable certainty, all these 260 plants mentioned in Desenganos. About 2/3 were species of the Portuguese spontaneous flora. The vast majority were herbaceous or small woody plants. There were 20 shrubs, but only five trees. All plants are referred as medicinal in the modern bibliography, indicating that the Royal Garden of Xabregas was medicinal, as was usual at this time. Grisley's works have not deserved due attention, in part because of the inherent difficulty in identifying plants designated by pre- Linnaean nomenclatures. The identification made in the present work of all the plants mentioned in Desenganos para a medicina and most probably cultivated in the Royal Garden of Xabregas is the starting point for a better knowledge of the natural history and the medical matter of the Portugal in the 17th century, a theme for which the available information is very scarce. Keywords: Gabriel Grisley; Royal Garden of Xabregas; Portugal.

Morphological and ecological-biological evaluation of the decorative species of the genus Lupinus L.

The article describes the characteristics of decorative species of the genus Lupinus L. in the course of introductory studies on the basis of experienced exhibition areas of the Botanical Garden «Podillya» of the Vinnytsia National Agrarian University. An analysis of the species composition of the genus Lupinus L. has been carried out and the prospects of their use for landscaping of various objects of the Podillya area have been determined. In order to differentiate plants in accordance with the scope of their possible use, the morphometric indices of the most promising representatives of this genus are given. It has been established that all investigated species are of interest as potentially valuable objects for enrichment of assortment of domestic ornamental plants. It is established that natural possibilities of representatives of the genus Lupinus L., plasticity to change their life form, high quality by the aggregate of characteristics that determine their decorative character, characterizes the investigated plants as a source for introducing and enriching the range of decorative cultures in Ukraine. Thus, the introduction of representatives of the genus Lupinus L. will enable to significantly expand the range of ornamental plants and enrich the cultivated flora of the Podillya region and Ukraine as a whole.