Cardamine occulta Hornem. in Hungary, and other stowaways of the ornamental plant trade

During the study of the weed flora of garden centers in Hungary (among 2017–2020), remarkable populations of Cardamine occulta Hornem., a new alien for the Hungarian flora were found. C. occulta was present altogether in 51 of the 53 visited sites. Dominantly the regularly irrigated and continuously moist microhabitats (pots, containers, muddy surfaces of geotextile-covered beds etc.) were colonized. During the revision of our recently collected specimens, deposited in JPU and DE herbaria as Cardamine hirsuta L., further individuals proved to identical with this till overlooked species. One of them (27.08.2004., Heves county: Eger [8088.3; 8188.1], coll. by A. Schmotzer, deposited in DE collection) proved to the third documented occurrence in Europe, comparing to the accessed literature data. Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. and Urtica membranacea Poir. are also new aliens for the Hungarian flora. Several introduced individuals of these taxa were found in containers of imported thermophilous woody ornamentals at 4 and 2 sites, respectively. Tens of individuals of Eclipta prostrata were also found in a sapling-bed at another site. New populations of scarce or rare Euphorbia prostrata Aiton, E. serpens Kunth and Veronica peregrina L. were also documented.

Evaluating Medicinal Plants for Anticancer Activity

Plants have been used for medical purposes since the beginning of human history and are the basis of modern medicine. Most chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer treatment are molecules identified and isolated from plants or their synthetic derivatives. Our hypothesis was that whole plant extracts selected according to ethnobotanical sources of historical use might contain multiple molecules with antitumor activities that could be very effective in killing human cancer cells. This study examined the effects of three whole plant extracts (ethanol extraction) on human tumor cells. The extracts were fromUrtica membranacea(Urticaceae),Artemesia monosperma(Asteraceae), andOriganum dayi post(Labiatae). All three plant extracts exhibited dose- and time-dependent killing capabilities in various human derived tumor cell lines and primary cultures established from patients’ biopsies. The killing activity was specific toward tumor cells, as the plant extracts had no effect on primary cultures of healthy human cells. Cell death caused by the whole plant extracts is via apoptosis. Plant extract 5 (Urtica membranacea) showed particularly strong anticancer capabilities since it inhibited actual tumor progression in a breast adenocarcinoma mouse model. Our results suggest that whole plant extracts are promising anticancer reagents.

Contenido polínico de la atmósfera de Estepona (Málaga): año 1996

En el presente trabajo se realiza un estudio del contenido polínico de la atmósfera de Estepona (sur de España) a lo largo del año 1996. El muestreo aerobiológico se ha realizado con la ayuda de un captador tipo Hirst (modelo VPPS-2000 de la casa Lanzoni), colocado a 14,5 m del nivel del suelo, en el centro de la localidad. Las mayores concentraciones polínicas se registraron durante los meses de Marzo, Abril, Mayo y Junio, periodo en el que se registra casi el 75% del polen total anual, mientras que los meses de Enero, Septiembre y Diciembre fueron los que detectaron menores cantidades dc polen. Los táxones más importantes, en lo que a cantidad de polen se refiere, fueron Cupressaceae, Urtica membranaceay Poaceae, seguidos de Oleo, Quema y Plantago. Los mayores picos de concentración que se produjeron a lo largo del año son debidos principalmente a los aportes de Cupressaceae y Urtica membranacea en Marzo, y Oleo y Poaceae en Junio. En todos los meses del año, exceptuando Marzo y Octubre, existe una mayor relación de pólenes procedentes de plantas herbáceas frente a leñosas, así como de plantas silvestres frente a ornamentales.