Leitneria Research Articles

Additional host range testing of Eucryptorrhynchus brandti (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) for the biological control of tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima (Simaroubaceae) in the U.S.A.

ABSTRACT Ailanthus altissima, native to China, is a highly invasive plant in North America, Europe, and other continents. This species displaces native plants by forming dense clonal thickets. Ailanthus altissima is shade intolerant, quickly invades fields, rights-of-way, urban areas, and areas in forests disturbed by logging, fire, or pests. This species is also a primary host of the economically damaging spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, recently introduced into the U.S. Eucryptorrhynchus brandti is native to China and has been identified as a potential biological control agent of A. altissima. Oviposition studies conducted on 11 non-target plant species demonstrated that E. brandti oviposited only on the U.S. native Leitneria floridana. All non- Leitneria species had adult feeding of less than 2% compared to A. altissima, with no oviposition or larval development. Longevity of E. brandti in no-choice tests with L. floridana and L. pilosa subsp. ozarkana, was shorter and the weevils consumed less foliage compared to A. altissima. Seventeen percent of the L. floridana trees tested had larval feeding and 18 E. brandti adults emerged from 10 replicates. No L. floridana trees with larval feeding died. All the A. altissima trees with larval development died. Eucryptorrhynchus brandti is projected to be an effective agent against A. altissima and pose no significant risk to native North American plant species, with potential to be an additional management tool for the spotted lanternfly.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Picrasma quassioides (D. Don) Benn. 1844 (Simaroubaceae)

Picrasma quassioides is a member of the Simaroubaceae family and is widely used as a medicinal plant. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast genome of P. quassioides. The chloroplast genome is 160,015 bp in length, with a large single-copy region of 87,136 bp, a small single-copy region of 18,069 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions of 27,405 bp. It contains a total of 110 unique genes, including 77 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that P. quassioides clustered well with Simaroubaceae plants, Eurycoma longifolia, Leitneria floridana, and Ailanthus latissimus.

Genome survey sequencing of Ailanthus altissima and identification of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers

Abstract Ailanthus altissima is a deciduous tree native to China and introduced to other parts of the world as an ornamental plant. It exhibits resistance to both abiotic and biotic stress factors and has various pharmacological effects and strong allelopathy, generating significant research interests. However, the genome sequence of this species has not been reported, limiting its research development. The purpose of the study was to determine the genome size and characteristics of A. altissima to conduct its genomic survey. Next-generation sequencing and K-mer analysis were employed to measure the genome size of A. altissima. Overall, a total of 61.93 Gb high-quality clean data were acquired, representing approximately 64.09× coverage of the A. altissima genome. The genomic characteristics of A. altissima include a genome size of 966.38 Mbp, a heterozygosis rate of 0.78 %, and a repeat rate of 41.22 %. A total of 735,179 genomic SSRs markers were identified based on genome survey sequences. Alignment analysis showed that A. altissima was closely related to Citrus sinensis and Leitneria florida-na. This study provides basic information for future whole-genomic sequencing of A. altissima. This will facilitate a knowledge of the population structure, genetic diversity, long distance-gene transfer, and pollen-based gene flow analyses of A. altissima populations from its known distribution ranges in China, focusing on planted and natural forest stands.

The Complete Chloroplast Genome Sequence of Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) (Sapindales: Simaroubaceae), an Important Pantropical Tree.

Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (Simaroubaceae) is a deciduous tree widely distributed throughout temperate regions in China, hence suitable for genetic diversity and evolutionary studies. Previous studies in A. altissima have mainly focused on its biological activities, genetic diversity and genetic structure. However, until now there is no published report regarding genome of this plant species or Simaroubaceae family. Therefore, in this paper, we first characterized A. altissima complete chloroplast genome sequence. The tree of heaven chloroplast genome was found to be a circular molecule 160,815 base pairs (bp) in size and possess a quadripartite structure. The A. altissima chloroplast genome contains 113 unique genes of which 79 and 30 are protein coding and transfer RNA (tRNA) genes respectively and also 4 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNA) with overall GC content of 37.6%. Microsatellite marker detection identified A/T mononucleotides as majority SSRs in all the seven analyzed genomes. Repeat analyses of seven Sapindales revealed a total of 49 repeats in A. altissima, Rhus chinensis, Dodonaea viscosa, Leitneria floridana, while Azadirachta indica, Boswellia sacra, and Citrus aurantiifolia had a total of 48 repeats. The phylogenetic analysis using protein coding genes revealed that A. altissima is a sister to Leitneria floridana and also suggested that Simaroubaceae is a sister to Rutaceae family. The genome information reported here could be further applied for evolution and invasion, population genetics, and molecular studies in this plant species and family.

Host-Range Testing of Eucryptorrhynchus brandti (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a Candidate for Biological Control of Tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima

Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, tree-of-heaven, is an invasive species native to Asia. It first was introduced into the United States in the 1700 s and now is distributed throughout much of North America. Mechanical and chemical controls are current suppression tactics, however, implementation is costly. A weevil, Eucryptorrhynchus brandti (Harold), was identified in China and imported for quarantine testing in 2004 as a potential biological control agent. Host specificity tests on adult feeding, larval development, and oviposition of this weevil were conducted from 2007 to 2011 on A. altissima and 29 nontarget species. Eucryptorrhynchus brandti adults fed significantly more on A. altissima foliage when compared with all test species. Range of means for feeding on A. altissima was 32.5-106.5 mm(2)/adult/d. In no-choice tests, Simarouba glauca DC, Leitneria floridana Chapm., and Citrus limon (L.) Burm. F., had feeding rates of only 10, 49, and 10%, respectively, compared with the level of feeding on A. altissima. The mean range of adult feeding by E. brandti on all other test species was <7% of feeding on A. altissima (0.0-3.3 ± 5.0 mm(2)/adult/d). In the no-choice larval inoculation tests, larval development only occurred in two of 10 L. floridana seedlings compared with seven of 10 A. altissima seedlings. In the no-choice oviposition tests, oviposition and subsequent larval development did not occur in L. floridiana, whereas all seven A. altissima seedlings supported oviposition and subsequent larval development. The weevil did not appear to be a threat to L. floridana or any other nontarget species tested. Therefore, we conclude that Eucryptorrhynchus brandti is highly host specific to A. altissima.

Embryological Evidence Supports the Transfer ofLeitneria floridanato the Family Simaroubaceae1

Abstract Leitneria floridana Chapm., a shrub indigenous to North America, was long considered to be the sole member of the family Leitneriaceae, with uncertain affinities in and outside the class Amentiferae. Recent molecular analyses, however, show that the species is closely related to the genera Brucea J. F. Mill., Soulamea Lam., and Amaroria A. Gray in the family Simaroubaceae. Here, I report embryological features of L. floridana and provide anatomical corroboration for the molecular simaroubacean affinities of this species. I compared its embryology with those of the families Simaroubaceae, Meliaceae, and Rutaceae, which form a monophyletic clade in the order Sapindales. Comparisons showed that although Leitneria Chapm. resembled all three families embryologically, it fits best within the Simaroubaceae through possession of an unspecialized chalaza, straight and exarillate seeds, a non-multiplicative testa, a non-crystalliferous endotesta, and absence of a fibrous exotegmen. Within the Simaroubaceae...

Ecology and Phenotypic Variation of Leitneria floridana (Leitneriaceae) in Disjunct Native Habitats

Leitneria floridana is a rare woody species with a disjunct distribution in the southeastern and south-central United States. Although the distribution of L. floridana is well established, little is known about the comparative biology of its disjunct populations or the factors contributing to its rarity. We studied populations of L. floridana in Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, and Florida to characterize and compare population density, habitat, ecophysiology, morphology, and growth. Our results show that plants of the Missouri provenance are the most unique phenotypically, plants in Texas are the fastest growing, and plants in Arkansas seem particularly adapted to shade. We found that L. floridana grows in chemically and physically diverse soils and under a broad range of insolation. Soil moisture content appears to be the most important environmental factor governing the occurrence of L. floridana, with soil moisture and distribution density positively correlated.

Assessment of Leitneria floridana in Disjunct Native Habitats: Implications for Horticulture and Conservation

Tolerance of shade, flooding, drought, and nutrient-poor substrate is desirable among ornamental plants installed in managed landscapes. Many attractive native taxa have not been evaluated for their resistance to environmental stressors. We assessed Florida corkwood (Leitneria floridana Chapman) in its natural habitat in four disjunct populations in the United States and tested the physical and chemical properties of the soil at the study sites. Measures at all sites were made within two weeks in late June, 2003. Leaf area, plant height, length of new shoots, and the rate of photosynthesis were higher among plants receiving more than 600 μmol·m-2·s-1 of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) compared to plants that occurred where maximum PAR was lower. Soil texture ranged from clay loam to fine sand, and soil pH across sites was 4.5 to 6.6. Concentration of nitrate-nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium ranged from 3 to 75 mg·L-1, 7 to 11 mg·L-1, and 3 to 64 mg·L-1, respectively. Bases of plants in Florida were submersed in water, while soil moisture percentages in Missouri and Texas were 6 to 30. The apparent tolerance of L. floridana to shade, low and high soil moisture, and nutrient-poor soil in native habitats indicates that it could be used in a wide range of managed landscapes. Its capacity to adapt to shade may permit the use of L. floridana as an understory species in managed landscapes, but stewards of natural areas may need to maintain open sites within its native habitat to allow expansion of populations. Because this assessment of L. floridana included native populations across the natural range of the species, our results are uniquely suited for both horticultural and ecological interpretation and application.

5-methoxycanthin-6-one from Leitneria floridana (Simaroubaceae)

Corkwood, Leitneria floridana, a shrub found in low, wet areas of the southeastern United States, has been considered to belong to the monotypic family Leitneriaceae, a family formerly considered to be of uncertain taxonomic affinities, but is now generally conceded to be part of the Simaroubaceae. Methanolic extraction of the wood yields a series of alkaloids (based on the Dragendorff test), of which the major component is 5-methoxycanthin-6-one. This compound was purified by thin layer chromatography and the structure elucidated by 1H-NMR, EIMS and exact mass of the parent ion. Because indole alkaloids of the canthin-6-one type have only been isolated from the Rutaceae and Simaroubaceae, the presence of 5-methoxycanthin-6-one in Leitneria floridana further supports placement of this engimatic species in or near the Simaroubaceae.

Anti-HIV Agents 45 and Antitumor Agents 205. Two New Sesquiterpenes, Leitneridanins A and B, and the Cytotoxic and Anti-HIV Principles from Leitneria floridana

Two new sesquiterpenes, leitneridanin A (1) and leitneridanin B (2), and seven known compounds, lirioresinol B, (-)-pinoresinal, (+)-lariciresinol, quassimarin (3), simalikalactone D (4), 1-methoxycanthinone (5), and 5-methoxycanthinone (6), were isolated from Leitneria floridana. Their structures were identified on the basis of spectral data. In vitro biological evaluation showed that 5 is a potent anti-HIV agent (EC(50) 0.26 g/mL; TI >39) and that 3-6 suppressed the growth of a panel of human tumor cell lines (KB, A-549, HCT-8, CAKI-1, MCF-7, and SK-MEL-2). Compounds 3 and 4 were significantly active, with ED(50) values in the range of 0.26-0.012 g/mL.

Leitneria floridana: A Shrub for Wet Woodland Conditions

Leitneria floridana: A Shrub for Wet Woodland Conditions

A Serotaxonomic Appraisal of Amphipterygium and Leitneria-Two Amentiferous Taxa of Rutiflorae (Rosidae)

Amphipterygium glaucum and Leitneria floridana in the past have been placed in the artificial grouping Amentiferae. With the breakup of Amentiferae these two taxa have been var- iously assigned to Fagales, Geraniales, Hamamelidales, Juglandales, and Sapindales. Serological experiments used antigens obtained from pollen protein extracts from 26 taxa belonging to 22 genera from 13 families with supposed affinities to Amphipterygium and Leitneria and antisera ob- tained from injections of pollen protein extracts from Ailanthus altissima, Amphipterygium glaucum, Leitneria floridana, and Rhus copallina. Techniques utilized included double diffusion, one dimen- sional immunoelectrophoresis, line immunoelectrophoresis, radial immunodiffusion, and absorbed antibody. Data revealed that both Amphipterygium and Leitneria shared closest serological affinities with those experimental taxa from the Rutiflorae. Specifically, anti-Amphipterygium serum had strongest reactivity with Rhus and Toxicodendron, while anti-Leitneria had strongest reactivity with Ailanthus and Picrasma of Simaroubaceae. Data supported other researchers who had reported sim- ilarities with taxa of Rutiflorae.

Atractylocarpus costaricensis (C. Muell.) Bartr., New to North America North of Mexico, and Campylopus carolinae Grout, New to Florida

A collection from eastern Missouri originally determined as Campylopus flexuosus (Hedw.) Brid. was later determined by Frahm to be Atractylocarpus costaricensis (C. Muell.) Bartr. (Redfearn 27840-sMs, Mo, herb. J.-P. Frahm). This species, heretofore known from Mexico and Central America, occurred in Stoddard County, ca. 4 km SE of Bloomfield, NEI? sec. 1, T.25N., R.10E. It was growing on a log in a spring at the base of Crowley Ridge, an elevated strip of land that traverses the Southeastern Lowlands Region of Missouri. This ridge is noted for the presence of distinctly eastern or northeastern species such as Fagus grandiflora, Liriodendron tulipifera, Ilex opaca, Bartonia paniculata, Obolaria virginiana and Epifagus virginiana while the adjacent lowlands are occupied by plants characteristic of the Gulf Coastal Plain such as Taxodium distichum, Leitneria floridana, Carya aquatica, Trachelyspermum difforme, and Mikania scandens (Steyermark 1963). The area where A. costaricensis occurs is also the habitat for two bryophytes rare in Missouri, Riccardia palmata (Redfearn 1976) and Sphagnum fimbriatum (Redfearn 27822-sMs, Mo). Atractylocarpus costaricensis is an important addition to the list of bryophytes with tropical affinities that occur in the Interior Highlands, a list that includes such species as Hyophila involuta, Leucobryum albidum, Sematophyllum adnatum, Campylopus tallulensis, Thuidium minutulum, Syrrhopodon texanus, Hookeria acutifolia, Trichostomum mollissimum and Entodon macropodus. The presence of plants with tropical affinities in the Interior Highlands has been attributed to their being a part of the widespread Tertiary Flora that has survived in the Interior Highlands, later, in part, migrating onto the Coastal Plain (Sharp 1939; Steyermark 1959). On the other hand, the occurrence of Atractylocarpus costaricensis in Missouri may represent a case of longdistance dispersal since its habitat is along the well-known Mississippi flyway for migratory birds. Sterile plants of Atractylocarpus costaricensis are hard to distinguish from Campylopus species with ventral stereids in cross section of the nerve. However, the sporophytes being nearly always present will differentiate this species from other dicranaceous species by the straight, elongate setae and cylindric, erect capsules with peristome teeth divided nearly to the base (Fig. 1). Another collection, from Florida, was originally determined as Campylopus introflexus (Hedw.) Brid. Frahm subsequently determined that it was misidentified and is, in fact,