BackgroundThe present research work was done to evaluate the anatomical differences among selected species of the family Bignoniaceae, as limited anatomical data is available for this family in Pakistan. Bignoniaceae is a remarkable family for its various medicinal properties and anatomical characterization is an important feature for the identification and classification of plants.Methodology: In this study, several anatomical structures were examined, including stomata type and shape, leaf epidermis shape, epidermal cell size, and the presence or absence of trichomes and crystals (e.g., prisms, raphides, and druses). Three statistical tools—heat map analysis, correlation analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA)—were used to highlight distinctions and similarities among the species.ResultsOn both the upper and lower leaf surfaces, polygonal, irregular, and hexagonal epidermal cells with thick cell walls were observed. Three patterns of anticlinal cell walls were detected: curved, straight, and sinuous. Distinct stomatal types were also identified across the different species. For instance, sunken stomata were observed in Kigelia africana and Jacaranda mimosaefolia, while anomocytic stomata were found in Oroxylum indicum, Pyrostegia venusta, Tecoma stans, Tecomella undulata, Mansoa alliacea, Heterophragma adenophylla, Handroanthus impetiginosus, Campsis radicans, and Anemopaegma chamberlaynii. Paracytic stomata were examined in B. callistegioides and Dolichandra unguis-cati. Tabebuia aurea was the only species with Tetracytic stomata. A contiguous type of stomata was only observed in Millingtonia hortensis. This family contained three types of trichomes. Glandular peltate trichomes contained a basal epidermal cell, a very small monocellular stalk and a circular or round multicellular head containing 12 cells arranged in a single circle. Non-glandular trichomes had a thin apex without a head and a pointed end. Branched trichomes contained several arms arising from a common base.ConclusionThis anatomical examination, using advanced microscopic techniques, is the first to classify several species that are not listed in the e-flora of Pakistan. Leaf anatomical research has proven valuable in resolving challenging taxonomic issues.

The University of Peradeniya’s grounds are home to the famous Dolichandra unguis-cati (L.) L.G. Lohmann; cat’s claw vine, which blooms primarily from March through May. The vine has received a lot of attention mostly for its showy flowers. Being an invasive species, D. unguis-cati can pose a threat to the native flora and fauna. Yet, the vine also has positive impacts. Therefore, we looked at nectar production dimensions, the average brix value of nectar, honey production potential (HPP) and the honeybee colony carrying capacity (HCCC) of the vine specific to the garden of the University of Peradeniya, which reveals that it is a significant source of food for foraging bees. A vine had an average flower density of 154,700 per vine and 324 per m2. Each blossom produced nectar for at least four days. The average sugar content per blossom was 6.3 mg and an average of 3.94 kg of sugar was thought to be generated by each plant. The HPP per plant in the experiment was 4.58 kg, whereas the estimated HPP at the study site was between 77 - 125 kg. This gave an HCCC rating between 15 and 25. As a result, D. unguis-cati serves as a safe haven for honeybees and a vital food supply for insects, which are crucial in ecology. This study only considered the honey production potential; any other impact on the local flora and fauna has not been considered.

Bioinformatic approach for the identification of plant species that accumulate palmitoleic acid

Vines and other climbing plants typically invest their resources into growth at the expense of accumulating self-supporting biomass. Adaptive traits that have arisen because of the life history needs of climbing species, such as rapid and extensive growth, as well as resilience to physical damage, make these plants highly competitive. Introduced climbing species therefore have the potential to be particularly damaging in novel ranges where they escape pressure from natural enemies. In South Africa, invasive climbing species negatively influence biodiversity and plant-community structure, and as conventional management is often difficult, biological control (biocontrol) is viewed as the only viable long-term control method. This paper consolidates the work done on biocontrol programmes against climbing species in South Africa, including Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis (Basellaceae), Cardiospermum grandiflorum Sw. (Sapindaceae), Dolichandra unguis-cati (L.) L.G.Lohmann (Bignoniaceae) and Pereskia aculeata Miller (Cactaceae). To date, these programmes have investigated some 27 potential biocontrol agents, of which nine have been approved for release in the country. Since 2010, three new agents have been introduced, and considerable progress made with post-release evaluations of all the introduced agents. Some positive results have been achieved, most notably the successful reduction in seed set of C. grandiflorum due to Cissanthonomus tuberculipennis Hustache (Curculionidae), but considerable variation in efficacy over time and between infestations has been recorded for many of the other agents. Further work may help explain the factors limiting success, leading to improved control, but in some cases, such as for A. cordifolia, new biocontrol agents should be considered.

Two Bignoniaceae stems with the distinctive anatomy of a liana are described from the Miocene of South America. They are the first fossil evidence of climbing habit in Bignoniaceae. The fossil lianas are siliceous permineralizations. Transverse, tangential, and radial thin sections of the woods were prepared for study using standard petrographic techniques and observed under both light and scanning electron microscopy. The stems consist of wood and presumably bark (peripheral tissues). They exhibit phloem wedges, a cambial variant associated with the climbing habit in Bignoniaceae. The wood is diffuse-porous; solitary and in radial multiples vessels; alternated intervessel pitting; ray-vessel pitting with distinct borders; simple perforation plates; rays 1-3 seriate, composed of procumbent cells or body ray cells procumbent with one or two-row of upright or square marginal cells; fibers septate and non-septate, with simple to minutely bordered pits; axial parenchyma scanty paratracheal, vasicentric, septate; perforated ray cells; prismatic crystals in rays, and rays and fibers irregularly storied. The fossil stems are related to extant Dolichandra unguis-cati (L.) Miers. The fossils represent a new taxon, Dolichandra pacei sp. nov., which confirms the presence of a neotropical Bignoniaceae liana from the Miocene and provides the first and oldest evidence of the climbing habit in the family. Paleobotanical studies in the Mariño Formation, with the record of Bignoniaceae and Verbenaceae, and phylogenetic and biogeographical studies have great importance to understand plant evolution and diversification in South American Andes.

The province of Misiones is characterized by its great plant diversity and the use of medicinal plants is common, 80% of its boundaries are international, it borders the Republic of Paraguay to the west and the Republic of Brazil to the north and to the east, in both is also traditional the use of medicinal plants. Where in most cases they are marketed without previous toxicity studies. Dolichandra unguis-cati (Bignoniaceae) a species commonly known as "cat's claw", used in folk medicine to treat multiple conditions. The objective of this work is to analyze the genotoxic effects of aqueous extracts obtained from infusions of leaves and stems of D. unguis-cati using the Allium cepa test. The concentrations studied inhibited the growth of the roots, decreased the mitotic index with respect to a control and did not produce relevant genotoxic effects.

Cat’s claw creeper vine, Dolichandra unguis-cati (L.) Lohmann (syn. Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) Gentry) (Bignoniaceae), is a major environmental weed in Australia. Two distinct forms of this weed (‘long’ and ‘short’ pod), with differences in leaf morphology and fruit size, occur in Australia. The long pod form has only been reported in less than fifteen localities in the whole of south-east Queensland, while the short pod form is widely distributed in Queensland and New South Wales. This study sought to compare growth traits such as specific leaf area, relative growth rate, stem length, shoot/root ratio, tuber biomass and branching architecture between these forms. These traits were monitored under glasshouse conditions over a period of 18 months. Short pod exhibited higher values of relative growth rates, stem length, number of tubers and specific leaf area than long pod, but only after 10 months of plant growth. Prior to this, long and short pod did not differ significantly. Higher values for these traits have been described as characteristics of successful colonizers. Results from this study could partly explain why the short pod form is more widely distributed in Australia while long pod is confined to a few localities.

Cat’s claw creeper vine, Dolichandra unguis-cati (L.) Lohmann (syn. Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) Gentry), is a major environmental weed in Australia. Two forms (“long” and “short” pod) of the weed occur in Australia. This investigation aimed to evaluate and compare germination behavior and occurrence of polyembryony (production of multiple seedlings from a single seed) in the two forms of the weed. Seeds were germinated in growth chambers set to 10/20°C, 15/25°C, 20/30°C, 30/45°C and 25°C, representing ambient temperature conditions of the region. Germination and polyembryony were monitored over a period of 12 weeks. For all the treatments in this study, seeds from the short pod form exhibited significantly higher germination rates and higher occurrence of polyembryony than those from the long pod form. Seeds from the long pod form did not germinate at the lowest temperature of 10/20°C; in contrast, those of the short pod form germinated under this condition, albeit at a lower rate. Results from this study could explain why the short pod form of D. unguis-cati is the more widely distributed form in Australia, while the long pod form is confined to a few localities. The results have implication in predicting future ranges of both forms of the invasive D. unguis-cati, as well as inform management decisions for control of the weed.

A new flavonoside, namely cirsimarin B (1), along with two known compounds cirsimarin (2) and acteoside (3), were isolated from the aerial parts of the invasive plant Macfadyena unguis-cati. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses (IR, FT-ICR-MS, 1D and 2D NMR) and by comparison with those reported. Compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity by the MTT method.

Characterization of soluble acyl-ACP desaturases from Camelina sativa, Macadamia tetraphylla and Dolichandra unguis-cati

Novel species of fungi described in the present study include the following from South Africa: Alanphillipsia aloeicola from Aloe sp., Arxiella dolichandrae from Dolichandra unguiscati, Ganoderma austroafricanum from Jacaranda mimosifolia, Phacidiella podocarpi and Phaeosphaeria podocarpi from Podocarpus latifolius, Phyllosticta mimusopisicola from Mimusops zeyheri and Sphaerulina pelargonii from Pelargonium sp. Furthermore, Barssia maroccana is described from Cedrus atlantica (Morocco), Codinaea pini from Pinus patula (Uganda), Crucellisporiopsis marquesiae from Marquesia acuminata (Zambia), Dinemasporium ipomoeae from Ipomoea pes-caprae (Vietnam), Diaporthe phragmitis from Phragmites australis (China), Marasmius vladimirii from leaf litter (India), Melanconium hedericola from Hedera helix (Spain), Pluteus albotomentosus and Pluteus extremiorientalis from a mixed forest (Russia), Rachicladosporium eucalypti from Eucalyptus globulus (Ethiopia), Sistotrema epiphyllum from dead leaves of Fagus sylvatica in a forest (The Netherlands), Stagonospora chrysopyla from Scirpus microcarpus (USA) and Trichomerium dioscoreae from Dioscorea sp. (Japan). Novel species from Australia include: Corynespora endiandrae from Endiandra introrsa, Gonatophragmium triuniae from Triunia youngiana, Penicillium coccotrypicola from Archontophoenix cunninghamiana and Phytophthora moyootj from soil. Novelties from Iran include Neocamarosporium chichastianum from soil and Seimatosporium pistaciae from Pistacia vera. Xenosonderhenia eucalypti and Zasmidium eucalyptigenum are newly described from Eucalyptus urophylla in Indonesia. Diaporthe acaciarum and Roussoella acacia are newly described from Acacia tortilis in Tanzania. New species from Italy include Comoclathris spartii from Spartium junceum and Phoma tamaricicola from Tamarix gallica. Novel genera include (Ascomycetes): Acremoniopsis from forest soil and Collarina from water sediments (Spain), Phellinocrescentia from a Phellinus sp. (French Guiana), Neobambusicola from Strelitzia nicolai (South Africa), Neocladophialophora from Quercus robur (Germany), Neophysalospora from Corymbia henryi (Mozambique) and Xenophaeosphaeria from Grewia sp. (Tanzania). Morphological and culture characteristics along with ITS DNA barcodes are provided for all taxa.

Este trabalho objetivou verificar a viabilidade da semeadura direta de lianas no sub-bosque de floresta plantada em restauração. Para isso, sementes das espécies Phanera sp., Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) A.H. Gentry and Peltastes peltatus (Vell.) Woodson, de lianas foram submetidas a testes de germinação com e sem luz, e com e sem alternância de temperatura. Posteriormente, essas espécies foram semeadas sob a copa de quatro espécies arbóreas em uma Floresta Estacional Semidecidual em restauração no Município de Iracemápolis, SP, Brasil. Em laboratório, apenas Macfadyena unguis-cati apresentou característica de fotoblastismo positivo. As outras espécies não tiveram germinação limitada pela ausência de luz e alternância de temperatura. No sub-bosque, Peltastes peltatus não emergiu; as outras duas espécies não tiveram a emergência alterada em função das espécies arbóreas do dossel sob as quais foram semeadas. Esses resultados sugerem que, apesar da baixa taxa de emergência, é possível o enriquecimento de florestas em processo de restauração a partir da semeadura direta de algumas espécies de lianas.

Development of cat’s claw creeper leaf-tying moth Hypocosmia pyrochroma (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) at different temperatures: Implications for establishment as a biological control agent in Australia and South Africa

The invasive liana cat’s claw creeper Dolichandra unguis-cati (L.) L.G. Lohmann (syn. Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) A.H. Gentry) exhibits intraspecific variation in leaf morphology, but this is rarely noted in the published literature. The present study documents variation in leaf morphology in two forms of the species that occur in Australia (long pod and short pod). Leaf morphology is compared between the two forms and the position of the shoots (trunk and ground) at the only two sites in which they co-occur. Leaves were categorised on the basis of leaflet number and the presence or absence of tendrils. Simple leaves were produced mainly on shoots growing along the ground and were more abundant in the short-pod form. Long-pod plants were dominated by bifoliate leaves with tendrils. Cat’s claw creeper exhibits considerably wider variation in leaf morphology than recorded previously. Variations in leaf morphology may be linked to differences in the genotype, developmental stage and plastic responses of the plants. Understanding these variations may have implications for taxonomic delimitation and improved management, particularly biological control involving leaf-feeding insects.

Cat's claw creeper, Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) Gentry (Bignoniaceae), introduced as an ornamental plant, has invaded several ecologically sensitive habitats in the higher rainfall regions of South Africa. Biological control was initiated with the release of the leaf-feeding tortoise beetle Charidotis auroguttata (Boheman) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in 1999. Although established at several field sites, population densities of the beetle have remained low with no assessment of impact to date. However, simulated herbivory studies in Australia revealed that severe and repeated defoliations could slow the weed's growth rate and its accumulation of biomass in the subterranean tubers. The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of medium (50 %) and high-intensity (100 %) defoliations by C. auroguttata, in relation to equivalent simulated damage, on the growth and biomass accumulation of M. unguis-cati. The trials were monitored for 16 weeks with repeated defoliations at two-week intervals. Despite considerable variation in the response variables, plants that were defoliated by C. auroguttata, but not those defoliated mechanically, displayed reduced growth rates. However, significant decreases in stem length and numbers of nodes were demonstrated only after high-intensity beetle defoliations. Despite reductions in tuber biomass in the beetle-defoliated treatments, the differences were not significant, while only high-intensity beetle defoliations caused a significantly lower accumulation of total plant biomass. Simulated herbivory was a poor predictor of insect damage in this study which suggested that C. auroguttata could prove damaging to M. unguis-cati, but only at high population densities. However, in field situations, synergism with a range of additional environmental stressors may increase the negative impact of feeding damage.

Introduced as an ornamental vine, cat’s claw creeper Dolichandra unguis-cati (syn. Macfadyena unguis-cati) has invaded coastal and subcoastal areas of subtropical eastern Australia. Two varieties have been indentified, one of which (‘short-pod’) is found throughout south-eastern Australia, while the other (‘long-pod’) appears to be restricted to several sites in south-eastern Queensland. We compared the growth and biomass allocation patterns of the two varieties in the field over a 22-month period to determine if a higher growth rate and/or more efficient allocation of biomass may contribute to this disparity in distribution. The long-pod variety produced greater aboveground and total biomass than the short-pod variety in both riparian and non-riparian zones. Belowground the two varieties produced a similar number of tubers and overall biomass, though the long-pod variety allocated a smaller portion of its carbon belowground. High growth rates and greater biomass allocation aboveground are characteristic of invasive species, allowing them to outcompete and crowd out existing vegetation. There was no significant site by variety interaction, an indication of consistency in variety performance across riparian and non-riparian sites. Results from our study suggest that differences in growth and biomass allocations are unlikely to have contributed to the disparity in distribution of the two varieties. Despite currently occupying a relatively small range, the long-pod variety may be a more adept invader than the short-pod variety, and could become more prevalent in the future.

Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends, a new full-length cDNAs of stearoyl-ACP desturases (SAD) (FaSAD) was obtained from white ash. Sequence analysis showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of FaSAD has high similarity to that of other reported SAD proteins. They are different from each other by some substitutions, insertions and/or deletions involving single amino acid residues or motifs. The analysis of semi-quantitative RTPCR showed that the expression of SAD gene had the highest level in stem and lowest level in leaves. The tertiary structure prediction indicated that FaSAD protein should be a compact globular protein. Based on evolution analysis, it was clear that the genes from the same family were approximately clustered into a group, but all genes from woody plants were not clustered into a separate group. In woody plants, it was indicated that all sequences clustered into two major groups and the FaSAD from white ash was closely related to the SAD gene from Macfadyena unguis-cati. Key words : White ash, low temperature; stearoyl-ACP desaturases (SAD), evolution analysis.

Ants are the dominant soil faunal group in many if not most terrestrial ecosystems, and play a key role in soil structure and function. This study documents the impacts of invasion by the exotic cat’s claw creeper vine, Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) Gentry (Bignoniaceae) on surface-situated (epigaeic) and subterranean (hypogaeic) ant communities in subtropical SE Queensland Australia where it is a major environmental weed of riparian areas, rainforest communities and remnant natural vegetation, smothering standing vegetation and causing canopy collapse. Soil ants were sampled in infested and uninfested areas at eight sites spanning both riparian and non-riparian habitats in subtropical SE Queensland. Patterns of ant species composition and functional grouping in response to patch invasion status, landscape type and habitat stratum were investigated using ANOVA and non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination. The epigaeic and subterranean strata supported markedly different ant assemblages, and ant communities also differed between riparian and non-riparian habitats. However, M. unguis-cati invasion had a surprisingly limited impact. There was a tendency for ant abundance and species richness to be lower in infested patches, and overall species composition was different between infested and uninfested patches, but these differences were relatively small, and did not occur consistently across sites. There were changes in functional group composition that conformed to known functional group responses to environmental change, but these were similarly limited and inconsistent across sites. Our study has shown that ant communities are surprisingly resilient to invasion by M. unguis-cati, and serves as a warning against making assumptions about invasion impacts based on visual appearances.

Introduction and establishment of Carvalhotingisvisenda (Hemiptera: Tingidae) as a biological control agent for cat’s claw creeper Macfadyena unguis-cati (Bignoniaceae) in Australia

The specialist tingid, Carvalhotingis visenda, is a biological control agent for cat's claw creeper, Macfadyena unguis-cati (Bignoniaceae). Cat's claw creeper is an invasive liana with a wide climatic tolerance, and for biological control to be effective the tingid must survive and develop over a range of temperatures. We evaluated the effect of constant temperatures (0-45 degrees C) on the survival and development of C. visenda. Adults showed tolerance for wider temperature ranges (0-45 degrees C), but oviposition, egg hatching and nymphal development were all affected by both high (>30 degrees C) and low (<20 degrees C) temperatures. Temperatures between 20 degrees C and 30 degrees C are the most favourable for adult survival, oviposition, egg hatching and nymphal development. The ability of adults and nymphs to survive for a few days at high (40 degrees C and 45 degrees C) and low (0 degrees C and 5 degrees C) temperatures suggest that extreme temperature events, which usually occur for short durations (hours) in cat's claw creeper infested regions in Queensland and New South Wales states are not likely to affect the tingid population. The potential number of generations (egg to adult) the tingid can complete in a year in Australia ranged from three to eight, with more generations in Queensland than in New South Wales.