Buddleja Species Research Articles

Comparing traditional and automated conservation assessments for Himalayan species of Buddleja

Abstract To compare the benefits and drawbacks of traditional and automated conservation assessments, we used a field-based study and automated conservation assessments using GeoCAT, red and ConR to assess four species of Buddleja (Scrophulariaceae), a cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants. Buddleja colvilei, Buddleja sessilifolia, Buddleja delavayi and Buddleja yunnanensis are endemic to the Himalayan region. They have not yet been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species but are facing elevated risks of extinction because of various anthropogenic and environmental pressures. Buddleja sessilifolia and B. delavayi are listed as Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations in Yunnan, China, where they are known to be threatened. Although automated assessments evaluated B. delavayi and B. yunnanensis as Endangered and B. sessilifolia and B. colvilei as Vulnerable, our field studies indicated a different categorization for three of the species: B. delavayi and B. yunnanensis as Critically Endangered and B. sessilifolia as Endangered. Our findings indicate that the accuracy and reliability of assessment methods can differ and that field surveys remain important for conservation assessments. We recommend an integrated approach addressing these limitations, to safeguard the future of other species endemic to the Himalayan region.

Evaluation of the Bioaccumulation Capacity of Buddleja Species in Soils Contaminated with Total Chromium in Tannery Effluents in Arequipa (Peru)

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the Buddleja species bioaccumulation capacity for the phytoremediation of soils contaminated with chromium produced by tannery effluents. The soils evaluated were collected from the Añashuayco stream, located in Arequipa region. The soil samples were collected from four different locations, in order to determine the presence of total chromium through the Environmental Protection Agency analytical technique, method 3050B acid digestion of sediment, sludge and soil. Three soil samples were analyzed for each collected location. Additionally, two non-contaminated soil samples (control group) were also analyzed. A Buddleja species seedling was placed in each sample to be monitored monthly for up to 90 days. Then, the plant tissue analysis was carried out by the analytical method of atomic absorption spectrophotometry in order to determine the amount of bioaccumulated total chromium. As a result, the Buddleja species bioaccumulated 30.45%, 24.19%, 34.55% and 40.72% of total chromium per each soil sample location in a period of 90 days. Therefore, the Buddleja species can be considered as an alternative to remediate soils contaminated with total chromium that comes from tannery effluents.

Deciphering complex reticulate evolution of Asian Buddleja (Scrophulariaceae): insights into the taxonomy and speciation of polyploid taxa in the Sino-Himalayan region.

Species of the genus Buddleja in Asia are mainly distributed in the Sino-Himalayan region and form a challenging taxonomic group, with extensive hybridization and polyploidization. A phylogenetic approach to unravelling the history of reticulation in this lineage will deepen our understanding of the speciation in biodiversity hotspots. For this study, we obtained 80 accessions representing all the species in the Asian Buddleja clade, and the ploidy level of each taxon was determined by flow cytometry analyses. Whole plastid genomes, nuclear ribosomal DNA, single nucleotide polymorphisms and a large number of low-copy nuclear genes assembled from genome skimming data were used to investigate the reticulate evolutionary history of Asian Buddleja. Complex cytonuclear conflicts were detected through a comparison of plastid and species trees. Gene tree incongruence was also analysed to detect any reticulate events in the history of this lineage. Six hybridization events were detected, which are able to explain the cytonuclear conflict in Asian Buddleja. Furthermore, PhyloNet analysis combining species ploidy data indicated several allopolyploid speciation events. A strongly supported species tree inferred from a large number of low-copy nuclear genes not only corrected some earlier misinterpretations, but also indicated that there are many Asian Buddleja species that have been lumped mistakenly. Divergent time estimation shows two periods of rapid diversification (8-10 and 0-3 Mya) in the Asian Buddleja clade, which might coincide with the final uplift of the Hengduan Mountains and Quaternary climate fluctuations, respectively. This study presents a well-supported phylogenetic backbone for the Asian Buddleja species, elucidates their complex and reticulate evolutionary history and suggests that tectonic activity, climate fluctuations, polyploidization and hybridization together promoted the diversification of this lineage.

Wood and bark structure in Buddleja: anatomical background of stem morphology.

Bark (all tissues outside of the vascular cambium) has been extensively studied in recent years, especially its anatomy and physiology. Macromorphological bark characters can be important taxonomically for many plant groups, including the genus Buddleja (Scrophulariaceae). However, the relationship between macroscopic bark appearance and its microscopic structure remains obscure, hampering the use and interpretation of bark traits in plant taxonomy and phylogenetics as well as in other fields of botany. We studied micro- and macrostructure of bark in the species of Buddleja representing wide taxonomic and geographic diversity to identify general relationships between bark anatomy and morphology. We also examined Buddleja xylem and discussed the importance of anatomical traits for understanding the relationships between clades in this genus. The smooth bark surface in sect. Gomphostigma and the outgroup (Freylinia spp.) relates to the small number of periderms of superficial origin and limited sclerification. This allows for the retention of visible lenticels. In the rest of Buddleja, bark sloughs off and division of labour is present: collapsed phloem undergoes sclerification and acts as a protective layer, while thin-walled phellem forms the separation layers. A similar pattern is found in some groups (e.g. Lonicera), but in others (e.g. Vitis and the species of Eucalyptus with stringy bark), the pattern is inversed. Wood and bark anatomy supports a sister relationship between the southern African section Gomphostigma and the rest of Buddleja but is taxonomically uninformative among remaining clades. Limited development of periderms and sclerification allows for the retention of a smooth bark surface and conspicuous lenticels. Sloughing off of bark requires division of labour into a lignified protective layer and a thin-walled separation layer. These two functions are never served by a single tissue but are rather divided between phloem and periderm. How more subtle features (e.g. size and shape of fissures) are determined requires further study. Simultaneously, bark anatomy could be a useful source of data to complement molecular phylogenetic studies in a total evidence approach for systematics.

Characterization of the Complete Chloroplast Genome of Buddleja lindleyana.

Buddleja lindleyana Fort., which belongs to the Loganiaceae with a distribution throughout the tropics, is widely used as an ornamental plant in China. There are several morphologically similar species in the genus Buddleja, but the lack of comprehensive molecular and phylogenetic studies makes it difficult to distinguish related species, which hinders further studies of this genus. Using molecular biology techniques to sequence and analyze the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of B. lindleyana. After sequencing of the genomic DNA using next-generation sequencing, a series of bioinformatics software were used to assemble and analyze the molecular structure of the cp genome of B. lindleyana. The complete cp genome of B. lindleyana is a circular 154487-bp-long molecule with a GC (Guanine and Cytosine) content of 38.1%. It has a quadripartite structure, including a LSC region (85489 base pair (bp)), a small single-copy region (17898bp), and a pair of inverted repeat regions (25550 bp). A total of 133 genes were identified in this genome, including 86 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA (transfer Ribonucleic Acid) genes, eight rRNA (ribosomal Ribonucleic Acid) genes, and two pseudogenes. These results suggest that the B. lindelyana cp genome could be used as a potential genomic resource to resolve the phylogenetic positions and relationships of Loganiaceae, and will offer valuable information for future research in the identification of Buddleja species and will conduce to genomic investigations into these species. This paper study the B. lindelyana cp genome and it's structural characteristics, and analyze the phylogeny of Loganiaceae.

Linarin, a Glycosylated Flavonoid, with Potential Therapeutic Attributes: A Comprehensive Review.

Many flavonoids, as eminent phenolic compounds, have been commercialized and consumed as dietary supplements due to their incredible human health benefits. In the present study, a bioactive flavone glycoside linarin (LN) was designated to comprehensively overview its phytochemical and biological properties. LN has been characterized abundantly in the Cirsium, Micromeria, and Buddleja species belonging to Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, and Scrophulariaceae families, respectively. Biological assessments exhibited promising activities of LN, particularly, the remedial effects on central nervous system (CNS) disorders, whereas the remarkable sleep enhancing and sedative effects as well as AChE (acetylcholinesterase) inhibitory activity were highlighted. Of note, LN has indicated promising anti osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, thus a bone formation effect. Further biological and pharmacological assessments of LN and its optimized semi-synthetic derivatives, specifically its therapeutic characteristics on osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, might lead to uncovering potential drug candidates.

Acclimatization of photosynthetic apparatus and antioxidant metabolism to excess soil cadmium in Buddleja spp.

Heavy metal (HM) pollutants can cause serious phytotoxicity or oxidative stress in plants. Buddleja L., commonly known as “butterfly bushes”, are frequently found growing on HM-contaminated land. However, to date, few studies have focused on the physiological and biochemical responses of Buddleja species to HM stress. In this study, potted seedlings of B. asiatica Lour. and B. macrostachya Wall. ex Benth. were subjected to various cadmium (Cd) concentrations (0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg kg−1) for 90 days. Both studied Buddleja species showed restricted Cd translocation capacity. Exposure to Cd, non-significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed, including quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII), effective quantum yield of PSII, photochemical quenching and non-photochemical quenching in both species between all studied Cd concentrations. Moreover, levels of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly declined (p < 0.05) with low malondialdehyde concentrations. In B. asiatica, high superoxide dismutase and significantly enhanced (p < 0.05) peroxidase (POD) activity contributed greatly to the detoxification of excess ROS, while markedly enhanced POD activity was observed in B. macrostachya. Additionally, B. macrostachya showed higher membership function values than did B. asiatica. These results suggested that both Buddleja species exhibited high Cd resistance and acclimatization.

Wood and bark of Buddleja: uniseriate phellem, and systematic and ecological patterns

Abstract Wood anatomy of Buddleja is well-explored but not in many southern African members, which form a grade of species and small clades that form successive sister groups to the rest of the genus, and its bark structure has not been studied at all. We provide new descriptions of wood anatomy for twelve species, including nearly all Buddleja from southern Africa and two species of Freylinia in the sister group of Buddleja. We also describe bark structure from fifteen species. To assess if wood anatomy provides phylogenetic and/or ecological signal, we compiled data on wood traits and climatic variables from the distributions of 53 species. Wood traits counteracting cavitation correlated with higher temperature and precipitation seasonality; simultaneously they were better expressed in species with smaller maximal plant height. It is likely that hotter and drier areas harbour smaller plants which have traits conveying higher conductance safety. Bark structure varies considerably. In bark of Buddleja section Gomphostigma, periderm is initiated in the outer cortex and develops thin-walled phellem, and sclerification of their phloem does not occur. This resembles bark in Freylinia, supporting the position of section Gomphostigma as sister to the rest of Buddleja. In the remaining Buddleja species, bark is characterised by formation of periderm with phelloid cells in the secondary phloem. The phellem is often uniseriate, a condition not reported elsewhere. Its formation occurs close in time to solid sclerification of the cut-off phloem, suggesting a possible novel ontogenetic mechanism.

Pollen morphology of some species of Buddleja L. (Buddlejaceae) from North–east India and its taxonomic significance

Pollen morphology of some species of Buddleja L. (Buddlejaceae) from North–east India and its taxonomic significance

Characterization of the Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Buddleja colvilei and B. sessilifolia: Implications for the Taxonomy of Buddleja L.

Buddleja colvilei Hook.f. & Thomson (Scrophulariaceae) is a threatened alpine plant with a distribution throughout the Himalayas, also used as an ornamental plant. The name Buddleja sessilifolia B.S. Sun ex S.Y. Pao was assigned in 1983 to a plant distributed throughout the Gaoligong Mountains, but the name was later placed in synonymy with B. colvilei in the Flora of China. In this study we sequenced the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of two individuals of B. colvilei and three individuals of B. sessilifolia from across the range. Both molecular and morphological analysis support the revision of B. sessilifolia. The phylogenetic analysis constructed with the whole cp genomes, the large single-copy regions (LSC), small single-copy regions (SSC), inverted repeat (IR) and the nuclear genes 18S/ITS1/5.8S/ITS2/28S all supported B. sessilifolia as a distinct species. Additionally, coalescence-based species delimitation methods (bGMYC, bPTP) using the whole chloroplast datasets also supported B. sessilifolia as a distinct species. The results suggest that the B. sessilifolia lineage was early diverging among the Asian Buddleja species. Overall gene contents were similar and gene arrangements were found to be highly conserved in the two species, however, fixed differences were found between the two species. A total of 474 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified between the two species. The Principal Coordinate Analysis of the morphological characters resolved two groups and supported B. sessilifolia as a distinct species. Discrimination of B. colvilei and B. sessilifolia using morphological characters and the redescription of B. sessilifolia are detailed here.

Expression and Interaction Analysis among Saffron ALDHs and Crocetin Dialdehyde.

In saffron, the cleavage of zeaxanthin by means of CCD2 generates crocetin dialdehyde, which is then converted by an unknown aldehyde dehydrogenase to crocetin. A proteome from saffron stigma was released recently and, based on the expression pattern and correlation analyses, five aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) were suggested as possible candidates to generate crocetin from crocetin dialdehydes. We selected four of the suggested ALDHs and analyzed their expression in different tissues, determined their activity over crocetin dialdehyde, and performed structure modeling and docking calculation to find their specificity. All the ALDHs were able to convert crocetin dialdehyde to crocetin, but two of them were stigma tissue-specific. Structure modeling and docking analyses revealed that, in all cases, there was a high coverage of residues in the models. All of them showed a very close conformation, indicated by the low root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) values of backbone atoms, which indicate a high similarity among them. However, low affinity between the enzymes and the crocetin dialdehyde were observed. Phylogenetic analysis and binding affinities calculations, including some ALDHs from Gardenia jasmonoides, Crocus sieberi, and Buddleja species that accumulate crocetin and Bixa orellana synthetizing the apocarotenoid bixin selected on their expression pattern matching with the accumulation of either crocins or bixin, pointed out that family 2 C4 members might be involved in the conversion of crocetin dialdehyde to crocetin with high specificity.

ASSESSMENT OF THE GENUS DECORATIVE BUDDLEJA L. IN THE TERMS OF RIGHT-BANK FOREST-STEPPE OF UKRAINE

The range of woody plants plays a significant role within shrubs. They value above all as they easily draw the area that immediately makes necessary volume. In addition, the widespread use of shrubs in landscaping will reduce the number of tree seedlings, their growing is quite time consuming and worthwhile. Very important is the fact that shrubs compared to trees are more resistant to adverse environmental factors and better acclimatized after transplantation. There are about 125 species of Buddleja L. of well-flowering shrubs which are common in tropical, subtropical and temperate latitudes parts of Asia, Africa, North and South America. This type is very attractive for decorative gardening due to late and long flowering (June to October). The attractiveness of plants during flowering period supplementes sustainable honey aroma. Therefore it is of great importance in determining the decorative qualities of the genus Buddleja L. in the conditions of Right-Bank Forest-Steppe Ukraine. Decorative rating studied species and varieties of the genus Buddleja L. Is conducted by the method of O. Kalinichenko. We have studied objects of praised decoration. During the growing season 2014 species and varieties of the genus Buddleja L. received average annual estimate – 3.5 2015 – 4.2016 – 3.7. The results suggest that ornamental plants as clear, they are well allocated on the general background of space. During flowering period of the objects (VI-IX) score highest decoration – 5 points, that is as decorative plants provide great attractiveness, causing the observer strong emotional feeling of admiration. Visual assessment decorative species of Buddleja L. conducted by the method О. V. Horoshih and O. G. Horoshih. According to the results of the studied species and varieties of the genus Buddleja praised architectonics (B. davidii and its sorts – 8 points, B. аlternifolia – 9 points) and decorative (B. davidii and its sorts – 29 points, B. аlternifolia – 30 points). For a comprehensive assessment of all studied plants are highly decorative. Species of Buddleja L. is quite promising in ornamental horticulture. Thus, the genus Buddleja L. is quite promising for use in ornamental horticulture and gardening, so the study species and varieties of this kind are important for enriching and improving the range of flowers and ornamental plants.

Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet activities of Buddleja crispa.

BackgroundBuddleja crispa Benth (Buddlejaceae) is a dense shrub; several species of genus Buddleja have been used in the management of various health conditions including pain and inflammation. The present study was aimed to investigate the analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet properties of B. crispa.MethodsMale rats (220–270 gm,) and mice (25–30 gm) were randomly divided into different groups (n = 6). Various doses of plant extract of B. crispa, its fractions and pure compounds isolated from the plant were administered intraperitoneally (i.p). The analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet activities were assessed using acetic acid and formalin-induced nociception in mice, carrageenan-induced rat paw edema and arachidonic acid-induced platelets aggregation tests.ResultsThe intraperitoneal administration of the methanolic extract (50 and 100 mg/kg), hexane fraction (10 and 25 mg/kg i.p) exhibited significant inhibition (P < 0.01) of the acetic acid-induced writhing in mice and attenuated formalin-induced reaction time of animals in second phase of the test. Pure compounds BdI-2, BdI-H3 and BH-3 isolated from B. crispa produced significant (P < 0.01) analgesic activity in acetic acid-induced and formalin tests. The crude extract of B. crispa (50–200 mg/kg i.p.) and its hexane fraction inhibited carrageenan-induced rat paw edema with maximum inhibition of 65 and 71 % respectively (P < 0.01). The analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of the plant extract and isolated pure compounds were comparable to diclofenac sodium. B. crispa plant extract (0.5–2.5 mg/mL) produced significant anti-platelet effect (P < 0.01) with maximum inhibition of 78 % at 2.5 mg/ml.ConclusionThe findings from our present study suggest that B. crispa possesses analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet properties. B. crispa could serve a potential novel source of compounds effective in pain and inflammatory conditions.

Natural hybridization and asymmetric introgression at the distribution margin of two Buddleja species with a large overlap.

BackgroundNatural hybridization in plants is universal and plays an important role in evolution. Based on morphology it has been presumed that hybridization occurred in the genus Buddleja, though genetic studies confirming this assumption have not been conducted to date. The two species B. crispa and B. officinalis overlap in their distributions over a wide range in South-West China, and we aimed to provide genetic evidence for ongoing hybridization in this study.ResultsWe investigated the occurrence of hybrids between the two species at the southern-most edge of the distribution of B. crispa using five nuclear loci and pollination experiments. The genetic data suggest substantial differentiation between the two species as species-specific alleles are separated by at least 7–28 mutations. The natural hybrids found were nearly all F1s (21 of 23), but backcrosses were detected, and some individuals, morphologically indistinguishable from the parental species, showed introgression. Pollen viability test shows that the percentage of viable pollen grains was 50 ± 4 % for B. crispa, and 81 ± 2 % for B. officinalis. This difference is highly significant (t = 7.382, p < 0.0001). Hand cross-pollination experiments showed that B. crispa is not successful as pollen-parent, but B. officinalis is able to pollinate B. crispa to produce viable hybrid seed. Inter-specific seed-set is low (8 seeds per fruit, as opposed to about 65 for intra-specific pollinations), suggesting post-zygotic reproductive barriers. In addition, one of the reference populations also suggests a history of introgression at other localities.ConclusionsThe occurrence of morphologically intermediate individuals between B. crispa and B. officinalis at Xishan Mountain is unequivocally linked to hybridization and almost all examined individuals of the putative hybrids were likely F1s. Despite pollination experiments indicating higher chances for introgression into B. officinalis (hybrids only produced viable seed when crossed with B. officinalis), observed introgression was asymmetrical into B. crispa. This could be due to seeds produced by hybrids not contributing to seedlings, or other factors favoring the establishment of backcrosses towards B. crispa. However, further research will be needed to confirm these observations, as the small number of plants used for the pollination experiments could have introduced an artifact, for example if used individuals were more or less compatible than the species average, and also the small number of loci used could convey a picture of introgression that is not representative for the whole genome.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12870-015-0539-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Floral scent composition predicts bee pollination system in five butterfly bush (Buddleja, Scrophulariaceae) species

Traditionally, plant-pollinator interactions have been interpreted as pollination syndrome. However, the validity of pollination syndrome has been widely doubted in modern studies of pollination ecology. The pollination ecology of five Asian Buddleja species, B.asiatica, B.crispa, B.forrestii, B.macrostachya and B.myriantha, in the Sino-Himalayan region in Asia, flowering in different local seasons, with scented inflorescences were investigated during 2011 and 2012. These five species exhibited diverse floral traits, with narrow and long corolla tubes and concealed nectar. According to their floral morphology, larger bees and Lepidoptera were expected to be the major pollinators. However, field observations showed that only larger bees (honeybee/bumblebee) were the primary pollinators, ranging from 77.95% to 97.90% of total visits. In this study, floral scents of each species were also analysed using coupled gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Although the five Buddleja species emitted differentiated floral scent compositions, our results showed that floral scents of the five species are dominated by substances that can serve as attractive signals to bees, including species-specific scent compounds and principal compounds with larger relative amounts. This suggests that floral scent compositions are closely associated with the principal pollinator assemblages in these five species. Therefore, we conclude that floral scent compositions rather than floral morphology traits should be used to interpret plant-pollinator interactions in these Asian Buddleja species.

Antimicrobial and cytotoxic potentials of &lt;i&gt;Buddleja polystachya&lt;/i&gt; extracts

Most of the species of Buddleja have found applications in folk medicine. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial and cytotoxic potentials of B. polystachya extracts. Four extracts were prepared A-D (dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and aqueous extracts, respectively). The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the broth micro-dilution assay for minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). The crystal violet staining method (CVS) was used for the evaluation of the cytotoxic activity on HepG-2, MCF-7 and HCT-116 human cell lines. Results showed that the highest antimicrobial activity was given by the ethyl acetate extract followed by the dichloromethane extract, while the n-butanol revealed moderate activity against gram positive bacteria only with no activity against the rest of tested microorganisms. The aqueous extract was totally ineffective against all tested microorganisms at 20 mg/ml. Among the four extracts tested, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts showed the highest cytotoxic activity on all three human cell lines.

Floral scents of typical Buddleja species with different pollination syndromes

Floral scents from Buddleja lindleyana, Buddleja loricata, Buddleja cordata and Buddleja tubiflora were evaluated using the dynamic headspace adsorption method and identified with coupled gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. In total, 13 compounds were identified from the flowers of B. cordata, 19 from B. lindleyana and 29 from B. loricata, representing 95.5%, 93.1% and 96.2% of the total floral scents in the three species, respectively. No floral scents were recorded from B. tubiflora. Main volatile compounds in B. cordata were trans-beta-ocimene (53.4%), lilac alcohol (9.6%) and lilac aldehyde (5.6%). Main volatile compounds in B. lindleyana were beta-caryophyllene (17.6%), alpha-farnesene (16.0%) and 3-octanone (9.8%). Main volatile compounds in B. loricata were 4-oxoisophorone (27.1%), alpha-farnesene (17.9%) and linalool (10.6%). The study suggested that the floral scents may have evolved in conjunction with the sensory capabilities of different visitors as a specific group of pollinators in representative Buddleja species. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Verbascoside is not genotoxic in the ST and HB crosses of the Drosophila wing spot test, and its constituent, caffeic acid, decreases the spontaneous mutation rate in the ST cross

Verbascoside (VB) is a phenylpropanoid isolated from Buddleja species, some of which originate in Mexico, and was first described in the sixteenth century in the codices of Mexican traditional medicine. VB is present in alcohol extracts and is widely used in the north of Mexico as a sunscreen. VB absorbs UV-A and UV-B radiation and has high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities. VB and its constituent caffeic acid (CA) were screened to determine their genotoxic activity using the Drosophila wing spot test. Third instar larvae (72±4h) of the standard (ST) and high bioactivation (HB) crosses, with regulated and high levels of cytochrome P450s (Cyp450s), respectively, were exposed to VB or CA (0, 27, 57, 81, 135, and 173mM). VB was not genotoxic at any of the concentrations tested in both crosses. The amount of VB residue as determined by HPLC in the adult flies that were fed with VB indicated a low metabolism of this compound, which explains the absence of genotoxicity. CA decreased the spontaneous frequencies of small and total spots and showed putative toxicity in the ST cross.

Leaf epidermal characteristics of Asiatic Buddleja L. under scanning electron microscope: Insights into chromosomal and taxonomic significance

The leaf epidermis of all 23 species from Asian Buddleja was investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Characteristics of trichome type, stomatal shape, cuticular membrane on adaxial and abaxial epidermis, inner margin of outer stomatal ledge and ornamentation of outer stomatal ledge are presented in this study. Among the Buddleja species, some distinct epidermal patterns were observed. These can be used to characterize and identify different sections among the Asian Buddleja species, viz. Alternifoliae, Curviflorae and Rectiflorae. In general, stomatal length of Buddleja increases with ploidy level. This character can be used to distinguish diploids from polyploids without preparation of caryograms. Based on this correlation Buddleja microstachya, B. subcapitata and B. bhutanica are characterized to be diploids, as concluded from their stomatal dimensions. Leaf epidermis characters can also be used to differentiate species pairs that are easily confused with each other, viz., B. asiatica and B. bhutanica, B. albiflora and B. nivea, B. candida and B. fallowiana, B. delavayi and B. forrestii, B. japonica and B. lindleyana, B. officinalis and B. paniculata.

Evaluation of Pb Phytoremediation Potential in Buddleja asiatica and B. paniculata

The phytoremediation potential for Pb of Buddleja asiatica (a wild species) and a closely related cultivated species, B. paniculata, was investigated by means of field survey, hydroponic and pot experiments, and field trial experiments. Field surveys showed that B. asiatica had an extraordinary accumulation capacity and tolerance for Pb. Plants grown in soil with 2,369.8–206,152 mg kg−1 total Pb accumulated 1,835.5–4,335.8 mg kg−1 Pb in their shoots. Under hydroponic conditions (10, 20 mg l−1 Pb), both B. asiatica and B. paniculata showed unusually high concentrations of Pb in their roots (12,133–21,667 mg kg−1) and increased biomass production. A pot experiment in a greenhouse without any soil amendments was conducted on three different soils with various Pb contents (10,652, 31,304, 89,083 mg kg−1) for 3 months. The results showed that both species of Buddleja had an increase in the biomass similar to the control plants. There was a slight decrease in survival rates of plants grown in soil with 89,083 mg kg−1 Pb content. A field trial experiment was conducted for 6 months at three sites around the Pb mine area in which plants were provided with Osmocote fertilizer. Both Buddleja species showed 100% survival, increased biomass production and phytoextraction capacity (TF 1.1–2.3) when grown in soil with Pb content of 94,584–101,405 mg kg−1. Plants accumulated 2,273–3,675 mg kg−1 Pb in their shoots. The results suggest these Buddleja plants are suitable for use in the phytoremediation of Pb-contaminated soil.