Spiraea Thunbergii Research Articles

Analysis of the ecological state of urban green spaces in the Medeu district of Almaty

This article examines the environmental problems of the cities of Kazakhstan, using the example of the Almaty metropolis, where, with the development of the urbanization process, the natural environment in cities is changing very much, which is characterized by a specific ecological environment with a special type of circulation of substances and energy, not typical of natural communities. The importance of green spaces in urbanized areas is very difficult to overestimate. Green plants play a major role in protecting the population of large cities from dust, smoke and harmful gases. In the city of Almaty, more than 70 species of trees and shrubs were introduced into production recommended by the botanical garden. Of the trees, these are Phellodendron amurense, Faidherbia albida, Crataegus sanguinea, Crataegus maximowiczii, Crataegus submollis, Crataegus punctata, Crataegus chrysocarpa, Ulmus laevis, Ulmus glabra, Gleditsia triacanthos, Catalpa bignonioides, Aesculus hippocastanum, Acer ginnala, Acer platanoide s, Acer saccharum, Juniperus virginiana, Juglans mandshurica, Padus maackii, from shrubs - Amorpha fruticosa, Swida alba, Syringa josikaea, Spiraea vanhouttei, Spiraea thunbergii, Spiraea japonica and others. A detailed floristic analysis of the tree and shrub flora of the city of Almaty showed that green spaces are represented by 208 species belonging to 58 genera and 34 families. Among tree and shrub species, 54 species (20%) represent the natural flora of Kazakhstan (9 coniferous and 45 deciduous species) from 13 genera and 9 families, and 154 species (80%) are introduced species, i.e. plants grown in soil outside their natural distribution range.

INVENTORY OF THE SPECIES DIVERSITY OF THE GENUS SPIRAEA L. ON THE TERRITORY OF THE BOTANICAL GARDEN "PODILLYA" VNAU AND THE USE OF THE SPECIES INVESTIGATED IN CREATING GARDEN AND PARK COMPOSITIONS

The article examines the peculiarities of the use of species and decorative forms of the genus Spiraea in the plantations of the "Podillia" botanical garden of the Vinnytsia National Agrarian University. Namely: Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica L.), Bumalda's spirea (Spiraea bumalda L.), White spirea (Spiraea alba (Miq.) Zab.), Thunberg's spirea (Spiraea thunbergii Sieb. ex. Blume), Wangut's spirea (Spiraea vanhouttei (Briot) Zab.), medium spirea (Spiraea media L.), birch spirea (Spiraea betulifolia L.). It was established that the species of spirea growing on the territory of the botanical garden "Podillia" of the Vinnytsia National Agrarian University belong to the following sections: Calospira, Glomerati, Chamaedryon, Spiraria. The largest number of plants is the Calospira section, which includes plants of the species Spiraea japonica (Spiraea japonica L.) (12 pcs), Spiraea bumalda (Spiraea bumalda L.) (8 pcs) and White Spiraea (Spiraea alba (Miq.) Zab. ) (4 pcs). As a result of the research, it was established that species of the genus Spirea are highly decorative from the beginning of April to the beginning of November. Although spring-flowering species have a short flowering, but it is very abundant. White, Japanese, and Boumalda spireas have the longest flowering period. Also, studies have shown that, taking into account the decorative qualities of Spireia species, they can be successfully used in the design of landscape or regular style objects in such plant compositions: single or group plantings, mixed borders, curbs and hedges, when creating alleys, undergrowth and the edge of the forest, with greening of the slopes. Based on the results of the observations, landscaping projects were proposed, which demonstrate various ways of using plants of the genus Spirea in combination with other types of plants to create decorative compositions. According to the project decisions, species of the genus Tavolga can be combined with such plants as: Berberis thubergii, Heuchera sanguinea, Euonymus fortune, Coreopsis verticillta, Forsythia Intermedia , Cotoneaster divaricatus, Hydrangea paniculata, Juniperus communis and J. horizontalis.

The chloroplast genome of Spiraea thunbergii (Rosaceae)

Spiraea thunbergii (S. thunbergia) is a very common ornamental shrub in the garden, with important horticultural and economic value. In this study, we assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of S. thunbergia into a typical quadripartite structure. The genome size and GC content of the S. thunbergia cp genome are 155,922 bp and 36.76%, respectively. It contains 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The phylogenetic tree supported that S. thunbergii is closely related to Spiraea mongolica in the Rosaceae family. The study will provide significant genomic resource for elucidating the phylogenetic relationship of Spiraea.

Strong Allelopathic Activities of Leaves and Cultured Cells of <i>Spiraea thunbergii</i> Assayed by the Protoplast Co-Culture Method with Digital Image Analysis: Evaluation of <i>Cis</i>- and <i>Trans</i>-Cinnamic Acid as Allelochemicals

The inhibitory allelopathic activities of leaves and leaf-origin suspension cultured cells of Spiraea thunbergii, and putative allelochemicals, cis- and trans-cinnamic acid, were investigated by the protoplast co-culture method with digital image analysis (DIA-PP method) using lettuce as a recipient. The optimal conditions of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and benzyladenine (BA) for the cell division of S. thunbergii protoplasts were first examined using 50 μL liquid MS basal medium containing 3% sucrose, and 0.8 M mannitol in a 96-well culture plate. The hormonal condition for co-culture, 1 μM 2,4-D plus 0.1 μM BA, which was optimal for lettuce protoplast growth, was sub-optimal for S. thunbergii protoplasts. Effects of co-culture on the three stages of lettuce protoplast growth, i.e., cell wall formation, cell division, and yellow pigment accumulation, were examined. Protoplasts of leaf and suspension cells of S. thunbergii strongly inhibited lettuce protoplast growth at the cell division stage (100% inhibition at 80 - 100 × 103 mL-1), but not so much at the other two stages. Both cis- and trans-cinnamic acid, showed the strongest inhibition at the cell wall formation stage, and 100% inhibition at the cell division stage at 100 μM. These results were compared with those obtained in a lettuce seedling growth test, using different allelopathic plants, and their allelochemicals were studied by the DIA-PP method.

A study of neuroprotective and antioxidant activities of heteropolysaccharides from six Sargassum species

Heteropolysaccharides were extracted from Sargassum integerrimum (S.I), Sargassum maclurei (S.M), Sargassum naozhouense (S.N), Spiraea thunbergii (S.T), Sargassum hemiphyllum (S.H) and Sargassum fusiforme (S.F), and their neuroprotective effects and antioxidant activities were investigated. It showed that S.I, S.N, S.T and S.F exhibited neuroprotective activities, whereas S.H and S.M did not. For this reason, they were separated by anion-exchange chromatography. It was apparent that the fraction 2 represented the principal difference between the active and non-active compounds. However, it did not correlate with neuroprotective effect. In addition, the results on antioxidant activities showed that the hydroxyl-radical scavenging effect contribute to the neuroprotective effect of S.T and S.N, and the DPPH-radical scavenging effect and reducing power contribute to S.T, S.F and S.I. However, the superoxide-radical scavenging effect did not correlate with neuroprotective activity. The conclusion was that the neuroprotective activity of the family of compounds investigated depended on a variety of factors.

Quantitative Evaluation of Allelopathic Potentials in Soils: Total Activity Approach

The allelopathic potential of a plant has been evaluated on the basis of two indicators: specific activity, which is the specific concentration of the allelochemical to exert a half-maximum effect on a receiver plant (EC50), and total activity in a plant, which is the ratio of the concentration of an allelochemical in the producing plant to its EC50. In the present study, a new indicator, total activity in a soil, which takes into account the effects of a soil on the allelopathy activity, is proposed because allelopathic activity is affected by the presence of soils. The total activity in a soil was calculated by multiplying the “total activity in a plant” with a “soil factor.” In this calculation, we assumed simplified cases for comparison, such that the allelopathic plant materials are evenly incorporated in the soils and the allelochemicals are released from the plant materials to the soils at a constant rate. We conducted bioassay experiments in the presence and absence of soils and cited some published data to calculate the specific activities and total activities in a plant and in a soil. The results indicated that the allelopathies of buckwheat caused by (+)-catechin, Leucaena leucocephala by L-mimosine, Xanthium occidentale by trans-cinnamic acid, and Brassica parachinensis by cis-cinnamic acid were not significant in a volcanic ash soil, an alluvial soil, and a calcareous soil, but the allelopathy of sweet vernalgrass caused by coumarin and Spiraea thunbergii by cis-cinnamoyl glucosides was highly effective in those soils. The allelopathies of Juglans species caused by juglone plus juglone precursors and Mucuna pruriens by L-DOPA would depend highly on the soil types. Although some limitations exist for this approach, the total activity approach would allow for a better quantitative estimation of the allelopathic potential of plant materials in soils.

多摩川上流域の岩場におけるユキヤナギの生育地特性

In Japan, the ecology of the shrubs that grow in rocky stretches in dingle is poorly understood. One of the shrubs, Spiraea thunbergii (Rosaceae), which grows naturally in rocky stretches along rivers, is endangered regionally in Osaka and Hiroshima. To learn more about the shrubs growing along rocky stretches and to consider conservation strategies for this species, the habitat characteristics of S. thunbergii were investigated along a rocky stretch of the Tama River in the Sawai area (70 km from the river mouth, Ome City, Tokyo). Individual shrubs were measured and their habitat was surveyed, including their relative elevation from the water surface, distance from the river, microhabitat, and local moss cover. Many individuals grew in a mossy, rocky stretch of the river. Smaller individuals tended to grow on the moss. Approximately 70% of the shrubs grew between 0 and 2 m from the water surface. Therefore, it is very likely that mosses serve an important role in the growth of S. thunbergii, especially smaller plants.

多摩川上流域の岩場に生育するユキヤナギの種子発芽特性

Spiraea thunbergii, which grows naturally on rocky sites in river and mountainous areas, is regionally vulnerable in Japan. However, its conservation has not been studied in detail. This study determined safe sites for the germination of S. thunbergii by clarifying the effects of light, temperature, and water on its germination. The seeds used for the tests were collected in the upper reach of the Tama River. Germination was measured under different light exposures (brilliant, shade, leaf canopy shade, and dark), constant (10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 degree C) and alternating (5/15, 10/20, 15/25, 20/30 and 25/35 degree C) temperatures, and alternating wetting and drying on a regular schedule (wetting for 1 day, drying for 1 day (W1D1), W2D2, W4D2, W6D2, W2D4, W4D4, W6D4, W6D2, and always wet). The tests of light and temperature suggested that it is very likely that S. thunbergii does not have a light requirement, sensitivity to leaf canopy shade, or a requirement for fluctuating temperatures. The wetting and drying tests showed that S. thunbergii requires continuous wetting for 4 - 6 days to germinate. Consequently, to conserve S. thunbergii, it is important to conserve the existing populations and conserve microenvironments that allow continuous wetting for germination, such as mosses and sand deposited in the interspaces of rocks.

Plant Growth Inhibition By Cis-Cinnamoyl Glucosides and Cis-Cinnamic Acid

Spiraea thunbergii Sieb. contains 1-O-cis-cinnamoyl-beta-D-glucopyranose (CG) and 6-O-(4'-hydroxy-2'-methylene-butyroyl)-1-O-cis-cinnamoyl-beta-D-glucopyranose (BCG) as major plant growth inhibiting constituents. In the present study, we determined the inhibitory activity of CG and BCG on root elongation of germinated seedlings of lettuce (Lactuca sativa), pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus), red clover (Trifolium pratense), timothy (Phleum pratense), and bok choy (Brassica rapa var chinensis) in comparison with that of two well-known growth inhibitors, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and (+)-2-cis-4-trans-abscisic acid (cis-ABA), as well as two related chemicals of CG and BCG, cis-cinnamic acid (cis-CA) and trans-cinnamic acid (trans-CA). The EC50 values for CG and BCG on lettuce were roughly one-half to one-quarter of the value for cis-ABA. cis-Cinnamic acid, which is a component of CG and BCG, possessed almost the same inhibitory activity of CG and BCG, suggesting that the essential chemical structure responsible for the inhibitory activity of CG and BCG is cis-CA. The cis-stereochemistry of the methylene moiety is apparently needed for high inhibitory activity, as trans-CA had an EC50 value roughly 100 times that of CG, BCG, and cis-CA. Growth inhibition by CG, BCG, and cis-CA was influenced by the nature of the soil in the growing medium: alluvial soil preserved the bioactivity, whereas volcanic ash and calcareous soils inhibited bioactivity. These findings indicate a potential role of cis-CA and its glucosides as allelochemicals for use as plant growth regulators in agricultural fields.

Phytotoxic cis-cinnamoyl glucosides from Spiraea thunbergii

Spiraea thunbergii Sieb. was found to contain 1- O- cis-cinnamoyl-β- d-glucopyranose and 6- O-(4′-hydroxy-2′-methylene-butyroyl)-1- O- cis-cinnamoyl-β- d-glucopyranose as major plant growth inhibitory constituents along with related compounds of lower phytotoxicity including 6- O-( trans-cinnamoyl)-1- O-(4″-hydroxy-3″-methyl-furan-2″-one)-β- d-glucopyranose, 6- O-(4′-hydroxy-2′-methylene-butyroyl)-1- O- trans-cinnamoyl-β- d-glucopyranose, and 1- O- trans-cinnamoyl-β- d-glucopyranose. The former three compounds were cinnamoyl glucosides.

はい珠培養によるＳｐｉｒａｅａ ｔｈｕｎｂｅｒｇｉｉ Ｓｉｅｂ．とＳ．ｊａｐｏｎｉｃａ Ｌ．との雑種作出の効率化

ユキヤナギSpiraea thunbergii Sieb. ex BlumeとシモツケS. japonica L. fil.との雑種作出を効率的に行うため,胚珠培養のMS培地およびショ糖の濃度,胚珠の摘出時期について検討した.交雑胚珠が正常に発育し,植物体になる植物体形成率は多量無機塩類濃度が低いほど高く,ショ糖濃度3%区が最も高かった.アルビノ発生率は多量無機塩類濃度に影響されなかったが,糖濃度の影響が大きく,高濃度ほどその発生は多くなった.枯死率は多量無機塩類濃度が高いほど大きくなった.交雑後5日目から22日目までに胚珠を摘出し,直ちに培養すれば,正常に発育する個体が得られた.特に,交雑後14日から19日までの間,すなわち,胚珠の縦長が2.3 mmの子葉分化期から2.4mmの子葉肥大期の胚珠を培養すると正常に発育する割合が高くなった.ショ糖を3%添加し,多量無機塩類を1/4倍にしたMS培地に交雑後14日目から19日目までの胚珠を培養することで,前報で得られた獲得率(10%)を上回る25～31%の正常な交雑個体が得られ,正常な交雑個体獲得の効率化が可能となった.

はい珠培養によるＳｐｉｒａｅａ ｔｈｕｎｂｅｒｇｉｉ Ｓｉｅｂ．とＳｐｉｒａｅａ ｊａｐｏｎｉｃａ Ｌ．との種間雑種の作出

Reciprocal crosses between Spiraea thunbergii Sieb. ex Blume. and S. japonica L. fil. were carried out, to incorporate red color to S. thunbergii. In vitro germination rate of the stored pollen, germination of pollen grains on the stigma, growth of the pollen tubes, and the development of ovule were investigated, in addition ovule culture was tried to obtain interspecific hybrids. 1. Since the flowering time of both species differed, pollen grains of both species were stored dry at -30°C, 5°C, and 20°C. Only the pollen of both species stored at -30°C for 360 days remained viable for crossing. 2. Pollen grains of S. japonica, stored at -30°C, germinated well on the stigma of S. thunbergii. The pollen tubes elongated rapidly to the ovary as the developing ovules were observed 10 days after pollination. Stored pollens of S. thunbergii germinated well on the stigma of S. japonica, but whether the pollen tubes reached the ovary it was not confirmed. 3. In the interspecific crosses between S. thunbergii (♀) and S. japonica (♂), enlarged ovules excised 16 days after pollination were cultured in 1/2MS medium containing 30g·liter-1 sucrose and 8g·lite-1 agar. The resulting plantlets seem to be true hybrids between S. thunbergii and S. japonica., based on several morphological characteristics and the RAPD banding patterns which exhibited the same bands as the parents.

Precursor of α-Methylene-γ-butyrolactone Involved in the Insecticidal Activity of Thunberg Spiraea, Spiraea thunbergii.

6-Tuliposide A {6-O-(4-hydroxy-α-methylenebutyryl)-D-glucopyranose} was isolated from thunberg spiraea (Spiraea thunbergii) leaves. Acid-hydrolysis of this compound generated tulipalin A (α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone). This compound is thus considered as a precursor of insecticidal tulipalin A.

Insecticidal Component in Thunberg Spiraea, Spiraea thunbergii, against Thrips palmi.

α-Methylene-γ-butyrolactone (tulipalin A) was isolated and identified as an insecticidal component from thunberg spiraea, Spiraea thunbergii. This compound showed high insecticidal activity against Thrips palmi.

Selectivity in feeding behavior of planted trees by captive chimpanzees

The present study aimed to clarify the feeding behavior of captive chimpanzees on planted trees in their enriched environment. A group of nine chimpanzees was kept in an about 700 square-meters semi-natural compound with a climbing structure, planted trees, a stream, and so on. The outdoor compound was connected to the other two outdoor compounds and the indoor facilities of experimental rooms and sleeping places. As a project of planting trees for captive chimpanzees, we planted a total of 140 trees of 28 species in the compound. The trees were about 50cm to 3m tall and were fixed by bamboo sticks in the ground. The fixation successfully prevented the chimpanzees pulling out the trees. We checked in a regular interval the feeding behavior of chimpanzees to the planted trees. The chimpanzees showed high selectivity in feeding behavior. They almost ate up the trees like Quercus myrsinaefolia, Quercus serrata, Eriobotrya japonica, Elaeagnus umbellata, etc. They ate to some extent the trees like Rhododendron indicium, Weigela coraeensis, Osmanthus fragrans, etc. They never ate the trees like Aucuba japonica, Spiraea thunbergii, Camellia japonica, Camellia sasanqua, Hydrangea macrophylla, etc. In general, the chimpanzees never ate coniferous trees but ate some of the broad leaf trees. They preferred deciduous trees to evergreen trees. There were also grasses naturally grown in the compound. The chimpanzees spent about 40% of the feeding time to eat the grasses. They showed marked preference to the family of Gramineae but they did not eat the family of Compositae. The present study indicated an effort of the environmental enrichment by planting trees. This provided the rare opportunity for the chimpanzees to perform a variety of free feeding behavior essential for their lives in the natural habitat.

Overwintering of the Spirea Aphid, Aphis citricola VAN DER GOOT (Homoptera : Aphididae) on Citrus and Spirea Plants

Some differences in overwintering habits were noted between the populations of Aphis citricola on Spiraea thunbergii and on Citrus unshiu. A. citricola laid eggs at almost the same time on both plants. The aphid overwintered holocyclically and unholocyclically on spirea but only holocyclically on citrus. The time of egg hatching was different on the two plants, those on spirea hatching more than a month earlier than those on citrus. The sprouting of the host plant did not lead directly to the egg eclosion. The possibility was suggested that the two overwintering populations might differ from one another in their life cycles and that a biotypic differentiation might occur in this aphid. The appearance of emigrants on spirea was more than twenty days earlier than on citrus when the citrus grove invasion began. It was suggested that the spirea emigrants might not play a major role in the spring infestation in citrus groves but that the citrus overwintering population might be important in this infestation.

Effects of gibberellin on the growth and the flowering of several ornamental plants

This experiment was conducted for the purpose of studying the effects of gibberellin on growth and flowering of several ornamental plants. Gib-berellin was applied to the plants with spraying as aqueous solution and single or repeated applica-tions were made. Concentrations of sprayed solution were 20, 40 and 50ppm. Comparison was made between treat-ed plants and non-treated control plants. In many cases, potted plants were treated in glasshouse. 1. Flowering of cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum MILL.) was hastend and this influnce was more remarkable in 40ppm than in 20ppm. Further-more, flower size and length of flower stalk were significantly increased. 2. Flowering of freesia (Freesia refracta KLATT.) was also hastened, but this influence was likely to be limited only to the plants possessing flower buds of fairly advanced stage. No damage or injury caused by the application of gibberellin was found among pollen grains of treated flowers. 3. Plant height and shoot length of petunia (Petunia hybrida VILM.) were both remarkably in-creased. 4. The effect of flower hastening upon winter daphne (Daphne odora THUNB.) became manifest within a week after single application of gibbere-llin. 5. Flower size and length of flower stem of sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus L.) were increased, but the effect of flower hastening was indistinct. 6. Concerning the experiments with Japanese cherry (Prunus yedoensis MATSUM.) and thunberg spires (Spiraea Thunbergii SIEB.) from which flower budded twigs were pruned and dipped into glass bottles containing water or gibberellin solution, bud sprouting was remarkably hastened and length of flower stem was strikingly increased, but flowering was never hastened by the appli-cation (spraying only or both spraying and dipping) of gibberellin. 7. There were hardly any effects on flowering of potted Kurume azalea (Rhododendron obtusum PLANCH.) in glasshouse, or of Japanese apricot (Prunus Mume SIEB. et ZUCC.), peach (Prunus Persica SIEB. et ZUCC.) and Japanese cherry (Prunus yedoensis MATSUM.) which were planted in the field.

Studies on the flower bud differentiation and development in some ornamental trees and shrubs, IV

1. In Spiraea Thunbergii SIEB., the flower bud formation occurred in the lateral buds of current shoots. 2. The cluster differentiation stages of flower buds were observed on October 8, 1951 in Tokyo, and on October 5, 1953 in Kagawa. 3. On October 18, 1951, 10 days after the clus-ter differentiation occurred, the initial formation of pistiles was individually distinguished in Tokyo, and on October 12, 1953, 7 days after the cluster differentiation stage, the initial development of stamens was observed in Kagawa. And then the first flowers of each place began to bloom on Nov-enber 19, 1951 in Tokyo, and on November 2, 1953 in Kagawa. But they flowered little in that time, many of them flowered in middle of March in Kag-awa, and at the end of March in Tokyo. 4. In Spiraea cantoniensis LOUR., the flower bud formation occurred in the lateral buds of current shoots. 5. The cluster differentiation stages of flower buds were observed on October 17, 1950 and on September 28, 1951 in Tokyo. And the initial for-mation of sepales, the differentiation stage of indi-vidual flower buds, occurred on Novembr 14, 1950 and on November 9, 1951. 6. The flower bud development in Spiraea canfoniensis progressed very slowly compared with that in S. Thunbergii; the initial formation of petals, pistiles, and pollen and ovules occurred on February 2, March 28, and April 17, 1951, in Tokyo respe-ctively. The flowers commenced to bloom on May 7.