Taxus Cuspidata Var Research Articles

Community of Endophytic Fungi from Alpine Conifers on Mt. Seorak

Endophytic fungi occupy various ecological niches, which reinforces their diversity. As few studies have investigated the endophytic fungi of alpine conifers, we focused on four species of alpine conifers in this study—Abies nephrolepis, Pinus pumila, Taxus cuspidata var. nana, and Thuja koraiensis—and examined them for endophytic fungi. A total of 108 endophytic fungi were isolated. There were four taxa in A. nephrolepis, 12 in P. pumila, 18 in T. cuspidata var. nana, and 17 in T. koraiensis; these were divided into five classes: Agaricomycetes (3.2%), Dothideomycetes (29.0%), Leotiomycetes (15.0%), Sordariomycetes (41.9%), and Orbiliomycetes (1.6%). The most prevalent fungi were Sydowia polyspora (22.7%) and Xylariaceae sp. (22.7%) in P. pumila, Phomopsis juglandina (16.1%) in T. cuspidata var. nana, and Thuja-endophytes sp. 1 (70.0%) in T. koraiensis. However, there was no dominant species growing in A. nephrolepis. Some host plants were analyzed using next-generation sequencing. We obtained 4618 reads for A. nephrolepis and 2268 reads for T. koraiensis. At the genus level, the top three endophytic fungi were Ophiostomataceae_uc (64.6%), Nectriaceae_uc (15.5%), and unclassified organism (18.0%) in A. nephrolepis and Nectriaceae_uc (41.9%), Ophiostomataceae_uc (41.8%), and Magnaporthaceae_uc (9.2%) in T. koraiensis. Our results show that there are different communities of endophytic fungi among different host plants, even if the host plants are in the same region. Such ecological niches are important in terms of the ecological restoration of alpine conifers.

Plant resources in seven Jeonju City reservoirs: Osongjae, Gisijae, Sunggokjae, Gujujae, Seounjae, Hwanghakjae and Hacksojae

The vascular plants of the seven reservoirs of Jeonju City were identified as consisting of 309 taxa; 87 families, 231 genera, 270 species, 35 varieties, and four forms. Eight taxa of endemic Korean plants were identified, including Taxus cuspidata var. caepitosa and Aster koraiensis. Ten taxa of rare and endangered species were identified, including T. cuspidata and Penthorum chinense. A total of 26 taxa of floristic special plants were recorded: class V species (5 taxa) included Magnolia kobus and Prunus yedoensis; class IV species (3 taxa) included Prunus davidiana and Campanula takesimana; class III species (5 taxa) included Acer palmatum and Alisma orientale. The hydrophytes of the seven reservoirs of Jeonju City were investigated and, of a total of 56 taxa, 46 taxa of emerged plants, two taxa of submerged plants, five taxa of floating-leaved plants, and three taxa of floating plants were identified. Thirty-two taxa of naturalized plants were identified. Among these, Sicyos angulatus, Lactuca scariola, Paspalum distichum var. indutum and P. distichum were identified, which are all wild plants that may disturb the ecosystem. The study suggests that these areas require management for the physical removal of these wild plants.

울릉도 회솔나무(Taxus cuspidata var. latifolia)의 분류학적 위치

The purpose of this study is to review the taxonomic position of Taxus cuspidata var. latifolia endemic to Ulleung Island with related taxa T. cuspidata var. cuspidata, T. caespitosa, and T. cuspidata var. nana based on external morphological characters and DNA barcoding study. T. cuspidata var. latifolia was similar to T. cuspidata var. cuspidata in the arbor, straight trunk, and symmetric arrangement of leaf. But the unique differences between T. cuspidata var. latifolia and T. cuspidata var. cuspidata were leaf size and the exposure of seed from aril. Additionally, sequences of four chloroplast DNA regions including matK, rbcL, trnL intron and trnL-trnF spacer regions were analyzed. Korean Taxus species and their related taxon T. cuspidata var. nana were strongly supported as a monophyletic group in neighbor-joining analysis. Taxus cuspidata var. latifolia showed 100% sequence identity to related taxa. Korean endemic T. caespitosa is also distinguishable from related taxa by prostrate stems and spiral arrangement of leaf. The examinations of external morphology and DNA barcoding study suggest that the taxonomic position of T. cuspidata var. latifolia should be maintained as a variety of T. cuspidata.

Distribution of Vascular Plants in the Ulleung Forest Trail Area (Namyang to Taehayeong)

The result of the study on the flora of the Ulleung-do forest trail's Namyang - Taeharyeong segment showed a total of 199 taxa, including 68 families, 150 genera, 169 species, 26 varieties, 2 Formas and 2 subspecies. 1 species of Trillium tschonoskii Maxim. was observed as a Ministry of Environment-designated endangered species, and the species was observed continuously along the dense hiking trails and valley areas between Namyang and Taeharyeong. It is predicted that damage caused by collecting or stomping by individuals near the hiking region will occur. In terms of the IUCN standard, among species found in the Ulleung-do forest trail region, CR species included 1 species of Calanthe discolor for. sieboldii [Decne.] Ohwi, EN species included 5 species of Cirsium nipponicum [Maxim.] Makino, Lathracea japonica Miquel, Neocheiropteris ensata (Thunb.) Ching, Arisaema takesimense Nakai and Gymnadenia camtschatica (Cham.) Miyabe et Kudo, VU species included 7 species of Adiantum pedatum, Polypodium vulgare L., Taxus cuspidata var. latifolia Nakai, Trillium tschonoskii Maxim., Lilium hamsonii Leichtl., Hepatica maxima Nakai and Phytolacca insularis Nakai, LC species included 7 species of Asplenium scolopendrium L., Tsuga sieboldii Carriere, Maianthemum dilatatum (Wood) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbr., Fagus engleriana Seemen ex Diels, Celtis choseniana Nakai, Tiarella polyphylla D. Don and Campanula takesimana Nakai, and DD species included 2 species of Rumex longifolius DC and Lamium takesimense Nakai. The study observed a total of 20 Korean endemic species, including Athyrium acutipinulum Kodama, Arisaema takesimense Nakai, Fagus engleriana Seemen ex Diels, Silene takesimensis Uyeki et Sakata, Lamium takesimense Nakai and Veronica insularis Nakai. Fagus engleriana Seemen ex Diels especially was found distributed evenly across the study area, and Campanula takesimana Nakai, Rubus takesimensis Nakai and the Hepatica maxima Nakai were observed in small colonies, although the distribution was uneven. Ecologically significant plant species include 15 taxa of Class I, 4 taxa of Class II, 15 taxa of Class III, 27 taxa of Class IV and 2 taxa of Class V, for a total of 63 taxa. Gymnadenia camtschatica (Cham.) Miyabe et Kudo, Hepatica maxima Nakai and Silene takesimensis Uyeki et Sakata are especially exposed to becoming damaged by hikers as a result of their beautiful flowers. Naturalized plant species included the Rumex crispus L., Trifolium repens L., Oenothera biennis L., Veronica arvensis L., Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers., Ambrosia artemisifolia L. and the Sonchus oleraceus L., for a total of 4 families, 7 genera, 7 species and 7 taxa, and it has been assessed that the region included 11% of the entire naturalized plants of the Ulleung-do region. Furthermore, a method of managing and protecting Ambrosia artemisifolia L., which is a Ministry of Environment-designated invasive alien species, must be prepared.

Analysis of the Transition of Landscape Plants on an Apartment Complexes since 1990’s

This study was carried out to survey and analyze the transition of landscape plants on an apartment complexes in the 1990's and 2000's. The results are summarized as follows; The ratio of landscape area was increased from 30.0% to 34.7%. The number of trees per 100 square meter decreased from 22.5 to 15.7. The number of shrub per 10 square meter increased from 19.3 to 38.7. Species of Evergreen tree were increased 21 to 39. The species that a lot of use continuously were Pinus densiflora, Pinus strobus and Taxus cuspidata. The species that increase use were Abies holophylla and Pinus densiflora for. multicaulis. The species that decrease use exceedingly, were Pinus parviflora, Juniperus chinensis, Pinus koraiensis and Thuja orientalis. The species that do not use were Cedrus deodara. Species of deciduous tree were increased 42 to 68. The species that a lot of use continuously were Zelkova serrata, Acer palmatum, Diospyros kaki, Prunus armeniaca and Prunus yedoensis. The species that increase use were Lagerstroemia indica, Chionanthus retusa, Cornus officinalis, Styrax japonica, Sorbus alnifolia, Prunus mume, Cercidiphyllum japonicum, Acer triflorum, Prunus sargentii, Chaenomeles sinensis and Cornus kousa. The species that decrease use exceedingly, were Acer buergerianum, Sophora japonica, Malus spp., Ginkgo biloba, Zizyphus jujuba var. inermis, Platanus orientalis and Albizzia julibrissin. The species that do not use were Liriodendron tulipifera, Acer saccharinum, Ailanthus altissima and Paulownia coreana. Species of shrub were incresed 39 to 65. The species that a lot of use continuously were Buxus koreana, Rhododendron schlippenbachii for. albiflorum, Rhododendron schlippenbachii, Syringa dilatata and Euonymus japonica. The species that increase use were Rhododendron indicum, Ilex serrata, Spiraea prunifolia var. simpliciflora, Taxus cuspidata var. nana, Kerria japonica, Rhododendron yedoense var. poukhanense, Euonymus alatus, Sorbaria sorbifolia var. stellipila, Nandina domestica, Cornus alba, Hydrangea serrata for. acuminata, Prunus tomentosa, Deutzia parviflora and Pyracantha angustifolia. The species that decrease use exceedingly, were Hibiscus syriacus, Rosa multiflora var. platyphylla, Chaenomeles lagenaria and Rosa spp. The species that do not use were Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii, Jasminum nudiflorum and Sasa borealis.

Effect of Elicitors and a Biogenetic Precursor on Paclitaxel Production in Cell Suspension Cultures of Taxus cuspidata Var. nana

To stimulate the production of taxol (paclitaxel) by cell suspension cultures of Taxus cuspidata var. nana, two kinds of elicitors and a biogenetic precursor were used in F4G4 culture medium. Paclitaxel production was enhanced by each elicitor as well as by the biogenetic precursor and by a combination of the two elicitors or one elicitor and the biogenetic precursor. The amount ofpaclitaxel produced (16.6 mg L(-1)) was greatest when the cell suspension cultures were conducted in F4G4 medium containing chito-heptaose (8 mg L(-1)) and jasmonic acid (21 mg L(-1)). The productivity was enhanced 4.1 fold compared to the control. The amount of paclitaxel produced was increased by supplying air to the cultures, though the productivity depended on the amount of air supplied. However, no enhancement of production was observed when a combination of air and chito-heptaose was provided to the cell suspension cultures.

울릉도 성인봉지역의 산림식생유형과 생장특성

Forest vegetation types and growth characteristics of Seongin-bong at Ulleung Island in Korea were studied by using importance values, distributions of diameter classes, and annual growth analysis. Vegetation types were classified into 7 groups. The number of existing woody plant and herbaceous plant species varied from 17 to 21 species per . In case of life-forms importance values, woody and herbs showed average values of 47% and 53% across 5 groups. But in Tsuga sieboldii-Pinus parviflora and Fague engleriana- Taxus cuspidata var. latifolia groups, woody importance values were 68% and 54%, respectively. Diameter classes in most stand types were regularly distributed and showed continuous growth in annual diameter growth. from these results, this site is expected to maintain a stable vegetation structure continuously. F. engleriana, which forms major species in this site, showed 0.46-0.62 cm in annual average diameter growth. The annual average diameter growth of broad-leaved tree species was 0.2-0.6 cm, while the growth rate of T. sieboldii and P. parviflora was 0.38 cm and that of T. cuspidata var, latifolia was below 0.1 cm.

Genomic diversity within Taxus cuspidata var. nana revealed by random amplified polymorphic DNA markers

Taxus cuspidata var. nana is a cultivated variety of Taxus cuspidata and contains taxol, a valuable secondary metabolite of medical importance, both in their stems and leaves. In this paper, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to assess the genomic diversity of individual plants within T. cuspidata population. Seventy-four randomly selected plants were analyzed by 29 selected primers among which 25 primers produced polymorphic banding patterns. The coefficient of similarity among the plants ranged from 0.30 to 1.00 with a mean of 0.605. Our results showed that a surprisingly high level of genomic diversity existed within T. cuspidata, and RAPD markers were effective in revealing the diversity. Cluster analysis divided the plants into two groups. This data, when taken together with earlier findings showing variation in taxol content within a natural population of T. cuspidata, suggests a tantalizing possibility for selecting genomically homogeneous T. cuspidata plant lines with elevated and stable taxol content.

Isolation of phenylisoserine methyl ester from the leaves of Taxus cuspidata var. nana

From methanolic extracts of leaves of kyaraboku, Taxus cuspidata var. nana, phenylisoserine methyl ester (3) was isolated along with taxinine (1), taxol (2), sciadopitysin (4), ginkgetin (5), isorhamnetin (6), and quercetin (7). This is the first time that phenylisoserine methyl ester has been isolated from T. cuspidata var. nana. Compound 3 was also isolated from the ethanolic extracts of leaves of T. cuspidata var. nana. Furthermore, compound 3 was identified in methanolic extracts from the bark of this tree.

Antifungal activities of compounds isolated from the leaves of Taxus cuspidata var. nana against plant pathogenic fungi

Antifungal activities of seven compounds, taxinine (1), paclitaxel (2), phenylisoserine methyl ester (3), sciadopitysin (4), ginkgetin (5), isorhamnetin (6), and quercetin (7), isolated from the leaves of kyaraboku, Taxus cuspidata var. nana, against five plant pathogenic fungi, Gibberella fujikuroi, Cladosporium cucumeninum, Fusarium oxysporum, Colletotrichum fragariae, and Corynespora cassiicola, were investigated for utilization of extractives from trees of the genus Taxus. Also, the amounts of compounds 2 and 3 on the leaf surface was measured in relation to the antifungal activities of compounds. Taxinine (1) showed antifungal activity against G. fujikuroi, C. cucumeninum, F. oxysporum, and C. cassiicola. The minimum inhibitory concentration of taxinine for the four fungi was 0.4 μmol. In addition, from the results of antifungal tests, it may be concluded that paclitaxel on the leaves and stem of T. cuspidata var. nana does not play an important role as an antifungicide in the resistance of trees to plant pathogenic fungal attack.

3D QSAR analysis of taxoids from Taxus cuspidata var. nana by comparative molecular field approach

Abstract A series of taxoids, isolated from the stems of Taxus cuspidata var. nana , showing a cell growth inhibitory activity, were investigated for their 3D QSAR by using the comparative molecular field (CoMFA) analysis. The results indicated a strong correlation between the P388 cell growth inhibitory activity of these taxoids and the steric and electrostatic factors which modulate their biological activity, and accounted for the potent activities of the taxoids with the N-acylphenylisoserine derivatives at C-13 and the weak activities of those without this kind of ester group. It was also suggested that the substituent at C-2 is not a requisite for the biological activity: smaller substituent seemed to favor the biological activity.

造園樹木の冬季挿木に関する研究

The exeriments were carried out to clarify the effects of the cuttings of garden trees and shrubs in winter. The six evergreen trees and shrubs (Taxus cuspidata var. nana, Juniperus chinensis var. Kaizuka, Raphiolepsis umbellata var. minor, Ilex crenata var. convexa, Camellia japonica var. hortensis, and Rhododendron omurasaki), were used as materials.In winter, their cuttings were placed in a coldframe (control), and in hotbeds in open air (hotbed plot) and inside a plastic house (plastic house plot). The variation of weight of the cuttings, the numbers of the cuttings which took root, and their growth, were investigated. On the other hand, they were compared with summer cuttings.The winter cuttings of these plants were successful, when they were placed in a hotbed inside a plastic house, except Suniperus chinensis var. Kaizuka. This way of winter cutting is enough practical.

キャラボクからポナステロンAの単離

From the leaves of Taxus cuspidata var. nana has been isolated the insect moulting substance, ponasterone A.

Studies on the cutting of ornamental tress and shrubs. (I)

The experiments were carried out to search the most suitable season for cutting in ornamental trees and shrubs. Cutting was made inevery month throughout the year, with the plants of 50 kinds. 1. With conifers, spring is believed to be suitable season for cutting and generally cutting of conifers is not made in the other season. In our experiments, it has been found that conifers have rather longer season for cutting and the following plants showed good results in cutting made in fall: Kyaraboku (Taxus cuspidata var. umbraculifera), Yew podocarpus (Podocarpus macrophylla), Common cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica), Tatsu-nami-hiba (Chamaecyparis obtusa var. breviramea), Sawara (Chamaecyparis pisifera). Especially Kai-zuka-ibuki (Juniperus chinensis) showed good results in September cutting. 2. With evergreen broad-leaved trees and shrubs, cutting is made in general in summer, and it can be made in spring as well as in fall with plants of a few kinds. So far as our experiments concerned, the following plants showed better results in fall cutting: Sweet bay tree (Laurus nobilis), Narrowleaf firethorn (Pyracantha angustifolia), Common camellia (Camellia japonica var. hortensis), Sasanqua tea (Camellia sasanqua). 3. In deciduous trees, it is believed that cutting is made chiefly in spring with few exception. In our experiments, it 'was showed that cutting is possible in August with cherry tree (Prunus yedoensis) notwithstanding that it has been believ-ed to be impossible. These results may give a hint of the possibility of cutting in the many other plants which have been thought unsuccessful in cutting, by means of cutting before the stems become ripe or hard. 4. In these experiments, many evergreen trees showed better results in cutting made earlier than the time believed suitable in spring and showed good results in fall cuting. The reason why these experiments showed good results in the season other than the season believed suitable may be due to the following fact: the district where our Experiment Station is located, is warmer and more humid in winter than the central part of Japan. And these relationships are to be studied in the future.