Tribe Cardueae Research Articles

Untangling the origin and diversification of the Carthamus–Carduncellus complex (Cardueae, Compositae) in the Mediterranean basin

AbstractUnderstanding the richness and diversification processes in the Mediterranean basin requires both knowledge of the current environmental complexity and paleogeographic and paleoclimate events and information from studies that introduce the temporal dimension. The Carthamus–Carduncellus complex (Cardueae, Compositae) constitutes a good case study to investigate the biogeographic history of this region because it evolved throughout the basin. We performed molecular dating, ancestral area estimation, and diversification analyses based on previous phylogenetic studies of a nearly complete taxon sampling of the complex. The main aims were to determine the role of tectonic and climatic events in the disjunction of the complex and the expansion route of the two main lineages, Carduncellus s.l. and Carthamus. Our results suggest that the main lineages in the complex originated during the Miocene. Later, all main paleogeographic and paleoclimatic events during the Neogene and Pleistocene in the Mediterranean basin had an important imprint on the evolutionary history of the complex. The Messinian Salinity Crisis facilitated the dispersion of the genus Carduncellus from North Africa to the Iberian Peninsula and the split of the genera Phonus and Femeniasia from the Carduncellus lineage. The onset of the Mediterranean climate in the Pliocene together with some orogenic processes could be the main causes of the diversification of the genus Carduncellus. In contrast, Pleistocene glaciations played a key role in the species diversification of Carthamus. In addition, we emphasize the problems derived from secondary dating and the existing differences between two previous dating analyses of the tribe Cardueae.

New Insight into Enzyme Inhibitory and Anti-proliferative Activity of Echinops ritro L. (Asteraceae)

Echinops ritro L. is a perennial herbaceous plant in the tribe Cardueae, Asteraceae family, widely distributed, up to 1000 m a.s.l. In the present study, the enzyme inhibitory and anti-proliferative activity of E. ritro leaves and flowering heads extracts were assayed. Quantitative determination of 22 analytes, including eleven acylquinic and one hydroxycinnamic acids, and ten flavonoids was performed by Ultra high-performance liquid chromatography – diode array detector (UHPLC-DAD) analyses. The major compound was 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, being presented at $$20.48\pm 0.22$$ µg/mg in the flowering heads, while the leaves demonstrated very high levels of chlorogenic acid ($$117.29\pm 14.20$$ µg/mg) and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid ($$12.79\pm 0.282$$ µg/mg). The flavonoids were dominated by isoquercitrin and rutin ($$3.13\pm 0.033$$ and $$3.25\pm 0.057$$ µg/mg, respectively) together with metoxylated aglycones nepetin, hispidulin and jaceosidin (up to 0.51 µg/mg). The leaves extract revealed prominent acetylcholinesterase ($$2.33\pm 0.09$$ mg GALAE/g) and α-glucosidase inhibitory potential ($$0.37\pm 0.01$$ mmol ACAE/g). Nevertheless, the flowering heads extract showed distinct butyrylcholinesterase ($$1.41\pm0.35$$ mg GALAE/g), tyrosinase ($$45.66\pm0.84$$ mg KAE/g), amylase ($$0.37\pm0.02$$ mmol ACAE/g), and lipase ($$9.06\pm1.43$$ mg OE/g) inhibitory activity. The anti-proliferative assay was completed towards THP-1 monocyte leukemic cells, where at a concentration $$>1000$$ µg/mL, a significant dose dependent reduction of cell viability was observed for the leaves extract. In conclusion, the data revealed a new insight into the taxon for its health benefit application.

Chloroplast Genomes and Phylogenetic Analysis of Three Carthamus (Asteraceae) Species.

The genus Carthamus Linnaeus, which belongs to the tribe Cardueae in the Asteraceae family, originated in the Mediterranean region and consists of approximately 20 species worldwide. Understanding the phylogeny of the Carthamus is crucial for the cultivation of C. tinctorius. Although chloroplast genomes are widely used for species identification and evolutionary studies, there have been limited investigations on the chloroplast genomes of Carthamus species. In this study, we assembled the chloroplast genomes of C. persicus, C. tinctorius × C. persicus, and C. lanatus and combined them with the five chloroplast genomes of C. tinctorius for comparative genomic analysis. The sizes of the chloroplast genomes of C. lanatus, C. persicus, and C. tinctorius × C. persicus were 152,602 bp, 153,177 bp, and 153,177 bp, respectively. Comparative analysis showed that the chloroplast genome structures of the four Carthamus species were highly conserved. Additionally, the phylogenomic analysis demonstrated that the plastid genome and angiosperms353 dataset significantly improved the phylogenetic support of Carthamus species. This analysis supported Carthamus as a monophyletic taxon and its internal division into the sect. Carthamus and sect. Atractylis. The Carthamus was closely related to Carduncellus, Femeniasia, Phonus, and Centaurea. In conclusion, this study not only expands our understanding of the cp genomes of Carthamus species but also provides support for more comprehensive phylogenetic studies of Carthamus.

Lophiolepis (=Cirsium Epitrachys seksiyonu) cinsine ait Türkiye’den yeni bir melez kaydı (Asteraceae, Carduinae)

Lophiolepis Cass., belonging to the tribe Cardueae of the family Asteraceae (subtribe Carduinae) is newly separated from the genus Cirsium Miller in the light of recent molecular studies. It has a high affinity to form interspecific and intersubspecific hybrids under certain circumstances. In the present study, one hybrid combination, Lophiolepis x trifurca (Petr.) Bureš, Del Guacchio, Iamonico &P. Caputo which was previously described as Cirsium x trifurcum Petrak by Petrak in 1914 is newly recorded for Turkish Flora. The hybrid specimens have intermediate characters with parental species; Lophiolepis kosmelii (Adams) Bureš, Del Guacchio, Iamonico & P. Caputo and L. caucasica (Adams) Bureš, Del Guacchio, Iamonico & P. Caputo. Plant samples including parental species were collected from Şavşat district of Artvin province in sympatric populations. These specimens were carefully examined and compared with the putative parents, and morphological character measurements of hybrid plants, as well as parental species were carried out. The samples’ natural habits were photographed, cauline leaf drawings were supplied using a stereomicroscope, leaf micromorphological characters were determined and anatomical characteristics were compared with parents, in detail. In conclusion, intermediate morphological characteristics between L. x trifurca and its parents were determined in terms of features such as cauline leaves, phyllaries, capitula and corolla. It has spines on adaxial sides, and uniseriate multicellular tomentose trichomes in abaxial ones. Cuticle has striate appearance near to the stomata/ trichome bases in the abaxial surface and scale/granules are shown in adaxial parts. This taxon has amphistomatic leaves and dorsiventral mesophyll as in the parental species.

Comparative anatomy and achene micromorphology assessment of two Cousinia Cass. (Asteraceae) species in view of taxonomy

Comparative anatomy and achene micromorphology assessment of two Cousinia Cass. (Asteraceae) 
 species in view of taxonomy
 Deniz ULUKUŞ 1, Osman TUGAY 2
 ORCID: 0000-0002-9627-5492; 0000-0003-3980-7648
 
 1 Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey
 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey 
 
 Abstract
 Cousinia is a member of the monophyletic tribe Cardueae, which is traditionally subdivided into four taxonomic groups; however, the rank and boundaries of these taxa are highly controversial. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the genus taxonomy by determining the comparative anatomical and achene micromorphological features of C. aintabensis Boiss. & Hausskn. and C. birecikensis Hub.-Mor. that are morphologically similar to each other. In anatomical studies, stem, leaf, and midrib features were determined. Paraffin embedding, microtome sectioning, and safranin-fast green staining were used for the samples. The obtained sections were photographed, and the leaf, stem, and midrib characters were measured. The importance of anatomical characters between species was determined by applying Independent sample T-test test to quantitative characters. In addition, box plot and heatmap analyses of the studied species were carried out. Our results showed that the stem epidermis, inner sclerenchyma and phloem layer; For leaves; lower and upper epidermis mesophyll thickness, palisade parenchyma; In midrib; number of vascular bundles, collenchyma, and phloem are important characters that can be used in the differentiation of species. SEM microscope was used for achene micromorphological examinations. C. aintabensis achene surface ornamentation is identified as striate-retipylate. It was observed that C. birecikensis had striate and irregular reticulate-faveolate surface ornamentation.
 
 Keywords: Asteraceae, Anatomy, Cousinia, micromorphology, Türkiye

Geographical and Ecological study of some Species of Tribe Cardueae in Middle and North of Iraq

The study of the environment and geographical distribution of several species of the Cardueae tribe in middle and northern Iraq was the focus of the current investigation. The study involved doing a field survey of a several Iraqi districts to determine new areas where the Cardueae tribe species might spread. As well as, the flowering period of the examined species was identified. The findings demonstrate the studied species' spread in north, north-east, and western regions. The more widespread and tolerant of varied environmental conditions was the species Silybum marianum L., and the least prevalent of the studied species was Carduus getulus Pomel., whereas the other species were relatively common in the study area. Maps of the geographic distribution of all species under study were also created.

Morphological and anatomical structure of cypselas of species of the genus Olgaea (Asteraceae: Cardueae)

This paper is a continuation of a series of our investigation of the morphological and anatomical structure of the cypselas of the family Asteraceae. The article presents the results of an investigation of the morphological and anatomical structure of the cypselas of 6 species of the genus Olgaea Iljin of the tribe Cardueae Cass. (O. baldschuanica (C. Winkl.) Iljin, O. leucophylla (Turcz.) Iljin, O. lomonossowii (Trautv.) Iljin, O. nidulans (Rupr.) Iljin, O. pectinata Iljin, O. tangutica Iljin) by light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The carpological examination of the cypselas revealed specific features of the species of the genus Olgaea: the shape of the cypsela, the sculpture of the surface of the pericarp, the absence (or presence) crowns and carpopodium, the ratio of the thickness of the pericarp and exotesta, the number of rows and the nature of thickening of the walls of mesocarp cells, the presence or absence of endocarp, the shape and size of exotesta cells, the coefficient of their palisade (the ratio of the length of the radial walls to the length of the tangent). Cypsela of Olgaea species have significant differences, which indicates the heterogeneity of the genus and the need for its revision. Based on the data obtained and the previously published results of the study (Novozhilova, Boyko, 2019), a comparative analysis of the morphological and anatomical features of the cypsela of representatives of the genera Olgaea and Alfredia Cass. was carried out, which revealed the main differences in the structure of the cypsela of these two genera. It was found that the cypsela Olgaea and Alfredia have different structures, and therefore it is inappropriate to combine them into one genus.

Pappus and fruit micromorphology and fruit anatomy in some members of the tribe Cardueae (Asteraceae) from Turkey with their contributions to systematics.

The present investigation aims to determine pappus and fruit characters of 21 taxa representing 12 different genera from Turkey. For this reason, present data of pappus and cypsela characters as well as previous results from 21 additional Cardueae taxa have been comparatively evaluated, and a total of 42 taxa were grouped by using cluster and MDS analysis methods. The cluster analysis resolved two main clusters, with five taxa having scale or coroniform pappus as the first-branching group. Considerable variations were observed in the surface sculpture, and the pericarp and testa anatomical structures as well as the pappus characteristics. On the basis of fruit surface sculpture, four major types and two subtypes of ornamentation patterns were discerned, and based on their anatomies three types of testa epidermal structure were recognized. Our results show that Centaurea s.l. taxa do not exhibit clear distinction from the genus level; in some cases the taxa are separated to some extent, in other cases they are combined with Cyanus and Psephellus taxa. Two Klasea species with sclerenchymatous mesocarp exhibit the closest relationship to Centaurea s.l. taxa. Rhaponticum repens displays the nearest neighborhood with Centaurea s.l. and Klasea taxa. A diagnostic key based on the examined characteristics has been given. The taxonomic importance and systematic implications of the results are discussed in the light of the current framework. The evaluated cypsela and pappus characters are useful not only in assessing relationships within this group but also in delimiting genera and species.

Complete Plastome of Carlina acaulis and Implications on Systematics of the Tribe Cardueae (Asteraceae)

Carlina acaulis (Asteraceae) is a herb native to central and southern Europe. We determined its complete plastome using genome skimming. The plastome is 153 206 bp long, with a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions (25 147 bp), one large single-copy region (84 343 bp), and one small single-copy region (18 569 bp). It contains 132 genes, including 88 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 36 transfer RNA genes, 19 of which are duplicated within the IRs. Phylogenetic analyses based on 25 plastomes of the tribe Cardueae indicate that C. acaulis is closely related to the genus Atractylodes. A subtribal classification proposed in 2019 is well supported, except that Synurus (subtribe Onopordinae) is nested within the subtribe Saussureinae, which might be due to misidentification. Our work contributes to the study of the evolutionary history of the tribe Cardueae and the genetic resources of C. acaulis.

Flavonoids from the Turkish endemic plant Rhaponticoides mykalea (Hub.-Mor.) M.V.Agab. & Greuter (Asteraceae)

The genus Rhaponticoides, recently segregated from the genus Centaurea, belongs to the family Asteraceae (tribe Cardueae). Rhaponticoides mykalea (Hub.-Mor.) M.V.Agab. & Greuter is an endemic species narrowly distributed in the Aegean part of Turkey. Owing to the existing anthropogenic impacts (such as urbanization and road construction) throughout its distribution range, the species has been the subject of several conservation studies. Phytochemical research on the aerial parts of R. mykalea led to the isolation of a new flavonoid, namely patuletin 7-O-(6″-E-sinapyl)-β-glucopyranoside, together with four known flavonoids from n-butanol extract. The structures of all isolated compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis (1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS), as well as by comparison with the relevant literature data. All of the compounds have been isolated from the genus Rhaponticoides for the first time.

The leaf-feeding beetle, Cassida rubiginosa, has no impact on Carduus pycnocephalus (slender winged thistle) regardless of physical constraints on plant growth

The leaf-feeding beetle, Cassida rubiginosa, is an oligophagous biocontrol agent capable of feeding on most species in the tribe Cardueae (thistles and knapweeds). The beetle was released in New Zealand in 2007, primarily to control Cirsium arvense (Californian thistle), with the recognition that it had potential to control multiple thistle weeds. The objective of this study was to test the impact of different densities of Cassida rubiginosa larvae (0, 50, 100, or 200 per plant) on the growth and reproductive performance of the annual thistle weed, Carduus pycnocephalus (slender winged thistle). Since the effectiveness of biocontrol agents is often enhanced when plants are stressed, different levels of growth constraint were imposed by growing the weed in different pot sizes (0.5, 1, 5, and 12 litres). We hypothesised that feeding damage by Cassida rubiginosa larvae would have a greater impact on the weed when grown in smaller pots, since root growth would be constrained, and the weed’s ability to compensate for feeding damage would be restricted. Contrary to our hypothesis, pot size had no effect on feeding damage by Cassida rubiginosa on Carduus pycnocephalus. As expected, most measures of plant performance increased with larger pot sizes, including plant height, biomass, and the number of seedheads per plant. The results of this study indicate that Cassida rubiginosa is unlikely to contribute to the control of Carduus pycnocephalus. Additional oligophagous biocontrol agents targeting the rosette stage and seed production should be considered for release in New Zealand.

A palynological study of genus Cousinia Cass. (Family Asteraceae), sections Cynaroideae Bunge and Platyacanthae Rech. f.

The genus Cousinia of the tribe Cardueae, Asteraceae, including more than 600 species, is one of the most species-rich genera in central and southwest Asia. The section Cynaroideae with 89 species is the largest section of the genus. The taxonomy of Cousinia is controversial. Using pollen morphology may be a useful tool in identifying and delimitating species. The present study therefore aims at identifying and describing species of Cousinia within the two sections Cynaroideae and Platyacanthae based on pollen features. Further, the study addresses relationships among the species based on palynological features as well as sectional and species delimitation based on pollen morphology. Pollen morphology of 28 species of Cousinia from both sections is studied for the first time using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In this article, we present statistical analyses and multivariate statistics for palynological data. The sections Cynaroideae and Platyacanthae cannot be delimited based on pollen data. However, several pollen features useful in the taxonomic distinction between species of Cousinia were identified, including shape, size of polar axis, ratio of polar axis to equatorial diameter (P/E), distance between verrucae, and exine sculpturing. The relationships among the studied Cousinia species based on palynological data presented here are, in general, incongruent with results obtained from broader morphological analyses. Some possible reasons for this incongruence are proposed.

Molecular and morphological phylogeny of thistle fruit flies Acanthiophilus Becker 1908 and Tephritomyia Hendel 1927 (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Acanthiophilus and Tephritomyia are medium-sized genera in the family Tephritidae. Both exclusively infest plants of the tribe Cardueae and share several morphological characters. Although both were recently revised based on morphological characters, the phylogenetic relationships between these genera and between them and allied genera in the ‘Tephritis group’ remain unclear because no comprehensive morphological or molecular phylogenetic study has been conducted on the group as a whole. Here, we examine whether the two genera form a monophyletic group as suggested by their morphology and life history attributes, and their position within the Tephritis group. We analysed data from two mitochondrial and one nuclear gene as well as 26 morphological characters using Bayesian inference, Maximum Likelihood, and cladistic methods, and conducted an ancestral state analysis to investigate the evolution of morphological traits in this group. Our results confirm the monophyly of Acanthiophilus and Tephritomyia but contrary to our original hypothesis, these genera do not together form a monophyletic group. Instead, they group with Trupanea, which is not restricted to Cardueae host plants. The ancestral state reconstruction suggests that wing pattern and oviscape length are homoplastic characters in the Trupanea clade and are unreliable characters for phylogenetic inference.

Plastome Evolution in Dolomiaea (Asteraceae, Cardueae) Using Phylogenomic and Comparative Analyses.

Dolomiaea is a medicinally important genus of Asteraceae endemic to alpine habitats of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and adjacent areas. Despite significant medicinal value, genomic resources of Dolomiaea are still lacking, impeding our understanding of its evolutionary history. Here, we sequenced and annotated plastomes of four Dolomiaea species. All analyzed plastomes share the gene content and structure of most Asteraceae plastomes, indicating the conservation of plastome evolutionary history of Dolomiaea. Eight highly divergent regions (rps16-trnQ, trnC-petN, trnE-rpoB, trnT-trnL-trnF, psbE-petL, ndhF-rpl32-trnL, rps15-ycf1, and ycf1), along with a total of 51–61 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified as valuable molecular markers for further species delimitation and population genetic studies. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the evolutionary position of Dolomiaea as a clade within the subtribe Saussureinae, while revealing the discordance between the molecular phylogeny and morphological treatment. Our analysis also revealed that the plastid genes, rpoC2 and ycf1, which are rarely used in Asteraceae phylogenetic inference, exhibit great phylogenetic informativeness and promise in further phylogenetic studies of tribe Cardueae. Analysis for signatures of selection identified four genes that contain sites undergoing positive selection (atpA, ndhF, rbcL, and ycf4). These genes may play important roles in the adaptation of Dolomiaea to alpine environments. Our study constitutes the first investigation on the sequence and structural variation, phylogenetic utility and positive selection of plastomes of Dolomiaea, which will facilitate further studies of its taxonomy, evolution and conservation.

Genetic and morphological diversity in Cousinia calocephala Jaub. & Spach (Asteraceae; section Cynaroideae bunge) populations

The genus Cousinia Cass. of the tribe Cardueae with about 700 species is one of the most diverse genera in Central and SW Asia following Senecio and Vernonia. The section Cynaroideae with 89 species is the largest section of the genus. Cousinia calocephala is the only endemic species of the section distributed in 14 provinces of Iran from Alborz to Zagros mountains. In present study 65 plant specimens of 13 geographical populations of C. calocephala were investigated based on the morphological and genetic (ISSR) data. ANOVA test revealed a significant morphological difference among the studied populations. Similarly, AMOVA test yielded a significant genetic difference between the studied populations, suggesting that the studied populations are morphologically and genetically differentiated. AMOVA test revealed that 94% of the total genetic difference was due to inter-populations genetic differences, while 6% was due to within-species genetic variability. The discriminating power of ISSR loci as determined by Gst against Nm analysis, revealed that almost all ISSR loci have an excellent discriminating power. Thus, ISSR markers are efficient in differentiating of the studied C. calocephala populations. The mantel test, revealed a significant positive correlation between genetic and morphological distance and geographical distance of the studied populations. Genetic analysis results revealed that along with genetic drift, low level of gene flow and migration, adaptive loci also helped populations diverge and adapt these populations to their local condition. Thus, we have three different groups which can be considered as three ecotypes for C. calocephala based on the morphological and genetic data.

Phylogeny, origin and dispersal of Saussurea (Asteraceae) based on chloroplast genome data

Saussurea is one of the largest genera of the tribe Cardueae of Asteraceae, comprising about 460 species from the Northern Hemisphere with most species distributed in QTPss and adjacent areas. Here, we established a well-supported phylogenetic framework for Saussurea based on whole chloroplast genomes of 136 taxa plus 16 additional taxa of Cardueae using Bayesian inference and Maximum Likelihood. Our phylogenetic results are inconsistent with previous subgeneric classifications of Saussurea. We nearly completely delimited subgen. Eriocoryne, and found that subgen. Theodorea, subgen. Saussurea section Laguranthera and Rosulascentes are closely related to each other. Based on our phylogenetic results, we performed biogeographic analyses and inferred that the genus Saussurea arose during early-middle Miocene within the Hengduan Mountains. We expect that landscape heterogeneity within the QTPss and adjacent areas, such as the Hengduan Mountains, played an important role in the evolution of Saussurea. Following its evolutionary origin, the genus underwent rapid diversification in situs and dispersed northwards in several migrational patterns. Both continuous uplift of the QTPss and adjacent areas as well as global cooling since mid-Miocene probably led to geographic expansion and diffusion of Saussurea, with the latter, in particular, resulting in the northward dispersal.

Nuclear and plastid DNA phylogeny of tribe Cardueae (Compositae) with Hyb-Seq data: A new subtribal classification and a temporal diversification framework

Classification of tribe Cardueae in natural subtribes has always been a challenge due to the lack of support of some critical branches in previous phylogenies based on traditional Sanger markers. With the aim to propose a new subtribal delimitation, we applied a Hyb-Seq approach to a set of 76 Cardueae species representing all subtribes and informal groups defined in the tribe, targeting 1061 nuclear conserved orthology loci (COS) designed for Compositae and obtaining chloroplast coding regions as by-product of off-target reads. For the extraction of the target nuclear data, we used two strategies, PHYLUCE and HybPiper, and 776 and 1055 COS loci were recovered with each of them, respectively. Additionally, 87 chloroplast genes were assembled and annotated. With three datasets, phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using both concatenation and coalescent approaches. Phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear datasets fully resolved virtually all nodes with very high support. Nuclear and plastid tree topologies are mostly congruent with a very limited number of incongruent nodes. Based on the well-solved phylogenies obtained, we propose a new taxonomic scheme of 12 monophyletic and morphologically consistent subtribes: Carlininae, Cardopatiinae, Echinopsinae, Dipterocominae (new), Xerantheminae (new), Berardiinae (new), Staehelininae (new), Onopordinae (new), Carduinae (redelimited), Arctiinae (new), Saussureinae (new), and Centaureinae. In addition, we further updated the temporal framework for origin and diversification of these subtribes. Our results highlight the power of Hyb-Seq over Sanger sequencing of a few DNA markers in solving phylogenetic relationships of traditionally difficult groups.

Micromorpho-anatomical fruit characteristics and pappus features of representative Cardueae (Asteraceae) taxa: Their systematic significance

The fruits surface sculpturing and anatomical characters of 21 taxa representing 12 genera of the tribe Cardueae Cass. were investigated in order to evaluate their feasibility as taxonomic markers to assess their systematic significance. Characteristics such as fruit size and shape, cell arrangement, the shape of the testa epidermis and structure of the exocarp cell, microsculpture, and the presence of carpopodium and phytomelanin were examined. In addition to crystal formations and secretory ducts, the type of mesocarp cells and testa epidermal structure were also evaluated. Cluster analysis and variance analysis were used to evaluate the diagnostic value of these features. Considerable variances were observed in surface sculpture, and pericarp and testa anatomical structures of cypselae. The surface sculptures exhibit seven microstructural patterns among the taxa. Carpopodium was detected as an asymmetrical structure in three species. Exocarp cells among wings/ ribs are extended in Arctium platylepis, Callicephalus nitens and Jurinea alpigena and longitudinally elongated changing to a mucilaginous structure in Picnomon acarna. The mesocarp is composed of sclerenchymatous, parenchymatous or both parenchymatous and sclerenchymatous cells. Based on the testa epidermal structure, four types of formation were determined – palisade-like cell, hexagonal cell, cuboidal cell and non-distinct cell. Endosperm was determined as one rectangular layer in all taxa, with the exception of Echinops orientalis, and massive embryo filled in the center of fruit. The fruit characters evaluated are distinct between the genera and are not only useful for assessing relationships, but also for delimiting species. Our results show that some Centaurea s.l. taxa are clearly separated, while others are combined with Cyanus depressus and Psephellus taxa as a single group and do not exhibit clear distinction. Picnomon acarna and Callicephalus nitens exhibit the closest relationship to Centaurea s.l. taxa among the Cardueae taxa.

Fatty acids of oil and antioxidant capacity of phenolics from fruits of 11 Cardueae (Carduoideae, Asteraceae) taxa from northeast Anatolia (Turkey)

Members of the tribe Cardueae have become a subject of major interest due to problems of their taxonomy and phylogeny, their possession of biologically active metabolites and their use in traditional medicine. The present study was conducted on 11 taxa of the tribe Cardueae collected from natural habitats in Turkey. In it we investigated the oil content of cypselae, fatty acid composition of the oil and the antioxidant capacity of phenolics from the cypselae. The results showed that the total oil content ranged from 1.45 to 9.28%. The main fatty acid was linoleic acid (C18:2n6; 44.36-70.49%), followed by oleic acid (C18:1n9; 11.41-23.71%), a situation which varied significantly among the taxa, as did the concentrations of different sums of fatty acids (PUFAs, 45.21-78.82%; SFAs, 6.53-14.06%; MUFAs, 12.21-41.40%). The total content of phenolic compounds (TPC; 428.17-752.14 mg/100 g of dry weight) and total flavonoid content (TF; 132.19-336.41 mg/100 g of dry weight) were in strong positive correlation with antioxidant capacity (range; micromol/g of dry weight) determined using DPPH (65.94-147.9), FRAP (32.32- 86.42), CUPRAC (41.04-92.91) and ORAC (22.11-51.24) assays. The data demonstrated that a higher content of phenolic compounds resulted in a higher antioxidant capacity, while a lower content resulted in a low antioxidant capacity. Relative proportions and quantities of fatty acids can be used as additional biochemical markers in taxonomy of the tribe. The present findings suggest that consumption of cypselae of those species that are rich in phenolic compounds and fatty acids may potentially be beneficial to human health by preventing chronic diseases caused by oxidative stress.

Discovery of a naturally occurring individual of Acanthiophilus helianthi (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Korea, a managed quarantine pest by the Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency

Abstract Acanthiophilus helianthi (Rossi) (safflower fly) is known to host a wide range of plant species belonging to the tribe Cardueae (Asteraceae). It is also known as a serious pest of safflower in the dry regions and marginal areas of the world where safflower is an important oilseed crop. Due to its possible introduction to Korean peninsula, it is listed as a managed quarantine pest by the Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency. We here report a natural occurrence of A. helianthi for the first time in Korea, based on a single female specimen collected from northern part of South Korea. Since the discovery of A. helianthi is of agricultural and quarantine importance in this part of world, we here provide its detailed morphological redescription, diagnosis, and color photographs including genitalic structures for accurate identification. We also provide a brief account of its biology and pest status summarized from previous literature. In order to make sure the correct identification of the newly discovered Korean specimen of A. helianthi as well as to investigate systematic position of the genus Acanthiophilus, we conducted a DNA barcoding analysis. Finally, we here suggest that A. helianthi should be removed from the Korean quarantine pest list, since its natural occurrence in Korea is confirmed by the present study.