Tubular Flowers Research Articles

Ceratostema gualaquizensis (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), a new species from Ecuador known from previously misidentified specimens and new insights on Ceratostema loucianae

A species of Ceratostema new to science from southern Ecuador, is described and illustrated as part of ongoing research on biodiversity in the Cordillera Real de Los Andes. Ceratostema gualaquizensis is distinguished by the convex leaves with folded margins at the base, and the axillary, solitary, and tubular flowers with a slightly 5-ribbed corolla that is magenta with apically black lobes. Furthermore, we provide additional information on the newly described Ceratostema loucianae. The taxonomic similarities of these two species are discussed and information about their distribution, habitat, and conservation status are provided. Both species are being sold and cultivated with erroneous/fictitious names by nurseries and private collections, information of which is provided in this paper.

Floral morphology is associated with pollen deposition patterns on moth bodies

AbstractFloral syndromes can be a useful tool for predicting the identity of pollinators from floral morphology. However, the reliability of floral syndromes are still debated in the literature, and can often result in effective pollinators being overlooked. Pollination by moths has historically been associated with a floral syndrome comprising white tubular flowers that are heavily scented at night, but there have been few experimental tests of this association. To test whether moths preferentially land on flowers that are white and tubular, we allowed two moth species (Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnaggel, 1766) and Ichneutica mutans (Walker, 1857)) to choose freely between three plant species (Vaccinium corymbosum, Ericaceae, Pittosporum tenuifolium, Pittosporaceae, and two forms of Leptospermum scoparium, Myrtaceae) which represent four different floral morphologies. Anthers on the flowers were marked with fluorescent powder dye (pollen‐tracker), with the presence of pollen‐tracker on moth bodies after the experiment indicating floral visitation. We detected no floral preferences for any of the plant species by either moth species, suggesting moths will visit flowers that lack features associated with the syndrome even when in the presence of white, tubular flowers which might be predicted to be more attractive to moths. We also examined moth bodies to determine where pollen‐tracker was carried most often and if this varied among the floral types. Our results indicate that some moth body parts may be more important than others for pollen transfer, depending on the morphology of the flowers visited. After visiting tubular flowers (Vaccinium and Pittosporum), pollen‐tracker was most often located on the proboscis, but after visiting open‐access flowers (Leptospermum) pollen‐tracker was most often located on the legs. Future studies looking at the presence of pollen on moth bodies should consider this and ensure the entire moth body is examined for the presence of pollen.

Aspidistra tenuistyla and A. luteo-rubra (Asparagaceae, Convallarioideae), a new tubuliflorous species from northern Vietnam

This study establishes two new species, Aspidistra tenuistyla and A. luteo-rubra (Asparagaceae, Convallarioideae). The first one, Aspidistra tenuistyla, is described here as a new species for science. It was discovered in the lowland limestone area of Ba Be National Park (Bac Kan Province). A detailed illustrated description of this species, along with data on its distribution, ecology, and phenology, is provided. According to the criteria of the IUCN Red List, the conservation status of A. tenuistyla is estimated as Near Threatened (NT). Additionally, the species rank is proposed for A. luteo-rubra, the plant regarded earlier as a variety (A. lutea var. luteo-rubra). It was found in the limestone area of Ngoc Son-Ngo Luong Nature Reserve (Hoa Binh Province). Both plants belong to the group of species with narrowly tubular flowers and are most closely related to A. lutea. A detailed, illustrated comparison of A. tenuistyla, A. lutea, and A. luteo-rubra is additionally presented. All these species are endemic to the limestone regions of northern Vietnam.

Asymmetrical disassortative pollination mediated by long-/short-tongued pollinators in a distylous Limonium myrianthum (Plumbaginaceae) with a short corolla tubular small flower.

In heterostylous plants, short-tongued pollinators are often ineffective/inefficient owing to the limitations imposed by a long corolla tube. However, it is unclear how disassortative pollen transfer is achieved in small flowers. We investigated the pollination pattern and floral morph variation by analyzing heterostylous syndrome, pollinator groups, and pollen deposition after a single visitation in two Limonium myrianthum populations with short-corolla-tubular small flowers. The predominant pollinators in the Hutubi population were pollen-seeking short-tongued syrphids, which can only transfer pollen between high-level sexual organs. In the Xishan population, nectar-seeking short-tongued insects were efficient pollinators with symmetrical disassortative pollen transfer between high- and low-level sexual organs, whereas long-tongued pollinators had a low efficiency between high-level sexual organs due to the low contact probability with the stigma of long-styled flowers (L-morph), which no longer offered the same advantage observed in tubular flowers. Asymmetrical disassortative pollination may cause the female fitness of short-styled (S-morph) individuals in the Hutubi and L-morph individuals in the Xishan population to suffer greater selection pressure and exhibit a higher degree of floral morph variation. Limonium myrianthum exhibits an unusual pollination pattern in which the small flowers with short corolla tubes make it possible for short-tongued insects to become effective pollinators. However, factors such as the position of stigma-anther within the flower, pollinator species and their preference further caused asymmetrical disassortative pollen transfer. Therefore, more factors should be considered when evaluating the effectiveness of short- and long-tongued insects in pollination service.

Comparative Metabolomics of Ligulate and Tubular Flowers of Two Cultivars of Calendula officinalis L.

Calendula officinalis L. is a well-known plant widely used in traditional medicine due to the presence of various biologically active compounds. The main raw material for the production of medicinal preparations is the inflorescence, which consists of ligulate and tubular flowers. However, the characteristics of the metabolome of these flowers are not fully understood. This study identified and compared the levels of major metabolites in the ligulate and tubular flowers of two C. officinalis cultivars, 'Golden Sea' (GS) and 'Paradise Garden' (PG). The metabolome was analysed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and a Q Exactive Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometer. It was found that the tubular flowers of both PG and GS cultivars had higher levels of lipids, phenolamides and caffeoylquinic acids and lower levels of triterpenoid glycosides than the ligulate flowers. It was also shown that the inflorescences of the GS, which had a 35% higher proportion of tubular flowers, contained 30% more phenolic compounds and 50% more lipids than the PG. Thus, the results obtained extend our understanding of the features in the metabolomes of ligulate and tubular flowers and suggest that the quality of inflorescences of C. officinalis cultivars, as a source of medicinal preparations, is strongly influenced by the proportion of ligulate and tubular flowers.

Convergent evolutionary patterns of heterostyly across angiosperms support the pollination-precision hypothesis

Since the insights by Charles Darwin, heterostyly, a floral polymorphism with morphs bearing stigmas and anthers at reciprocal heights, has become a model system for the study of natural selection. Based on his archetypal heterostylous flower, including regular symmetry, few stamens and a tube, Darwin hypothesised that heterostyly evolved to promote outcrossing through efficient pollen transfer between morphs involving different areas of a pollinator’s body, thus proposing his seminal pollination-precision hypothesis. Here we update the number of heterostylous and other style-length polymorphic taxa to 247 genera belonging to 34 families, notably expanding known cases by 20%. Using phylogenetic and comparative analyses across the angiosperms, we show numerous independent origins of style-length polymorphism associated with actinomorphic, tubular flowers with a low number of sex organs, stamens fused to the corolla, and pollination by long-tongued insects. These associations provide support for the Darwinian pollination-precision hypothesis as a basis for convergent evolution of heterostyly across angiosperms.

Floral visitors of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.): Elucidating their nectar-robbing behaviour and impacts on the plant reproduction.

Nectar robbing is common in angiosperms, especially in long tubular flowers or flowers with spurs that keep nectar out of reach of visitors. However, the robbing behaviour of bees is less understood. Here, we studied the sesame visitors, their robbing behaviour, and the impacts of robbing on plant reproductive fitness. Diverse insect species (primarily members of Hymenoptera) visited sesame flowers. The most effective pollinators were Amegilla zonata, Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis florea, Ceratina binghami, Halictus acrocephalus and Xylocopa amethystina. Almost all visitors with variable percentages revealed the nectar-robbing phenomenon. Robbing activity depended on a complex of multiple attributes, including the visitor's body size, the corolla tube length, the availability and accessibility of nectar, and the resource-collecting task allocation of bees. Robbing activity varied according to flower-visiting species, flowering period and daytime. Robbing was comparatively higher in the late flowering period at 10.00-14.00 h. In the case of robbing visits, flower handling time was lower, and the visitation rate remained higher than non-robbing visits. Robbing visits did not significantly affect fruit and seed sets of sesame. Therefore, we can interpret the nectar-robbing interactions on sesame as commensal, with pollinators benefitting without altering the plant's reproductive fitness.

A few essential genetic loci distinguish Penstemon species with flowers adapted to pollination by bees or hummingbirds.

In the formation of species, adaptation by natural selection generates distinct combinations of traits that function well together. The maintenance of adaptive trait combinations in the face of gene flow depends on the strength and nature of selection acting on the underlying genetic loci. Floral pollination syndromes exemplify the evolution of trait combinations adaptive for particular pollinators. The North American wildflower genus Penstemon displays remarkable floral syndrome convergence, with at least 20 separate lineages that have evolved from ancestral bee pollination syndrome (wide blue-purple flowers that present a landing platform for bees and small amounts of nectar) to hummingbird pollination syndrome (bright red narrowly tubular flowers offering copious nectar). Related taxa that differ in floral syndrome offer an attractive opportunity to examine the genomic basis of complex trait divergence. In this study, we characterized genomic divergence among 229 individuals from a Penstemon species complex that includes both bee and hummingbird floral syndromes. Field plants are easily classified into species based on phenotypic differences and hybrids displaying intermediate floral syndromes are rare. Despite unambiguous phenotypic differences, genome-wide differentiation between species is minimal. Hummingbird-adapted populations are more genetically similar to nearby bee-adapted populations than to geographically distant hummingbird-adapted populations, in terms of genome-wide dXY. However, a small number of genetic loci are strongly differentiated between species. These approximately 20 "species-diagnostic loci," which appear to have nearly fixed differences between pollination syndromes, are sprinkled throughout the genome in high recombination regions. Several map closely to previously established floral trait quantitative trait loci (QTLs). The striking difference between the diagnostic loci and the genome as whole suggests strong selection to maintain distinct combinations of traits, but with sufficient gene flow to homogenize the genomic background. A surprisingly small number of alleles confer phenotypic differences that form the basis of species identity in this species complex.

Can flowers help to disentangle the Vriesea oligantha complex (Bromeliaceae: Tillandsioideae)? Taxonomic implications and contributions to the floral anatomy and biology of Stigmatodon

Abstract The Vriesea oligantha complex comprises Vriesea lancifolia, Vriesea oligantha, and Vriesea pseudoligantha, which were recently transferred to Stigmatodon. Such species exhibit strong morphological convergence to live in rocky fields, which makes difficult their identification in the wild or in herbarium specimens. In a previous work, leaf characters helped in the species delimitation and evidenced a new taxon. Considering that morphology, anatomy, and aspects of floral biology can contribute to better define species limits and to indicate potential pollinators, individuals from nine populations of V. oligantha complex were comparatively studied. The typical V. oligantha is mainly distinguished by tubular flowers, with simple petal appendages and diurnal anthesis. The remaining individuals studied from different populations exhibit campanulate corollas, with denticulate petal appendages and nocturnal anthesis, not allowing for the separation of V. lancifolia, V. pseudoligantha, and a fourth taxon. Floral anatomy is less variable than the external morphology, with little contribution to the species delimitation; however, it is helpful in the circumscription of Stigmatodon. The infralocular septal nectaries and the floral features provide evidence that the main pollinators of campanulate and tubular flowers are bats and hummingbirds, respectively. Specific pollinator guilds in combination with fragmented populations may explain the limited gene flow amongst populations.

Гибрид декоративного подсолнечника Сириус селекции ВНИИМК

The hybrid of the ornamental sunflower Sirius was obtained as a result of crossing two parent lines LD10 (variety of the ornamental sunflower Zhemchuzhny) and LD20. The main ornamental features of the hybrid Sirius are the original inflorescence, the light-yellow color of the ray flowers, the purple color of the tubular flowers, and the compact habitus. The hybrid belongs to the middle maturing group. The originator of the ornamental sunflower hybrid Sirius is the V.S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops (VNIIMK).

Сорт декоративного подсолнечника Астория селекции ВНИИМК

In 2022, the ornamental variety Astoria was submitted into the State variety testing. The variety Astoria was obtained as a result of crossing the ornamental variety Plyushevy mishka and ornamental samples with lemon and apricot ray flowers, followed by the production of a synthetic, its multiple self-pollination and individual selection according to the characteristics of the morphotype, culminating in the transfer of the fertile line to CMS RIG. The main ornamental features of the variety Astoria are: the original inflorescence at the stage of budding and flowering, light yellow color of ray flowers, yellow-purple color of tubular flowers; involucre leaves with a very long tip; large, blistered, serrated leaves along the edges; predominantly apical branching, stiff long lateral shoots, compact habitus, long growing season. The variety Astoria belongs to the middle maturing group, intended for cutting and landscaping. The originator of the ornamental sunflower variety Astoria is the V.S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops (VNIIMK).

Foraging specificity of Tetralonia (Thygatina) macroceps (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Anthophorinae) on Argyreia cuneata (Convolvulaceae)

Floral specificity is a behavior that evolved due to mutualistic interactions between the plant-pollinator community. Flowers advertise themselves using visual or chemical cues to attract pollinators and gain reproductive success through pollination. Pollinators forage for rewards such as nectar or pollen produced by the flowers. We found that an anthophorid bee, Tetralonia macroceps, foraged specifically on Argyreia cuneata flowers. No visitation was observed on the flowers of A. nervosa though both belong to Convolvulaceae. T. macroceps was the most abundant floral visitor (5.21 bees/flower/5 min) on A. cuneata and did not visit A. nervosa. Mass flowering and narrow tubular flower structure with easy access to pollen in A. cuneata were the traits that accounted for the foraging specificity of T. macroceps. The present study investigates the preference of T. macroceps for the flowers and floral extracts of A. cuneata and A. nervosa. The bee visited 10.16 flowers/5 min of A. cuneata. T. macroceps were highly attracted to the flowers of A. cuneata. No bees were attracted to A. nervosa. The floral abundance of A. cuneata was relatively higher compared to A. nervosa. Pollen analysis of foraging bees of T. macroceps revealed the selective preference towards the pollen of A. cuneata. The highest number of bees preferred the extract of A. cuneata (7.75) compared to A. nervosa (0.50) in the Y-olfactory maze. Floral extract of A. cuneata caused the highest neuronal electroantennogram (EAG) response (1.48 mV) than A. nervosa (0.36 mV). Our preliminary studies indicated the presence of specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) nonacosane (13.26%), hexatriacontane (12.06%), and beta farnesene (6.19%) observed in A. cuneata were absent in congener A. nervosa.

SECONDARY NECTAR ROBBING BY A VOLCANO HUMMINGBIRD (SELASPHORUS FLAMMULA)

Secondary nectar robbing is poorly studied in hummingbirds. Here, we provide an updated list of hummingbird species reported to be secondary nectar robbers and give the first detailed account of secondary nectar robbing by a Volcano Hummingbird (Selasphorus flammula) that obtained nectar through holes made by a Slaty Flowerpiercer (Diglossa plumbea) in two species of plants with long tubular flowers.

Morphology and metabolite profiles of southern and northern Chrysanthemum in China

Chrysanthemum is a valuable domesticated crop with numerous cultivars. The medicinal cultivars in China can be divided into southern and northern Chrysanthemum. They differ significantly in phenotype, taste and usage, but the variation in their metabolite profiles is unknown. In this study, targeted and untargeted metabolomics were combined to characterize and quantify an array of secondary metabolites across 15 Chrysanthemum cultivars. Differential metabolites identified between southern and northern Chrysanthemum revealed that flavonoid glycosides were more abundant in southern Chrysanthemum, while flavonoid aglycones, phenolic acids and terpenes were more abundant in northern Chrysanthemum. Methoxylated flavonoids were the characteristic flavonoids of northern Chrysanthemum, while hydroxyflavone were rich in southern Chrysanthemum. These findings indicated that the biosynthetic pathways of Chrysanthemum under different geographical environments were diverse. Furthermore, tubular flowers and bracteoles were positively correlated with flavonoid glycosides and terpenoids, respectively. This study established an identification model to distinguish southern and northern Chrysanthemum, enhanced the understanding of the metabolite–phenotype relationship, as well as provided a basis for the rational exploitation and breeding of Chrysanthemum.

Изменчивость репродуктивных признаков у генотипов подсолнечника с различным содержанием жирных кислот и токоферолов в семенах

The aim of the work was to study the reproductive characteristics of sunflower genotypes with altered composition of fatty acids and tocopherols in seeds. Studies were conducted in 2017, 2020 and 2022 at the VNIIMK, Krasnodar. The material was a high oleic hybrid of sunflower Oxy with a modified composition of tocopherols, as well as its maternal VK 876 and male VK 195 parent lines. Moreover 19 samples of the genetic collection were studied. The assessment of bee attendance showed significant hereditary variability from 98 to 0.5 bee/plant/hour. The Oxy confirmed a low level of bee attendance, on average, 14 bee/plant/hour. The lines with the maximum values of bee attendance MVG-8 and K 2479 showed a greater amount of nectar and a high level of its sugar content than the genotypes with the minimum values of bee attendance. The data obtained confirm the main role of the nectar of tubular flowers in the pollinator attractiveness. The Oxy had a low pollen grain diameter of 29 microns, a high proportion of defective pollen grains of 37%, a low level of self-fertility of 19% and the seed setting of 47%. The transmission of these negative traits to the hybrid comes from the maternal line of VK 876, and not from the male form of VK 195, which is characterized by normal reproductive traits. The content of oleic acid did not significantly correlate with any of the seven reproductive traits. Correlation coefficients were established: the amount of nectar – bee attendance (0.57), the amount of nectar – sugar content of nectar (0.55), the amount of nectar – the number of defective pollen grains (-0.55), the number of defective pollen grains – self-fertility (-0.72), the number of defective pollen grains – seed setting (-0.47) and a self-fertility – seed setting (0.60). Mutations of high oleic Ol and the composition of tocopherols tph1 and tph2 did not have a pleiotropic effect on reproductive traits in the lines of the genetic collection.

A new concept of Leptadenia (Apocynaceae)

AbstractWe revise the concept of Leptadenia. The closely related, small genus Orthanthera (Ceropegieae‐Asclepiadoideae‐Apocynaceae) contains four species, all with tubular flowers. Our phylogenetic reconstructions show that the type of Orthanthera, namely the little‐known Himalayan endemic O. viminea, is deeply nested within Leptadenia, where it is most closely related to the widespread L. pyrotechnica, a species with rotate flowers. Consequently, we deduce that the tubular flowers of Orthanthera viminea evolved separately from those in the other three species of Orthanthera, which are all from Africa south of the equator. These African species form a separate clade, which is sister to the remainder of Leptadenia. We transfer all four species of Orthanthera to Leptadenia to render Leptadenia monophyletic once more. Leptadenia consists of two subgenera: subg. Leptadenia contains the four species previously in Leptadenia and L. viminea (Orthanthera viminea); subg. Barrowia contains the three species L. albida (Orthanthera albida), L. gossweileri (O. gossweileri) and L. jasminiflora (O. jasminiflora) from Africa south of the equator. We highlight the fact that the range from flat to tubular flowers, well‐known in Ceropegia, is also found in each of the three subtribes that are sister to and basal to Ceropegia. A lectotype is selected for Leptadenia and lectotypes and neotypes are selected for several names.

A Remarkable new Lepanthes (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) hidden in plain sight

Here we describe a charismatic miniature orchid species, Lepanthes attenboroughii which for many years has been commonly found in private and public collections, misidentified as its related species, L. caprimulgus. The new proposed species, L. attenboroughii has inflated flowers with stripes similar to L. caprimulgus. Nevertheless, L. attenboroughii shows rounder flowers when compared to the longer, tubular flowers with a narrowing of the sepaline cup towards the middle of L. caprimulgus with flowers reminiscent of a peanut. Also, the hidden petals and lip are consistently different when the two species are compared in detail. Most remarkable in this new species are the inflated flowers with the free reflexed portion of the synsepal extending significally farther than the middle of the total length of the sepaline cup.

A first phylogenetic hypothesis for the diverse genus Conophytum (Ruschieae, Ruschioideae, Aizoaceae) suggests convergent evolution of floral syndromes

Pollinator specialisation is one of the major drivers of angiosperm diversification in the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa. Conophytum (Aizoaceae) is a flagship genus for the underexplored arid regions of the GCFR (ca. 108 spp.) with 83.9% of its species endemic to this region and has a floral structure that is unique within the rapidly diversified Ruschieae (Aizoaceae). Floral traits, together with leaf characters divide the genus into 16 sections. We present here the first phylogenetic hypothesis for Conophytum, based on molecular data. The combined phylogenetic data for six plastid regions (matK, rpl16, rps16, trnL-F, trnQ-rps16 and trnS-trnG) were analysed using Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony to test the evolution of this floral diversity and current sectional classification. Conophytum was recovered as monophyletic including the three small genera Berrisfordia L.Bolus, Herreanthus Schwantes and Ophthalmophyllum Dinter & Schwantes. Six strongly supported clades were recovered within Conophytum: while several of the sections were broadly retrieved within these clades, the more morphologically variable sections such as Minuscula and Wettsteinia were not supported by our data. The distributions of the six clades largely overlap and are generally confined to the arid parts of the GCFR within South Africa, with only one clade extending into the southern wetter parts. Ancestral character reconstructions showed that floral traits evolved multiple times with low phylogenetic signal recovered for autumn- and winter-flowering and flower type, while the other traits indicated no phylogenetic signal. This lack of phylogenetic signal suggests that drivers of diversity in Conophytum are possibly linked to adaptation to pollinators, with a high rate of inferred pollination shifts observed, i.e. 1.7 shifts per species, mirroring that of Lapeirousia (Iridacaeae) in the GCFR. The evolution of unique tubular flowers and shift to autumn-flowering were recovered as traits indicating strong phylogenetic signal and may have enabled Conophytum to exploit a range of pollinators through diversification in floral morphologies.

First Report of Leaf Spot Caused by Alternaria alternata on Yucca gloriosa in China.

Yucca gloriosa L. is introduced to China as a garden plant because of its attractive tubular flowers (Ding et al. 2020). In 2020 and 2021, a foliar disease occurred on approximately 10% of the Y. gloriosa plants in the campus of Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang (35°18'N, 113°54'E), Henan Province, China. At the early stages, symptoms appeared as small brown spots on the tip of the leaves. As the disease developed, the spots gradually expanded and turned into necrotic tissue with a clear brown border. The length of lesions ranged from 1 to 3 cm. Infected tissue samples were cut into small pieces, surface sterilized with 75% ethanol for 30 s followed by 0.5% NaClO for 2 min, rinsed thrice with sterile water and plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA). After incubation at 25℃ for 3 days, five fungal isolates were collected and purified using single spore culturing. Morphological observations were made on the 7-day-old cultures. Colonies on PDA were white at first and then turned to dark olive or black along with profuse sporulation. Conidia were borne on branched conidiophores, light brown to dark brown, ellipsoidal to obpyriform, and 20.5 to 43.6 ×7.5 to 15.4 μm in size, with 2-6 transverse septa and 0-3 longitudinal septa (n = 50). The morphological characteristics of the five isolates were consistent with the description for Alternaria alternata (Simmons 2007). One representative isolate (ZQ20) was selected for molecular identification. The internal transcribed spacers (ITS)-rDNA, translation elongation factor-1 alpha (TEF-1α), Alternaria major allergen (Alt a1), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene regions were amplified with primer pairs ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), EFl-728F/ EFI-986R (Carbone and Kohn, 1999), Alt-for/Alt-rev (Hong et al. 2005), and gpd1/gpd2 (Berbee et al. 1999), respectively. Their sequences were submitted to GenBank (ITS, MW832377; TEF-1α, MW848791; Alt a1, MW848792; GAPDH, MW848793). BLAST searches showed ≥99% nucleotide identity to the sequences of A. alternata (ITS, 100% to KF465761; TEF-1α, 100% to MT133312; Alt a1, 100% to KY923227; and GAPDH, 99% to MK683863). Thus, the fungus was identified as A. alternata based on its morphological and molecular characteristics. To confirm its pathogenicity, 25 healthy leaves of five 2-year-old Y. gloriosa plants were used. Leaves were wounded with one sterile needle and inoculated with 5-mm-diameter fungal agar disks obtained from 5-day-old cultures. Sterile PDA disks of the same size were used as the controls. Treated plants were covered with a plastic bag at 12 to 25℃ for 48 h to ensure a high level of moisture. After 15 days, the inoculated plants developed the symptoms similar to those observed in naturally infected plants, whereas the control plants were symptomless. The fungus was reisolated from the symptomatic leaves with the same morphological and molecular characteristics as the original isolates, fulfilling the Koch's postulates. Leaf spot caused by A. alternata in the Yucca plants has been reported in India (Pandey 2019). To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. alternata causing leaf spot on Y. gloriosa in China. Identification of the cause of the disease is important to developing effective disease management strategies.

Phytochemical Studies on Tanacetum Sinaicum Delile ex DC. Plant and Isolation of Two Phenolic Compounds from Flowers

Recently, interest has increased in natural metabolites compounds from plants for industrial and pharmaceutical use rather than synthetic compounds. Tanacetum sinaicum Del. Is a wild plant found in many places in Egypt, especially south Sinai, in Saint Catherine, on rocky slopes and it has yellow tubular flowers and woolly leaves. Using different chromatographic Techniques, extracted, separated, cleaned, and defined two phenolic compounds as a result of these experiments were obtained the following compounds were 4',5-dihydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavone, and 3,4-dihydroxy-cinnamic acid. The structures of these compounds were identified by using, UV, NMR, and mass spectroscopy. The quantitative estimation of total phenolics, total flavonoids, total alkaloids, total saponins, and total tannins showed presence in a good amount in Tanacetum Sinaicum flowers when compared to other plant parts. The phytochemical screening of crude extract and the corresponding sub-fractions to investigated alkaloids, anthraquinones, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, glycosides, reducing sugars, resin, saponin, starch, sterols, tannins, and terpenoids of different parts of Tanacetum Sinaicum showed that crude extract of all parts and chloroform fraction of flowers are rich in all active constituents when compared to other parts and fractions.