Drypetes nienkui (Putranjivaceae), described from Hainan, China, has long been treated as a synonym of D. indica . Both species belong to a distinctive group of Asian species characterized by perulate buds that give rise to shoots bearing flowers or inflorescences proximally and leaves distally, 2–3-carpellate ovaries, and elongate styles. However, D. nienkui fundamentally differs from D. indica in inflorescence architecture and fruiting pedicel length; these or other characters also distinguish D. nienkui from the remaining species in this group. Drypetes nienkui therefore deserves recognition as a distinct species endemic to Hainan. An expanded description of the species is provided along with a key to the related species.
Floral morphology, nectar production, and breeding systems of 2 1 taxa in Dudleya subgenus Dudleya suggest three reproductive strategies.Most species-13 of those examined -have 1-1 5% auto-fertility (defined as the proportion of seed set by self-pollination in the absence of pollinators) and produce nectar with about 2-5 mg sugar per flower.These species, which are predominantly coastal in distribution, have dense inflorescences of yellow flowers and appear to be pollinated primarily by bees and long-tongued flies.Increased seed set and seedling vigor with cross-pollination select for outcrossing in these species.A second group of three species has long-tubed, frequently pendent, red flowers in very open cymes, high auto-fertility (about 40-60%), and abundant nectar-yielding 5-12 mg sugar/flower.Ranging from hills near the coast to desert mountains, these species are hummingbirdpollinated.The remaining three species (one with three subspecies) have short-tubed flowers in dense cymes, high auto-fertility (25-50%), and nectar production of less than 2.5 mg sugar/flower.These species are typically montane and occupy habitats with shorter and less reliable growing seasons than are usual for the genus.Environmental unpredictability and pollinator unreliability may explain the apparent trend toward autogamy in the third group and the high auto-fertility of the hummingbirdpollinated species.Because flowers are protandrous, even species with high auto-fertility maintain the ability to outcross if pollinators are available.' Although Johansen (1935) reported that flowers of Z). echeverioides.now regarded as a synonym of D. greenei, have an odor resembling woodland violets, neither we nor Moran (1951) has been able to detect any floral fragrance in D. greenei.
This study was undertaken to determine vascular plant species composition, vegetation structure, and floristic quality of the major plant communities in the windblown sand deposits of northwestern Illinois during the growing seasons of 2002 through 2005. The major plant communities of the Ayers Sand Prairie Nature Preserve in Carroll County, Big River State Forest in Henderson County, Lost Mound Unit of the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge in Carroll and Jo Daviess counties, and the Thomson-Fulton Sand Prairie Nature Preserve located in Whiteside County were examined and the importance values determined for the plant species present. Located on broad terraces of the Mississippi River, these nature preserves and natural areas are remnants of a larger grassland/savanna/forest complex that contained extensive marsh; wet, mesic, and dry sand prairie; sand savanna; and sand forest communities. Most of the sand deposits are now cultivated and the original vegetation is found only in protected remnants, some of which are relatively large. The mature dry sand prairies were dominated by Schizachyrium scoparium; other important species were Opuntia macrorhiza, Dichanthelium villosissimum, Ambrosia psilostachya, and Tephrosia virginiana. Other assemblages of prairie and exotic species were encountered in successional sand prairie communities. Generally, the mature prairie communities in these preserves and natural areas had 35 or more species present in the study plots. Savanna and closed canopy forest communities were also examined. The dry sand savannas were dominated by Quercus velutina and Q. marilandica, dry sand forests were dominated by Q. velutina, and dry-mesic sand forests were dominated by Q. alba and Q. velutina.
Abstract Previous molecular systematic studies have indicated that the spiny-fruited umbellifers (Apiaceae tribe Caucalideae sensu Heywood) comprise two major lineages, recently delimited as Scandiceae subtribes Daucinae and Torilidinae, with the former including representation of tribe Laserpitieae sensu Drude. These taxa are allied with the monophyletic Scandiceae subtribe Scandicinae whose members lack spiny fruits. The relationship among these three subtribes is equivocal when nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer sequences are compared. Evidence from plastid DNA, however, suggests that Daucinae and Torilidinae are sister taxa. Herein, we provide results of a phylogenetic study of these spiny-fruited umbellifers based on morphology in order to study the evolution of these characters and to ascertain their utility for resolving relationships by comparison to the results of previous molecular analyses. Maximum parsimony analysis of 56 morphological characters resulted in a paraphyletic Toril...
As part of ongoing work on the Flora of the Southeastern United States (Weakley & Southeastern Flora Team 2022a) and related projects, as well as for general floristic, conservation, and scientific work in eastern North America, it is essential to document taxonomic and nomenclatural changes and significant distribution records. Here we describe three new species (in Rhynchospora, Sabulina, and Solidago), describe a new section (in Trichostema), make new combinations to treat taxa at appropriate ranks in appropriate genera and with appropriate nomenclatural application based on types (in Lycopodioides, Moeroris, Morella, Nellica, Tamala, and Trichostema), and propose the lumping of two species, resulting in a change in name and nativity status (in Sisyrinchium). These new combinations (rank changes, or generic transfers to apply newly accepted generic concepts to taxa that do not have corresponding available names at the appropriate rank) are needed to accurately reflect current taxonomic understanding of the regional flora. In the course of doing so, we discuss and address various nomenclatural issues, including typifications, and clarify characters and identification of difficult groups (providing new keys) in the regional flora. We also report significant new distribution and naturalization records in many genera, in New Jersey (taxa in the genera Anthriscus, Calibrachoa, Chaenomeles, Dichanthelium, Diplotaxis, Ditrichia, Dysphania, Erigeron, Eucommia, Eupatorium, Lepidium, Malus, Montia, Nepeta, Persicaria, Picea, Psammophiliella, Pulmonaria, Quercus, Silphium, Verbascum, Verbena, Vicia), in the Coastal Plain of Alabama and Mississippi (taxa in the genera Baptisia, Clematis, Coreopsis, Galium, Matelea, Mirabilis, Poterium, Rhynchospora, Silphium, and Symphyotrichum), in southern Indiana (taxa in the genera Andropogon, Brunnichia, Echinacea, Landoltia, Montia, Persicaria, and Solidago), and in North Carolina, Virginia, and likely other states (Euphorbia).
The 1967 war shed new light onto the Palestinian problem, leading to the creation of a new group in 1973. Called Breira: A Project of Concern in Diaspora-Israel Relations, it became the first national American Jewish organization to endorse the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The chapter shows how political currents emanating from Israel brought about Breira’s rise, and later, its fall. Breira’s young American Jewish founders had spent time in Israel, where encounters with occupied Palestinians and inspiration from Israeli peace activists led them to conclude that Palestinian self-determination served Israel’s long-term interests. Once founded, Breira championed the pro-peace Israeli Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, led by Israeli General Matti Peled, who in 1976 negotiated with moderate members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Following Peled’s lead, two Breira members met with those same PLO moderates. Israeli officials leaked a report from that meeting, forcing Breira to defend itself and the PLO meeting and eliciting a crisis from which the organization would never recover. American Jewish communal leaders now took a clear stand on even self-identified Zionist support for Palestinian rights, seeing it as counter to Jewish safety and Jewish life in Israel and across the world.
in the course of revising Acalypha L. (Euphorbiaceae) for flora Malesiana, we have discovered four new species from Sulawesi, Buru and flores in indonesia, and in Luzon, Philippines.With about 450 species worldwide (Webster, 1994;radcliffe-Smith, 2001) and its inherent taxonomic complexity (fosberg & Sachet, 1980), Acalypha often presents difficulty in species delimitation, also among many Malesian species.However, these four new species are distinct both morphologically and biogeographically.No attempt was made to place these new taxa in the classification system of Pax & Hoffman (1924), which is based on homoplasious inflorescence morphology and is not supported by phylogenetic analysis based on DNA sequence data (Levin et al., 2005).Descriptions are based on herbarium specimens.The term 'spicate' is used for simplicity to describe the staminate inflorescence, which is technically a spike-like thyrse.The term 'dots' refers to light-coloured circular patches in the epidermis that may represent druse crystals, but we have not confirmed this anatomically.We also observed paired appendages flanking the base of each foliaceous pistillate bract.Since the bracts are modified leaves, the subtending paired appendages appear to be homologous to stipules; hence we use the term 'bract stipules' for these structures.Sagun & G.A. Levin, spec.nov.-fig. DESCriPTiON Of SPECiES Acalypha argentii
Révision monographique d'Acalypha L. (Euphorbiaceae) de la région de l'Ouest de l'Océan Indien, avec la description d'une espèce nouvelle endémique de Mayotte. Cet travail présente une révision monographique du genre Acalypha L. (Euphorbiaceae) de la région de l'océan Indien occidental, comprenant Madagascar, les îles Comores, les îles Mascareignes, l'archipel des Seychelles et les îles Éparses. Quarante-neuf espèces sont reconnues, dont 42 indigènes et sept probablement introduites; 39 se trouvent à Madagascar, sept aux Comores, huit aux Mascareignes, quatre aux Seychelles et une aux îles Éparses. Pour chaque espèce, nous fournissons une description, des informations sur la distribution et l'habitat, une carte de distribution et une évaluation préliminaire du statut de conservation. Des illustrations originales et la première clé d'identification des espèces d'Acalypha de cette région sont également incluses. Les lectotypes sont désignés pour 10 noms. Acalypha crateriana (Coode) I.Montero & Cardiel, comb. nov. est proposée comme nouvelle combinaison et Acalypha berryi I.Montero, Cardiel & G.A.Levin, sp. nov., une nouvelle espèce de Mayotte, est décrite et illustrée.
