Paeoniflorin and 8-debenzoylpaeoniflorin were isolated from the dried root of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (Ranunculaceae). They produced a significant blood sugar lowering effect in streptozotocin-treated rats and had a maximum effect at 25 min after treatment. This hypoglycemic action was also observed in normoglycemic rats only at 1 mg/kg. The antihyperglycemic activity of 8-debenzoylpaeoniflori...

Microorganisms frequently colonize the nectar of angiosperm species. Though capable of altering a suite of traits important for pollinator attraction, few studies exist that test the degree to which they mediate pollinator foraging behavior. The objective of our study was to fill this gap by assessing the abundance and diversity of yeasts associated with the perennial larkspur Delphinium barbey...

A lectin was isolated from root tubers of winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) by affinity chromatography on fetuin-agarose, and it was partially characterized with respect to its biochemical, physicochemical and carbohydrate-binding properties. The Eranthis hyemalis lectin is a dimeric protein (Mr 62000) composed of two different subunits of Mr 30000 and 32000, held together by disulphide bonds....

Range-restricted species generally have specific niche requirements and may often have unique evolutionary histories. Unfortunately, many of these species severely lack basic research, resulting in poor conservation strategies. The phylogenetic relationship of the Critically Endangered Forest Owlet Heteroglaux blewitti has been the subject of a century-old debate. The current classifications ba...

Bees require large amounts of pollen for their own reproduction. While several morphological flower traits are known to have evolved to protect plants against excessive pollen harvesting by bees, little is known on how selection to minimize pollen loss acts on the chemical composition of pollen. In this study, we traced the larval development of four solitary bee species, each specialized on a ...

Flower stalks of Pulsatilla cernua, an early spring herb in north temperate Asia, changed position from erect to pendulous and back to erect during 6-10 d anthesis. We tested three possible explanations for this movement. Our results showed that (1) this movement is unlikely to be a mechanism to attract pollinators or enhance pollen output, because no pollinator preference was observed between ...

The Ranunculus auricomus complex is an interesting model system for studying the evolution and diversity of apomictic polyploid complexes. It comprises hundreds of agamospecies, usually referred to two distinct morphotypes (traditionally named "R. auricomus" and "R. cassubicus") which are connected by several intermediate forms. Here we try to elucidate the evolution of apomictic "cassubicus" m...

Three plant groups in temperate western North America contain closely related ornithophilous and sphingophilous species: the Aquilegia formosa/Aquilegia caerulea group (Ranunculaceae), the Ipomopsis aggregata group (Polemoniaceae), and the Diplacus longiflorus group (Scrophulariaceae). The ornithophilous and sphingophilous species are products of allopatric speciation on the diploid level. Geog...

The genus Thalictrum species (Ranunculaceae) are of interest for study as medicinal plants that promising expanding the gene pool and treating socially significant diseases. data analysis more than 100 geobotanical descriptions obtained in 2010-2017 were used to coenotic complexes minus simplex growing Tomsk region determine their ecological-coenotic confinement. aim our research was region, di...

Purpose Helleborus niger (Ranunculaceae), commonly known as Christmas rose, is used in anthroposophically extended cancer therapy in the adjuvant treatment of different entities and reduction of chemotherapy-associated side effects. Although Helleborus niger is widely used in anthroposophic medicine, there is a lack of scientific clinical and preclinical data and until now it is applied on an e...