Plants have been the basis of many traditional medicines throughout the world for thousands of years and have continued to provide new remedies to mankind. They are one of the richest sources of bioactive compounds. The genus Passiflora L. comprises about 520 species of dicotyledonous plants in the family Passifloraceae. Passiflora incarnata and P. alata, also commonly known as Passion flower, ...

The first botanical gardens and collections of preserved plants in the 16 century served didactic purposes and should ensure correct identification of medicinal, ornamental and other useful plants. Collections of preserved plants were nearly all book-herbaria, emulating illustrated books and owned by individual botanists. Curiosity cabinets of nobles and prominent scholars were larger collectio...

Climate warming is expected to increase respiration rates of tropical forest trees and lianas, which may negatively affect the carbon balance of tropical forests. Thermal acclimation could mitigate the expected respiration increase, but the thermal acclimation potential of tropical forests remains largely unknown. In a tropical forest in Panama, we experimentally increased nighttime temperature...

Interactions between climate, fire and CO2 are believed to play a crucial role in controlling the distributions of tropical woodlands and savannas, but our understanding of these processes is limited by the paucity of data from undisturbed tropical ecosystems. Here we use a 28,000-year integrated record of vegetation, climate and fire from West Africa to examine the role of these interactions o...

Studies of the seasonal fluctuation in carbohydrates in various deciduous, subtropical, and tropical fruit trees have shown that similar changes occur in. such trees as apple, avocado and citrus, despite important physiological differences between, the species (4, 5,10, 11, 18). The studies have indicated that fluctuations in carbohydrates are influenced by seasonal environmental factors and by...

Ethnobotanical study of antifertility medicinal plants used by the local people in Kathiyavadi village, Vellore District, Tamilnadu, India K. Sathiyaraj, A. Sivaraj, T. Thirumalai, B. Senthilkumar Department of Zoology, Thiruvalluvar University, Serkadu, Vellore-632 106. Tamilnadu, India. Post graduate and Research Department of Zoology, Physiology wing, Voorhees College, Vellore 632001. Tamiln...

Abstract Ornamental plants, which were originally grown for magical or esthetic reasons, have gained industrial status in recent decades, contributing economically to the development of several countries. The presence pathogens, especially viruses, can interfere production by causing symptoms leaves and flowers, thereby depreciating product affecting normal plant growth. Furthermore, perennial ...