Crepis alpina acetylenase is a variant FAD2 desaturase that catalyses the insertion of a triple bond at the Delta12 position of linoleic acid, forming crepenynic acid in developing seeds. Seeds contain a high level of crepenynic acid but other tissues contain none. Using reverse transcriptase-coupled PCR (RT-PCR), acetylenase transcripts were identified in non-seed C. alpina tissues, which were...

Urophora merzisp. n. reared from flower heads of Centaurea behen Linnaeus is described from Iran. It is similar to Urophora campestris, Urophora sachalinensis, Urophora stylata, Urophora tsoii and Urophora vera in wing pattern with 3 well developed crossbands and indistinct subbasal crossband, differing in aculeus tip with two pairs of diminished preapical steps and different host plants.

Air-dried flower heads of 20 Finnish tansy genotypes were extracted with petroleum ether and analyzed using GC-MS. A total of 55 volatile compounds were detected, and 53 were identified. Of the tansy genotypes studied, 15 were well defined and five were mixed chemotypes. Complete linkage analysis differentiated the populations into six clusters. The most frequently found monoterpene was camphor...

examining the floral wreath on the mummy of the Princess Ugi-Khouni, of the twenty-first Egyptian dynasty, discovered, says Nature, at Deriel-Behan, the folded leaves of a willow (Salix Sa/so/j), perfect flowers of the corn-poppy, flower-heads of Ccntvurea deprcssa, and of Picris coronopi/olia. The flowers of the corn-poppy appear to have been gathered in an unopened condition to prevent the pe...

Body size is one of the most important factors regarding herbaceous perennial plants life-histories, and several fitness components of these organisms are related to size. Clonal plants show distinct kinds of reproduction and can develop offspring by sexual or asexual ways. We aimed to understand how body size affects Comanthera nivea (Eriocaulaceae) sexual reproduction and to verify how clonal...

A unique microbiome occurs within the flower heads of various Protea species endemic to Africa. These include two lineages ophiostomatoid fungi, Knoxdaviesia (Microascales) and Sporothrix (Ophiostomatales), that have members occurring exclusively in this environment rely on mites as their primary mode spore dissemination. The mites, turn, attach bodies Protea-pollinating beetles beaks birds for...

The species of Asteraceae have been found to be a rich source of externally accumulated flavonoid aglycones. This type of compounds attracts the attention, besides for their importance as chemotaxonomic markers, also for their ecological role. In the present study, two local endemic species, Centaurea davidovii and C. parilica, and one widespread species from the same group, C. stenolepis, are ...