Search

Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae) is widely distributed within Brazilian phytogeographic domains where 101 species occur, including a number of poorly-known taxa, such as P. allemii, which was until now only known from the type collection. Here we report the rediscovery of P. allemii, which was recently collected during a floristic inventory carried out in the Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins, which is located on the border between Bahia and Tocantins states in the Cerrado domain. We provide an updated and detailed morphological description of the species, including plates and field images, as well as a taxonomic key for species of Phyllanthus sect. Phyllanthus subsect. Clausseniani that occur in the Cerrado. We also provide habitat, ecology and distribution data, and, finally, a conservation assessment of this rare species.

A new species, Rhamnidium riograndense, from southern Brazil, is here described and illustrated. We present information about its distribution, habitat, phenology, conservation status and a key for all the South American species of the genus is provided. The new species is endemic to the central part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in the transition between Paraná and Pampean provinces in rocky habitats, mostly mountain slopes, where only four populations are currently known.

The objective of this exploratory work was to analyze the yield and chemical composition of essential oils (EO) from Blepharocalyx salicifolius [BS] and from two pools of EO obtained from Nectandra megapotamica [NM1 and NM2], as well as to evaluate their antifungal properties against the fungi Pycnoporus sanguineus (white-rot) and Gloeophyllum trabeum (brown-rot). The EO were obtained by hydrodistillation and its components were identified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and quantified with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). For the evaluation of antifungal activity, the mycelial growth index (MGI) and the mycelial growth inhibition (GI) of BS were determined at concentrations of 1, 2 and 5 µL.mL-1, and 0.25; 0.5 and 1 µL.mL-1 for MN1 and NM2. The yield of EOs was 2.29% (BS), 0.14% (NM1) and 0.17% (NM2). The major components of BS EO were eucalyptol (63.44%) and β-caryophyllene (13.68%), from NM1 were bicyclogermacrene (16.14%) and α-pinene (15.93%), and for NM2, α-pinene (19.04%) and sabinene (16.66%). EO NM1 (1μL.mL-1) showed the best result for antifungal activity, inhibiting about 57.55 ± 0.68 % of P. sanguineus growth and 58.82 ± 0.78 % in the test with G. trabeum.

Piper gaudichaudianum Kunth (Piperaceae) is widely distributed throughout Brazil. In addition to its ecological importance, it is used in folk medicine and a great number of its biological activities have been already proved. Thus, the aim of this research was to investigate the effect of seasonality on the content of essential oil (EO) in leaves of Piper gaudichaudianum and ascertain the possible influence of the drying process of the plant material in the yield of this extractive. Leaves were randomly collected from individuals of a native population in Santa Maria, RS state, Brazil, along a year. The EO was extracted from fresh and dried leaves by hydrodistillation. When reproductive organs were observed, they were extracted in order to examine their influence on the yield of leaf EO. To determine the moisture content (MC%), 20 g of leaves and 10g of reproductive organs were dried separately in an oven at 50°C until constant weight. The yield of leaf EO (% w/ w) was calculated for the fresh material based on the dry weight considering the MC%, and for the dried material at room temperature. Only small seasonal variations in EO content was detected for the analyzed samples, with no statistical difference between them. The highest yield was observed in the spring for EO from the leaves (1.61 ± 0.09%), and from the reproductive organs (5.17%), while the lowest yields of leaf EO occurred in the summer (1.32 ± 0.14%), the only season which showed no presence of the reproductive organs. The absence of significant difference between the yields indicates no quantitative seasonal variability in production of EO in leaves of this population. However, yields did not differ statistically, indicating no seasonal variability of the EO content of the leaves of this population. Therefore, the collection of this plant organ can be performed at any time of the year in order to obtain this extractive. Since there was no decrease in the content of EO during the drying process at room temperature, this post-harvest processing can be adopted.

The inventory of ferns and lycophytes was carried out in Cerro da Pedra do Lagarto, a vegetation refuge with distinct phytophysiognomies (forest and natural grassland, respectively) located in the district of Santo Antao, North of the Municipality of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul State. The aim of this study was to contribute to the knowledge of the flora of fern and lycophytes in the poorly sampled central Region of the State, supplying ecologic and biological data and a dichotomous key for the identification of the species observed. There are 34 fern species and two lycophyte species, belonging to 28 genera of 14 botanical families. Polypodiaceae was the richest family with eight species, followed by Pteridaceae, with seven. Most species were terrestrial and the only arborescent specie was Cyathea atrovirens. The inventoried data represent 9.5% of the known species of ferns and lycophytes for the State of Rio Grande do Sul.

Odonate larvae can be serious pests that attack fish larvae, postlarvae, and fingerlings in fish culture tanks, causing significant loss in the supply and production of juveniles. This study reports a screen of the essential oils (EOs) of Nectandra megapotamica (Sprengel) Mez, Nectandra grandiflora Nees, Hesperozygis ringens (Bentham) Epling, Ocimum gratissimum L., Aloysia gratissima (GilliesHooker) Troncoso, and Lippia sidoides Chamisso against Coenagrionidae larvae. In addition, the most effective EO and its 50% lethal concentration (LC50) and chemical analysis are described. The larvae of Acanthagrion Selys, Homeoura Kennedy, Ischnura Charpentier, and Oxyagrion Selys were used to assess the EO effects. EO obtained from H. ringens, O. gratissimum, and L. sidoides showed the highest larvicidal effects at 19 h of treatment. The major constituents of the EO of H. ringens include pulegone and limonene, while eugenol and Z-beta-ocimene predominate in the EO of O. gratissimum, and carvacrol and rho-cymene were the major compounds of the EO of L. sidoides. Leaf EOs from H. ringens, O. gratissimum, and L. sidoides showed activity against Coenagrionidae larvae at similar concentrations with LC50s of 62.92, 75.05, and 51.65 microl liter(-1), respectively, and these were considered the most promising treatments.

Correction. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/EC13274erratum In the article, “Host Associations of Diuraphis noxia (Homoptera: Aphididae) Biotypes in South Africa,” by Astrid …