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Gloriosa superba L., commonly known as "gloriosa lily," "glory lily," and "tiger claw," is a perennial climber in the Liliaceae family. This plant is used in African and Southeast Asian cultures as an ayurvedic medicinal herb to treat various health conditions. Its main bioactive component is colchicine, which is responsible for medicinal efficacies as well as poisonous properties of the plant. A high market demand, imprudent harvesting of G. superba from natural habitat, and low seed setting have led scientists to explore micropropagation techniques and in vitro optimization of its phytochemicals. Plant growth regulators have been used to induce callus, root, and shoot organogenesis, and somatic embryogenesis in vitro. This review is aimed at presenting information regarding the occurrence, taxonomic description, phytochemistry, micropropagation, in vitro secondary metabolite, and synthetic seed production. The data collected from the existing literature, along with an analysis of individual study details, outcomes, and variations in the reports, will contribute to the development of biotechnological strategies for conservation and mass propagation of G. superba. KEY POINTS: • Latest literature on micropropagation of Gloriosa superba. • Biotechnological production and optimization of colchicine. • Regeneration, somatic embryogenesis, and synthetic seed production.

We evaluated the patterns of genetic variation of 16 Colchicum species, including 37 different genotypes, using RAPD marker and trnL–trnF chloroplast DNA sequence. A total of 861 polymorphic alleles through RAPDs showed a mean of 33.88 ± 3.80 alleles per primer, while mean major allele frequency was 0.067 ± 0.05. The sequence length of trnL–trnF ranged from 1022 bp to 1081 bp. The phylogenetic tree was constructed to understand the relationship between Colchicum species and the discrimination power of the nuclear and chloroplast genome for species. The results showed that trnL–trnF gene region grouped Colchicum species well in comparison with RAPD analysis. This data was also supported by haplotype network analysis, structure analysis and PCA (Principle Component Analysis). This study showed that there is a need for a characterization that contains more molecular and morphological methods to correctly distinguish Colchicum species.

Colchicum speciosum Steven species is a perennial stemless plant. C. speciosum is a flowering herb native to mountainous regions of northern Turkey, the Caucasus, and northern Iran. It has been known as "Vargit, Aci cigdem, Guz cigdemi". The present study reports the antimicrobial, antioxidant, alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities of corm, leaf and flower methanol extracts, anatomical (light and electron microscopes) properties of root, corm, leaf, flowers and morphological characteristics of C. speciosum. Three different part of extracts C. speciosum were evaluated against E. coli ATCC 8739, S. aureus ATCC 6538, B. subtilis ATCC 19,659, C. albicans ATCC 10,231, C. krusei ATCC 14,243, and C. tropicalis ATCC 750. The most effective extract was found to be MeOH extract for corm and leaf against C. tropicalis ATCC 750 strain with MIC value 160 > mu g/mL. It has been investigated first time anatomy of the tepal, ovary, anther, filament of C. speciosum. Leaf extract was the highest phenolic component (78.61842 mu g GAE/mg extract). As a result of DPPH center dot and ABTS(center dot+) tests, it was determined that the leaf extract showed the best activity (IC50 = 6.568 mu g/mL and IC50 = 3.243 mu g/mL, respectively). Corm extract exhibited alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 21039 mu g/mL. This is the first study of the in vitro antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic activities, detailed anatomical and morphological properties of C. speciosum. Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu

The Sierra de las Nieves National Park, declared by the Spanish Government in July 2021, is part of the Serranía de Ronda (Western Baetic mountains), which is considered one of the main centres of biodiversity and endemicity of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Andalusia, Spain) and the Mediterranean Basin. The park and its surroundings have an important diversity of vascular plants, mainly due to the orographic, climatic and geological diversity of the area, which is divided into three biogeographical sectors: Rondeño sector (limestones, dolomites and clays), Bermejense sector (peridotites and serpentines) and Aljíbico sector (gneisses and micaschists). This contribution presents the first catalogue of the vascular flora of this national park and its surrounding area, with 1,387 taxa distributed in 104 families and 542 genera. An amount of 79 taxa are endemic to Andalusia and 57 are endangered: 4 are Critically Endangered (CR), 17 are Endangered (EN) and 36 are Vulnerable (VU).

During the flowering period of Colchicum laetum Stephen (September 16–19, 2020), seven habitats were studied in the Volgograd region. C. laetum occurs on small (0.006–4 ha) unploughed areas of the steppes adjacent to gullies. In the community, 28 species of vascular plants were recorded, including C. laetum, only 10 species vegetated (from 2 to 7 in the community): Artemisia austriaca Jacq., A. santonicum L., Bassia prostrata (L.) Beck, Cynanchum acutum L., Dianthus polymorphus M. Bieb., Euphorbia seguieriana Neck., E. virgata Waldst., Grubovia sedoides (Pall.) GL Chu, Limonium bungei (Claus) Gamajun., Medicago falcata L. The participation of C. laetum is from single individuals to quite abundant, with a projective cover not exceeding 5%. A preliminary assessment of habitat by vegetation according to the Ramenskoye scales showed that one community is quite rich, one is rich and one is not rich. The humidification is from dry steppe to desert. Only one community does not experience anthropogenic impact. In the second the arrival of vehicles was marked. In the third grazing is carried out, accompanied by a failure.

Gloriosa superba L. Annual climbing herb, in wooded savannah. C.N.: dikumbelé, kumbelé (kb). Uses: medicinal. Conservation: LC (IUCN 2017) F.Monteiro 899 (LUAI, LISC), Published as part of Monteiro, Francisca, Costa, Esperança Da, Kissanga, Raquel, Costa, José Carlos & Catarino, Luís, 2022, An annotated checklist of the vascular flora of Quiçama National Park, Angola, pp. 1-67 in Phytotaxa 557 (1) on page 55, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.557.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6985699, {"references":["IUCN. (2017) IUCN Red List of Threatened species. Vers. 3, May 2017. Available from: www. iucnredlist. org (accessed 10 December 2021)."]}

Wurmbea tenuis (Hook.f.) Baker subsp. hamiltonii (Wendelbo) B.Nord. — Habit: Herb. Habitat: LMDF; 1 900–3 500 m. Distribution: IIIa. Voucher: Sirimon Track, Alt. 3048 m, 22 Sep. 1963, Howard & Verdcourt 3766 (EA). References: Bussmann (1993), Hoenselaar (2005), Agnew (2013)., Published as part of Zhou, Ya-Dong, Mwachala, Geoffrey, Hu, Guang-Wan & Wang, Qing-Feng, 2022, Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Mount Kenya, East Africa, pp. 1-108 in Phytotaxa 546 (1) on page 24, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.546.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6550464, {"references":["Bussmann, R. W. (1993) The forest of Mt. Kenya (Kenya): A phytosociological approach with special reference to ecological problems. Ph. D. Thesis, Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, 119 pp.","Hoenselaar, R. (2005) Colchicaceae. In: Beentje, H. J. & Ghazanfar, S. A. (Eds.) Flora of Tropical East Africa. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, 16 pp.","Agnew, A. D. Q. (2013) Upland Kenya wild flowers and ferns, 3 rd edn. Nature Kenya Publications, Nairobi, 733 pp."]}

Aerangis luteoalba (Kraenzl.) Schltr. var. rhodosticta (Kraenzl.) J.Stewart — Habit: Herb. Habitat: LMWF; up to 2 400 m. Distribution: II. Voucher: East Mount Kenya Forest, Alt. 1 524–1 829 m, Battiscombe K692 (EA, K). References: Blundell (1987), Cribb (1989b), Stewart & Campbell (2003), Agnew (2013)., Published as part of Zhou, Ya-Dong, Mwachala, Geoffrey, Hu, Guang-Wan & Wang, Qing-Feng, 2022, Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Mount Kenya, East Africa, pp. 1-108 in Phytotaxa 546 (1) on page 25, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.546.1.1

Androcymbium striatum Hochst. ex A.Rich. — Habit: Herb. Habitat: LMDF; 1 400–3 400 m. Distribution: II. Voucher: N/A. References: Blundell (1987), Agnew (2013)., Published as part of Zhou, Ya-Dong, Mwachala, Geoffrey, Hu, Guang-Wan & Wang, Qing-Feng, 2022, Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Mount Kenya, East Africa, pp. 1-108 in Phytotaxa 546 (1) on page 24, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.546.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6550464, {"references":["Blundell, M. (1987) Collins guide to the wild flowers of East Africa. Collins, London, 464 pp.","Agnew, A. D. Q. (2013) Upland Kenya wild flowers and ferns, 3 rd edn. Nature Kenya Publications, Nairobi, 733 pp."]}

Background Gloriosa superba is a valuable Ayurvedic medicinal plant and is in high demand in the world market for its colchicine content, which is used to treat gout. Objective The study aims (1) to record the metabolic variations in major bioactive metabolites, colchicine and gloriosine, in the natural populations of G. superba from Western Ghats and adjoining areas in India and (2) to develop HPTLC protocol for the identification of elite chemotypes of species and regulation of quality raw material, extract, and finished material. Method Simultaneous quantification of colchicine and gloriosine in 22 natural populations through validated HPTLC as per ICH guidelines. Results Colchicine and gloriosine were identified at Rf 0.51 ± 0.03 and 0.41 ± 0.05 and the content varied from 0.021 to 0.86% and 0.003 to 0.198%. The method was found linear at a concentration range of 0.1–0.7 µg/spot, and LOD (3.3 σ/S) and LOQ (10 σ/S) was 0.71 and 2.16 µg/spot. The method was precise in the concentration range of 100–300 ng/spot, with 98.29% and 101.12% recovery (% RSD) for colchicine and gloriosine. Subsequently, four elite chemotypes were identified based on cluster analysis of metabolite content. Conclusion The developed HPTLC method is linear, accurate, precise, and robust for simultaneous quantification of colchicine and gloriosine metabolite(s). Intraspecific metabolic variation was significant among the collected population, leading to the identification of four elite chemotypes. Highlights Colchicine is an industrially viable metabolite and is therefore quintessential to the development of an economical and analytical method to regulate the quality of raw material, extract, and finished products.

López-Tirado, Javier (2022): A new variety of Merendera Ramond (Liliaceae): M. montana var. paucitepala var. nov., from south-eastern Spain. Adansonia (3) 44 (2): 11-14, DOI: 10.5252/adansonia2022v44a2

Merendera montana(Loefl. ex L.) Lange var. paucitepala J. L��pez-Tirado, var. nov. (Fig. 1) Merendera montana Lange var. paucitepala var. nov. shows four tepals, four stamens and two carpels, differing from the typical variety M. montana var. montana that shows six tepals, six stamens and three carpels. TYPE. ��� Spain. Andalusia, Ja��n province, Cazorla municipality, Refugio Fuente de Acero, elevation 1500 m, 30SWG1394, 29.VIII.2020, J . L��pez Tirado s.n. (holo-, COA [COA60573]); 10.X.2020, J . L��pez Tirado s.n. (para-, COA [COA60574]). STUDY AREA, HABITAT, PHENOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION. ���The study area is located in south-eastern Iberian Peninsula, Spain, Andalusia region and the Baetic range within Ja��n province (Fig. 2). This area is a limestone formation, ranging the highest points from 2000 to 2100 m a.s.l. It was growing in a pastureland surrounded by some limestone outcrops and shrubs where Pinus nigra Arnold subsp. salzmannii (Dunal) Franco dominates. Regarding phenology, it was mainly blooming in late August and no leaves were found. In the first half of October, only few scattered flowers were present and most of the specimens were only showing leaves. At this moment, this new variety is exclusive from Sierra de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park in Ja��n Province. ETYMOLOGY. ��� The new variety here described as paucitepala refers to the most evident character: the lower number of tepals in comparison with the typical variety. DESCRIPTION Bulbous herb with membranous dark tunic; tunic neck of 1.5-6.8 cm length. Bulb 2.2-3.4 �� 1.5-2.8 cm. Cataphyll apex generally obtuse or truncate, more rarely acute, either not mucronate or up to 2 mm when mucronate. Leaves 3(4) per specimen, 2.8-5.2 cm length and 3-4 mm width. Leaf shape from linear to linear-lanceolate, canaliculate, sometimes with minutely denticulate margin, generally developed after the blooming period. Flowers 1 per bulb, subsessile. Tepals 4, 3.1-5.7 �� 0.4-1 cm, elliptic, more rarely oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, pink, white at the base. Stamens 4, staminal filaments 0.3-0.65 mm length; anthers 1-1.86 cm length, basifixed, yellow, with teaks separated 0.2-0.8 mm at the base. Anther longer than its staminal filament (anther length/ staminal filament length rate = 1.53-5.76). Styles 2, 4.6-9.6 cm length; stigmas 0.3-1.5 �� 0.3-0.8 mm. NOTES Populations of Merendera montana with 4 tepals, 4 stamens and 2 styles were found in south-eastern Andalusia and here described as the new variety M.montana var. paucitepala var.nov. Morphometric parameters of the new variety were compared with the typical one (Rico 2013) and no further differences were detected. Besides the type locality, it was observed near to Tranco del Perro and Refugio Ca��ada Rinc��n within Sierra de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park. It is expected that this variety could be more spread in Ja��n province; surrounding provinces such as Granada and Albacete should be also prospected., Published as part of L��pez-Tirado, Javier, 2022, A new variety of Merendera Ramond (Liliaceae): M. montana var. paucitepala var. nov., from south-eastern Spain, pp. 11-14 in Adansonia (3) (3) 44 (2) on pages 12-14, DOI: 10.5252/adansonia2022v44a2, http://zenodo.org/record/6000877, {"references":["RICO E. 2013. - Merendera Ramond, in CASTROVIEJO S., AEDO C., LAINZ M., MUNOZ GARMENDIA F., NIETO FELINER G., PAIVA J. & BENEDI C. (eds), Flora Iberica. Vol. 20. Real Jardin Botanico, CSIC, Madrid: 97 - 102. https: // www. biodiversitylibrary. org / item / 155647"]}

KEY TO THE IBERIAN MERENDERA RAMOND GENUS (ADAPTED FROM RICO [2013]) 1. Leaves developed at the same time of the blooming period; the wider ones at least of 4 mm. Flowers 1-4(5) per bulb; blooming period from December to March. Anthers 2.8-5.5(6.8) mm, subdorsifixed......................................................................................................................................................... M. androcymbioides Vald��s ��� Leaves generally developed after the blooming period, variable width. Flowers 1(2) per bulb; blooming period from June to December. Anthers (2.5)5-20(25) mm, basifixed.................................................................... 2 2. Leaves (3)5-12 per bulb, underground or aerial when blooming, from acute to subobtuse in the apex; the widest one until 2.8(3.8) mm. Anthers (2.5)5-8(13) mm; stigma 0.1-0.2 �� 0.1-0.2 mm, not or slightly decurrent...................................................................................................................................... M. filifolia Cambess. ��� Leaves 3(4-5) per bulb, generally underground when blooming, from obtuse to truncate, retuse or not in the apex; the widest one at least 3 mm. Anthers (4.2)6.5-20(25) mm; stigma (0.1)0.2-1(1.5) �� (0.1)0.2-0.6(0.8) mm, frequently decurrent............................................................................................................................ 3 3. Tepals 6, stamens 6 and styles 3............................................... M. montana (Loefl. ex L.) Lange var. montana ��� Tepals 4, stamens 4 and styles 2.................................. M. montana var. paucitepala J. L��pez-Tirado, var. nov., Published as part of L��pez-Tirado, Javier, 2022, A new variety of Merendera Ramond (Liliaceae): M. montana var. paucitepala var. nov., from south-eastern Spain, pp. 11-14 in Adansonia (3) (3) 44 (2) on page 12, DOI: 10.5252/adansonia2022v44a2, http://zenodo.org/record/6000877, {"references":["RICO E. 2013. - Merendera Ramond, in CASTROVIEJO S., AEDO C., LAINZ M., MUNOZ GARMENDIA F., NIETO FELINER G., PAIVA J. & BENEDI C. (eds), Flora Iberica. Vol. 20. Real Jardin Botanico, CSIC, Madrid: 97 - 102. https: // www. biodiversitylibrary. org / item / 155647"]}

Monograph The Quiçama National Park (PNQ), located in Luanda Province, Angola, is one of the oldest protected areas in the country. Although some work has been done on the flora of the Park, up to now a comprehensive record of the vascular plant species has been lacking. The objective of the present study was to produce an inventory of the vascular plant diversity of PNQ, as well as to record the types of vegetation in which each species occurs, their habits, uses by local communities, common names, and conservation status. A total of 452 species were recorded, from 285 genera and 85 families. Two species are Pteridophytes, 99 are Monocotyledons, and 351 are Dicotyledons. The two largest families of the PNQ flora are the Fabaceae and the Poaceae. The Park hosts 14 species endemic to Angola, and one of them is restricted to this protected area. Of the 128 species with data on conservation status, 109 are considered of least concern, 13 are vulnerable, and six are endangered. Regarding useful plants, 237 species from 67 families were recorded. Of these, 196 are Dicotyledons and 41 are Monocotyledons. Most of them are used for medicinal purposes, the manufacturing of artefacts, and as sources of food info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Climbers are plants with weak stems that require support to grow upright. This group of plants develops various climbing mechanisms, classified as tendrillar, twiners, scramblers, clinging, adhesive and woody climbers (lianas). Although climbers are predominantly angiosperms, some are ferns, and one gymnosperm member Gnetum is included in this category. The angiosperm families mainly composed of climbers include Cucurbitaceae, Convolvulaceae and Dioscoreaceae. India’s biodiversity includes two regions, the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas. According to the Botanical Survey of India, of approximately 18,000 species of angiosperms in India, 8000 of them are medicinal plants and several of them are climbers. Many climbers are medicinally important and used as herbal remedies in traditional systems of Indian medicine, including Ayurveda, Sidha and Unani. Several active phytochemicals from different parts of these plants are isolated and used as medicine either alone or in combination with other compounds. Unfortunately, many of these plants are under the threat of extinction due to habitat depletion and overexploitation and conservation efforts are required to ensure their long-term stability. In this review, we discuss in vitro propagation and conservation strategies for Indian medicinal climbers from diverse families including Fabaceae, Aristolochiaceae, Asparagaceae, Caesalpiniaceae, Sapindaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Vitaceae, Ranunculaceae, Menispermaceae, Colchicaceae, Apocynaceae, Rubiaceae, Passifloraceae, Stemonaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Cucurbitaceae due to their high medicinal value.

Background and Aims Complex modifications of angiosperm flowers often function for precise pollen placement on pollinators and to promote cross-pollination. We explore the functional significance of the unusually elaborate morphology of Gloriosa superba flowers, which are divided into one hermaphrodite meranthium and five male meranthia (functional pollination units of a single flower). Methods We used controlled pollination experiments, floral measurements, pollen load analyses and visitor observations in four populations of G. superba in South Africa to determine the breeding system, mechanism of pollination and role of flower in the promotion of cross-pollination. Key Results We established that G. superba is self-compatible, but reliant on pollinators for seed production. Butterflies, in particular the pierid Eronia cleodora, were the primary pollinators (>90 % of visitors). Butterflies brush against the anthers and stigma during nectar feeding and pollen is carried on their ventral wing surfaces. Butterfly scales were positively correlated with the number of pollen grains on stigmas. We demonstrate that the styles were orientated towards clearings in the vegetation and we confirm that the highest proportion of initial visits was to hermaphrodite meranthia pointing towards clearings. Conclusions The flower morphology of G. superba results in effective pollen transfer on the wings of butterfly visitors. The style-bearing hermaphrodite meranthium of the flowers orientates towards open spaces in the vegetation, thus increasing the probability that butterflies land first on the hermaphrodite meranthium. This novel aspect of flower orientation is interpreted as a mechanism that promotes cross-pollination.

Wurmbea burrowsii D. Oosthuizen and K. Balkwill and Wurmbea viridiflora D. Oosthuizen and K. Balkwill from Mpumalanga in South Africa are described. Wurmbea burrowsii is restricted to the Mount Anderson Nature Reserve area where it grows in damp to dry grassland on a sandstone substrate. It has a provisional threat status of Vulnerable D2. Wurmbea viridiflora occurs only in the Steenkampsberg in the vicinity of Roossenekal where it grows in wet areas also with a sandstone substrate. It has a provisional threat status of Vulnerable D1, 2. The occurrence of Wurmbea kraussii Baker in the province is verified through the discovery and citation of a specimen. A key to the three species that are now known to occur in the province is provided.

—This study presents the results of four years of observations of Bulbocodium versicolor (Ker-Gawl.) Spreng. populations in Saratov and Volgograd oblast. A low ecological plasticity of the species was established. Although the species is confined to steppe phytocenoses that vary in composition and structure, the morphology of specimens was rather conservative, which can be explained by the homogeneity of the vegetation conditions over the studied part of the range during active vegetation and flowering. It was shown that, in the Lower Volga region, B. versicolor is characterized by a reduced stress component of its life strategy and a low index of size plasticity. The species uses a patient strategy. Under stress conditions at the morphological level, plants react by miniaturizing the traits of the generative sphere, i.e., redistributing efforts from developing the generative sphere to maintaining the vegetative sphere. The ecotopic and phytocenotic tolerance of B. versicolor is manifested as the capacity to retain the occupied territory for a long time and to avoid competition by selection of the range. According to the conservation priority index, the majority of B. versicolor populations in the Lower Volga region are in a state close to endangered and their preservation requires immediate action. The main factors limiting the number of species in the region are probably aridization of climate and direct anthropogenic impact, which is reflected in the conversion of wildlands into arable land. There is no obvious negative impact on the species by intensive grazing and collection in bouquets. This may be attributed to the secluded location of the remaining species’ habitats that makes the species practically inaccessible in the period of massive flowering. This is primarily due to the fact that the remaining habitats of the species are relatively far from settlements and that during the period of mass flowering of the species they are virtually inaccessible to an impact from these factors due to the remote location.

An occurrence of Iphigenia stellata Blatter (Colchicaceae) is reported here as a floral addition to the state of Gujarat, India. A detailed description of the plant with coloured photographs and other relevant information have been provided.

Iphigenia magnifica Ansari & R.S. Rao (Liliales: Colchicaceae), an endemic species of Western Ghats is reported in this communication as a new distributional record for Eastern Ghats from Seshachalam hills of Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh. The present communication provides description of this species along with photographs of habitat, live plant and herbarium specimen, comparison with its allied species, ecology and conservation assessment.

The medicinal plants are utilized globally considering the cheap and chemical free source, but their correct identification and authentication is prerequisite for safety and efficacy of plant-based medicines. The present study encompassed traded medicinal plants (16) with high therapeutic value from diverse families like Brassicaceae, Berberidaceae, Malvaceae, Salicaceae, Myrtaceae, Papilionaceae, Ascelpiadaceae, Colchicaceae, Violaceae, and Vitaceae for detailed microscopic study of characters that is, morphology, pollen shape and sizes, P/E ratio, pore length and width, spine length, colpi dimensions, and exine sculpture pattern. The plants showed noteworthy differences in microscopy of Wattakaka volubilis having pollinia, translator and corpusculum like structures while pores were visible in Colchicum luteum, Alcea rosea, and Hibiscus syriacus. The spines were observed in Centipeda minima, A. rosea, and H. syriacus being dimorphic spines in A. rosea and monomorphic in H. syriacus. The exine sculpturing pattern was reticulate in mostly studied plants however distinctive exine pattern was noted in Berberis aristata and Berberis lyceum. The highest polar diameter, equatorial diameter and exine thickness among studied plants were observed in H. syriacus (161 μm), C. luteum (50 μm) and Vitis jacquemontii (1.10), respectively. Thus, microscopy of medicinal plants in addition to other taxonomic evidence offers a supportive skill in authentication, consequently utilization by local consumers and pharmaceutical industries.

Disporum mishmiensis, sp. nov. is described from Arunachal Pradesh, north-eastern India. A detailed description and colour photographs of D. leucanthum are provided to aid identification. A distribution map, notes on ecology and a key to Indian species are provided.

Reich, Dieter, Gutermann, Walter, Bardy, Katharina, Rainer, Heimo, Raus, Thomas, Sonnleitner, Michaela, Tan, Kit, Lachmayer, Margarita (2021): The type specimens in Eugen von Halácsy´s Herbarium Graecum. Phytotaxa 493 (1): 1-156, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.493.1.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.493.1.1

Colchicine is among the oldest plant natural products (NPs) still used for treating a broad spectrum of human diseases including gout and other articular inflammation disorders. This molecule is synthesized by several herbaceous species related to the Liliaceae family, but in very low quantities in whole plants. As for many pharmaceutical compounds from plants, the production of colchicine still depends on the natural resource from which it is extracted. From the past decade, metabolic engineering has progressively become a credible alternative for the cost-effective large-scale production of several valuable NPs. In the same vein, Nett and colleagues recently reported an unprecedented advance in the field for colchicine. By using a combination of transcriptomics, metabolomics and pathway reconstitution, Sattely's group deciphered a near-complete biosynthetic pathway to colchicine without prior knowledge of biosynthetic genes. Besides constituting a benchmark for the elucidation of natural product biosynthetic pathways, it opens unprecedented perspectives regarding metabolic engineering of colchicine biosynthesis.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Hyperplasia, Tumors and cancers are various forms of proliferative disorders affecting humans. Surgery is the main treatment approach while other options are also associated with adverse effects. There is therefore a need for the development of better alternative therapy that is cost effective and readily available with little or no adverse effect. Some bioactive agents in medicinal plants exhibit their anti-proliferative potential by induction of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPT) opening. Gloriosa superba, a medicinal plant, is folklorically used in the treatment of tumors and cancers. Aim of the study: This study therefore aimed at investigating the effect of ethanol leaf extract of Gloriosa superba (EEGS) on mPT and monosodium glutamate-induced proliferative disorder in some specific tissues using rat model. Materials and methods Isolated rat liver mitochondria were exposed to different concentrations (10, 30, 50, 70 and 90 μg/ml) of EEGS. The mPT pore opening, cytochrome c release, mitochondrial ATPase activity and lipid peroxidation were assessed spectrophotometrically. Caspases 9 and 3 activities were carried out using ELISA technique. Histological assessment of the liver, prostate and uterus of normal and monosodium glutamate (MSG)-treated rats were carried out. Results The results showed significant induction of mPT pore opening, release of cytochrome c, enhancement of mitochondrial ATPase activity, inhibition of lipid peroxidation and activation of caspases 9 and 3 activities by EEGS. The histological assessment revealed the presence of MSG-induced hepato-cellular damage, benign prostate hyperplasia and uterine hyperplasia which were ameliorated by EEGS co-administration. Conclusions These findings suggest that EEGS contains putative agents that can induce apoptosis via induction of mPT pore opening and as well protect against MSG-induced hepato-cellular damage and proliferative disorder in prostate and uterus.

Thirteen compounds were isolated from the methanolic extract of the leaves of Androcymbium palaestinum Baker (Colchicaceae). Of these, three were new, two were new natural products, and eight were known. The new isolated compounds were (+)-1-demethylandrocine (5), (−)-andropalaestine (8), and (+)-2-demethyl-β-lumicolchicone (10), while the new natural products were (+)-O-methylkreysigine-N-oxide (3) and (+)-O,O-dimethylautumnaline (9). Moreover, two known compounds are reported for the first time from this species, specifically (−)-colchicine (11) and (−)-3-demethyldemecolcine (13). The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated using a series of spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques, principally HRESIMS, 1D-NMR (1H and 13C NMR) and 2D-NMR (COSY, edited-HSQC, and HMBC). ECD spectroscopy was used for assigning the absolute configurations of compounds 3, 5, and 10. The cytotoxic activities of the isolated compounds were evaluated using the MDA-MB-435 (melanoma), MDA-MB-231 (breast), and OVCAR3 (ovary) cancer cell lines. Compound 11 was the most potent against all tested cell lines, with IC50 values of 12, 95 and 23 nM, respectively.

Background Gloriosa superba L. (Colchicaceae) is a high-value medicinal plant indigenous to Africa and Southeast Asia. Its therapeutic benefits are well-established in traditional medicines including Ayurveda. It is well known for its natural bioactive compound colchicine which exhibits a wide range of pharmacological activities i.e. rheumatism, gout and was also introduced into clinical practices. The increasing demand as well as its illegal harvesting has brought this valuable plant under threatened category. Methods The present investigation describes a microwave assisted extraction (MAE) strategy coupled with a densitometric-high performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) methodology for the analysis of colchicine from 32 different populations of G. superba. A Box-Behnken statistical design (3 level factor) has been employed to optimize MAE, in which power of microwave, time of irradiation, aqueous ethanol and pH were used as independent variables whereas colchicine was used as the dependent variables. Chromatography was carried out on Silica gel 60 F254 TLC plates with toluene: methanol, 85:15 (v/v) being used as solvent system. Densitometric measurement was performed at λ=254 nm following post-derivatization (10% methanolic sulphuric acid). Results Optimal conditions for extraction to obtain the maximum colchicine yield was found to be 7.51 mg g− 1 which was very close to be predicted response 7.48 mg g− 1 by maintaining microwave power (460 W), irradiation time (6.4 min), aqueous ethanol-30, pH -3. Colchicine content ranged between 2.12–7.58 mg g− 1 among 32 G. superba populations in which only three chemotypes viz. GS- 1, GS- 3, and GS- 2 collected from West Bengal and Sikkim, respectively exhibited maximum yield of colchicine. Conclusion Therefore, this newly developed optimized MAE coupled with HPTLC densitometry methodology not only quantifies colchicine in order to identify elite chemotypes of G. superba, but it also encourages in selecting high yielding populations of the plants for industrial use and economic boost for the farmers. This validated, simple and reproducible HPTLC protocol is being used for the first time to estimate colchicine from natural populations of G. superba obtained from 32 different geographical regions of India. Graphical abstract