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Aim: The study was carried out to ascertain how Hamelia patens would be valuable in sustaining diversity of beneficial insects. Study Design: Investigative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The insects and plants were processed for identification at the Laboratories of the Department of Animal and Environmental Biology and Plant Science and Biotechnology, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Identification and curation of the insects was done at Insect Museum, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria. The study started in June and ended in September 2018. Methodology: The heights and canopy sizes of the Hamelia patens were measured with range pole and measuring tape. Insects associated with the floral parts of Hamelia patens were collected in the morning (08:00-10:00 am) and in the evening (4:00-06:00 pm) hours, with a sweep net. They were knockdown by pyrethrum insecticide and preserved in a bottle containing 70% ethanol. They were taxonomically grouped and sent to a taxonomist at Insect Museum, Nigeria for species identification. Results: Fifteen (15) insect species were collected on the Hamelia patens; Megachile mephistrophelica (Grib.), Megachile cinta (Fab.), Braunisca bilunta (Enderloein.), Pterandus sp., Lilioceris sp. and Virachola antalus (Hoph.) restricted their visitation on the plants only in the morning hours, Chelonus bifoveolatus (Szepg.) and Chrysolagria nairobana (Borch.) restricted their visitation in the evening hours. The remaining species were continuous on the plants. There was no significant difference (P=.05) between the number of insect species collected on taller plants and shorter ones. There was a significant difference between the insects that visited the plants in the morning and evening hours. Conclusion: The arrival of the insects on the Hamelia patens varied but some were time dependent. The clipping of the plant’s twigs affected the abundance of insects that visit the plant.

This study aimed to characterise the different extracts of the leaves of Hamelia patens Jacq. (Rubiaceae) and to evaluate their antibacterial and antioxidant activities in vitro. Phytochemical screening of the leaf extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols, tannins and carotenoids. The extracts were further characterised with the help of FTIR and UV-VIS spectroscopy. The antibacterial activity was evaluated by agar well diffusion method and the zone of inhibition was measured. 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay was used to evaluate the antioxidant capability of the extract. The extract was found effective in inhibiting the growth of both E. coli and S. aureus at 5 μg/mL concentration. The methanolic extract was also found to scavenge DPPH radicals. Although the extract is found effective in the present study, however, further research is required to evaluate the biological activity in higher experimental models.

Bees are the primary pollinators of many important agricultural crops. Enhancing the suitability of farm landscapes for native pollinators by growing flowering non crop plants is necessary for in-situ conservation of bee pollinators. A study has been conducted to find the role of four different plants, viz., Hamelia patens, Ocimum basilicum, Asystesia sp. and Jacquemontia sp. in the conservation of native bee pollinators. The different species of bees visiting the flowers were Apis cerana, A. florea, Hoplonomia sp., Amegilla zonata, A. confusa and Ceratina hieroglyphica . The diversity indices were higher during morning hours than the afternoon. The number of bees visited per flower, time spent and numbers of flowers visited on Jacquemontia sp. were more compared to other plant species. Biodiversity indices were calculated by using Insect Biodiversity Analysis Portal, which is an online tool to carry out biodiversity analysis and hosted at https://www. nbair.res.in/Biodiversity. The planting of bee-friendly plant species as identified in this study will help support healthy, diverse pollinator and other beneficial insect communities.

Propagation and seedling growth characteristics of five plant species: Duranta repens (Yellow bush), Hamelia patens (Fire bush), Ficus retusa (Yellow ficus), Buxus sempervirens (Boxwood / West indies) and Acalypha wilkesiana (Copper leaf), were examined in the nursery as indices of suitability for use as hedge plants in the landscape. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replicates where the treatments were the plant species. Cuttings were cultivated in polyethylene pots filled with top soil medium. Data collected included: time to rooting, rooting percentage, number of leaves/plant, seedling height and stem girth. They were subjected to analysis of variance and means separated using Least Significant Difference (LSD) at 5% probability level. It took Acalypha wilkesiana , Duranta repens and Hamelia patens species shortest time (21 days) to root while Buxus sempervirens and Ficus retusa took the longest time (28 days) for rooting. Duranta repens species produced the highest rooting percentage (80.5%) at 28 days after planting and the highest number of leaves/plant (15leaves). This study revealed Duranta repens as the easiest to propagate among these species. All plant species evaluated except Ficus retusa are easily propagated in the nursery thus indicating their potential suitability for commercial production in the nursery and use as hedge plants. Duranta repens and Buxus sempervirens are recommended as hedge plant choices based on their ease of propagation and early establishment.

Objectives: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common noncontagious diseases in the world. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) reported that in 2017, approximately 425 million people worldwide suffered from diabetes. Drugs used for diabetes treatment have unwanted side effects, so new safe drugs are needed. Some natural products have antihyperglycemic activity and are less toxic than currently used drugs. In this work, we evaluated the antihyperglycemic activity of extracts of Juglans mollis and Hamelia patens as well as their cytotoxicity through in vitro and in vivo methods.Materials and methods: Five extracts of each plant were subjected to in vitro amylase and glucosidase inhibition tests and subsequently analyzed by the ex vivo everted sac test. Additionally, their in vivo antihyperglycemic activity was evaluated.Results: Each of the extracts of J. mollis and the polar extracts of H. patens showed antihyperglycemic activity in the in vivo model, but in the in vitro model, the extracts showed different effects; some of the extracts inhibited one or both digestive enzymes, and others reduced the absorption of glucose through the intestine.Conclusions: In this article, we contribute to elucidating the antihyperglycemic mechanism of H. patens, and we report for the first time the antihyperglycemic activity of J. mollis and its possible mechanisms of action.

BackgroundIndigenous knowledge of medicinal flora is a baseline for the production of plant based commercial drugs. Current study was planned to explore the ethnomedicinal uses of shrubs in traditional health-care system of District Lahore. This study also aimed to represent the conservation status of these natural resources which are decreasing day by day due to their overexploitation and deforestation.MethodsThe key informants were identified by employing the snowball technique. Data was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 103 informants from different localities (herbal markets, nurseries, gardens) of district Lahore. Collected data about medicinal shrubs were analysed on different data analyses parameters such as relative frequency of citation (RFC), use value (UV), informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL) and relative importance (RI). In addition, SPSS 22 software was used for statistics analysis and interpretation of associations among different studied parameters.ResultsA total of 115 ethnomedicinal shrubs belonging to 50 families were reported to be used against different diseases. The study area was dominated by Fabaceae family (n=10). The RFC ranged from 0.02 (Deutzia scabra and Euonymus japonicus) to 0.85 (Rosa indica) while UV ranged from 0.01 (Cestrum diurnum and Garcinia aristata) to 0.23 (Jasminum grandiflorum and Hamelia patens) and RI ranged from 0.16 (Garcinia aristata) to 43.73 (Tabernaemontana divaricata). Moreover Lawsonia inermis, Piper nigrum, Punica granatum, Rosa indica and Vitis vinifera reported with 100% FL whereas maximum ICF were calculated by gastrointestinal diseases i.e., 0.45. On the basis of cluster analysis ethnomedicinal shrubs were categorized into two groups i.e., high valued and low valued. It was also found that most of the species in high valued group (n=29) were rare in study area due to their over exploitation. This study also documented 104 new use reports for ethnomedicinal shrubs.ConclusionsThis study documented significant indigenous knowledge about ethnomedicinal shrubs used by the local people of District Lahore. This knowledge could be worthwhile in discovering and developing new plant-based drugs. Apart from this, current study also revealed that most valuable medicinal species are declining in their number due to over usage and mismanagement. Conservation strategies for medicinal plants of District Lahore are highly recommended.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major health problem worldwide. In this condition, the organism can produce insulin but becomes resistant to it; thus the insulin is ineffective. High blood glucose levels are a result of insulin resistance and insulin deficiency; they produce diabetes-associated complications such as kidney failure, blindness, cardiovascular disease, and lower-limb amputation. In Guatemala, there were over 752.700 cases of the disease in 2017 with prevalence of 8.4 (IDF, 2017). The use of plants for medicinal purposes has been practiced in the country since pre-Hispanic times. Among the Cakchiquels, the aerial parts of Hamelia patens Jacq., Neurolaena lobata (L.) R.Br. ex Cass., and Solanum americanum Mill. and the cortex of Croton guatemalensis Lotsy are used to treat type 2 diabetes. The aim of the present study was to confirm the hypoglycemic effect of the plants under normal conditions and under maltose and sucrose tolerance tests, as well as to test the activity of the plant extracts in vitro against alpha-glucosidases types I and II. In agreement with the traditional usage of the plants, in normal conditions without a sugar load, the extracts produced a statistically significant hypoglycemic effect similar to the control drug glibenclamide. When the sugar load was maltose, only Croton and Solanum produced a statistically significant (p < 0.05) hypoglycemic effect compared to the control drug, but when the sugar was sucrose, Croton and Hamelia produced a statistically significant effect (p < 0.05) beginning at 30 min compared to the control group, while Solanum did so at 60 min and Neurolaena at 90 min. In vitro assays showed that the extracts inhibited yeast alpha-glucosidases but not the rat intestinal ones. Of the tested plants, Croton exert an effect both under sugars' tests and under a normal tolerance test; these results suggest the potential use of this plant. The results presented here provided evidence based on the use of these plants as hypoglycemic agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

The world health organization reports that 80% of the population living within the developing countries depends basically on traditional medicine for his or her primary health care. Quite half the entire world's population still depends entirely on plants for medicines, and plants provides the active ingredients to the most traditional medical products. Hamelia patens that belong to the family Rubiaceae, is mainly found in tropical and sub-tropical areas. It is used in folk medicine against a wide range of diseases such as athlete’s foot, skin problems, insect sting, psychiatric disorder, rheumatism, headache, asthma, dysentery, menses, ovarian and uterine disorders. Hamelia consists of an important bioactive constituent such as oxindole alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenolic content. Due to the presence of chlorogenic acid and epicatechin constituent in the methanolic extract of Hamelia patens, there is a noticeable anti-hyperglycemic activity as well as it possesses antioxidant activity. Acute and sub-acute toxicity study has been performed on Hamelia patens which shows that it is safe and can be used for humans. Against fungi and bacteria, the ethanol leaf extract of Hamelia has a maximum inhibitory effect. The plant has various therapeutic effects like anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-diarrheal, anthelmintic, antidepressant, hepatoprotective, antiurolithiatic, diuretic, wound healing, and many others. In this article, we have discussed chemical constituent, pharmacological activity and traditional use of Hamelia patens.

The plants examined in this study have previous biological activity reports indicating the possibility of found activity against herpes and cancer cell. The aim of this contribution was to carry out a screening of Juglans mollis (Juglandaceae), Persea americana (Lauraceae), Hamelia patens (Rubiaceae), Salvia texana (Lamiaceae), Salvia ballotaeflora (Lamiaceae), Ceanothus coeruleus (Rhamnaceae), Chrysactinia mexicana (Asteraceae) y Clematis drummondii (Ranunculaceae), against HeLa cells, VHS-1 and VHS-2. The method MTT was used to determine the 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50), in Vero and HeLa cell lines. To determine the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) against herpes, the plaque reduction method was used. Results showed that none of the plants exhibited activity against HeLa cells. About antiherpetic activity, J. mollis and S. ballotaeflora extracts present antiherpetic activity in terms of their SI, increasingly interest for further studies on the isolation of compounds with antiherpetic activity and about the mechanisms of action that produce this activity.

SRB cytotoxicity assay was performed for different extracts of Hamelia patens Jacq. family Rubiaceae; crude flowers (CF), crude leaves (CL), chloroform (Chl.L) and methanol (Me.L) fractions from leaves against liver (HepG-2) and breast (MCF-7) human carcinoma cell lines. Results demonstrated potent cytotoxic action against HEPG-2 for CF, Chl.L and Me.L with IC50 = 47, 30 and 44.4 µg/mL, respectively. On the other hand, CF, CL, Chl.L and Me.L had exerted powerful effect against MCF-7 with IC50 = 23.8, 25.5, 17.7 and 64 µg/mL, respectively. Chromatographic investigation of Me.L , resulted in the isolation and spectroscopic identification of rutin (1), isoquercetin (2) and soyasaponin Bb (3), which is isolated for the first time from the plant leaves and was identified by UPLC/ITMS/MS analysis. Comparative study for using ordinary method versus green methods of extraction was also inspected.

Little is known about the rhizosphere microbiome of the Brazilian pepper tree (BP) – a noxious category 1 invasive plant inducing an enormous economic and ecological toll in Florida. Some invasive plants have been shown to drastically change the soil microbiome compared to other native plants. The rhizobacteria community structure of BP, two Florida native plants (Hamelia patens and Bidens alba) and bulk soils were characterized across six geographical sites. Although all 19 well-known and 10 poorly described phyla were observed in all plant rhizospheres, BP contained the least total bacterial abundance (OTUs) with a distinct bacteria community structure and clustering patterns differing significantly (pCOA and PERMANOVA) from the natives and bulk soil. The BP rhizosphere community contained the highest overall Proteobacteria diversity (Shannon’s diversity 3.25) in spite of a twofold reduction in richness of the Gammaproteobacteria. Remarkably, the invasive BP rhizosphere was highly enriched with Alphaproteobacteria, dominated by Rhizobiales, including Rhodoplanes and Bradyrhizobiaceae. Also, the relative abundance of Spartobacteria under BP rhizosphere was more than twice that of native plants and bulk soil; featuring unique members of the family Chthoniobacteraceae (DA101 genus). The trend was different for the family Pedosphaerae in the phylum Verrucomicrobia where the abundance declined under BP (26%) compared to (33–66%) for the H. patens native plant and bulk soil. BP shared the lowest number of unique phylotypes with bulk soil (146) compared to the other native plants with bulk soil (B. alba – 222, H. patens – 520) suggestive of its capacity to overcome biotic resistance. Although there were no specific biomarkers found, taken together, our data suggests that the occurrence of key bacteria groups across multiple taxonomic ranks provides a somewhat consistent profile of the invasive BP rhizo-community. Furthermore, based on the observed prevalence of a bacteria group (Spartobacteria – Chthoniobacteraceae – DA101); we propose that they have a possible role in BP biology. Our results emphasize the need to further investigate the potential value of “unique phylotypes” in the rhizosphere relative to bulk soil as an ecological tool for monitoring plant-cover/invasion history; or even detecting exotic plants with invasion tendencies.

Context Hamelia patens Jacq. (Rubiaceae) is traditionally used to treat wounds, inflammation and diabetes. However, there is still a lack of scientific evidence to support these applications. Objective The objective of this study is to evaluate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of Hamelia patens, and identify its bioactive compounds. Materials and methods Four extracts were obtained by maceration and liquid-liquid extraction: HEX, DCM-EtOAc, MeOH-EtOAc and MeOH-Aq. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated orally on rat paw carrageenan-induced oedema over 6 h (50, 200 and 500 mg/kg), and topically in mouse ear oedema induced by 12-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) after 4 h (0.5 and 1 mg/ear). We also evaluated myeloperoxidase levels in ear tissue, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging ability, and in vitro α-glucosidase inhibition. The chemical compounds were separated by column chromatography and identified by spectroscopic analysis. Results We found that the oral administration of the HEX extract at 500 and 200 mg/kg significantly decreased the carrageenan-induced inflammation after 1 and 3 h, respectively. The MeOH-EtOAc extract significantly inhibited myeloperoxidase activity (83.5%), followed by the DCM-EtOAc extract (76%), β-sitosterol/stigmasterol (72.7%) and the HEX extract (55%), which significantly decreased oedema induced by TPA at both doses, giving a similar effect to indomethacin. We also found that the MeOH-EtOAc, MeOH-Aq and DCM-EtOAc extracts showed good DPPH scavenging activity (IC50 values of 18.6, 93.9 and 158.2 μg/mL, respectively). The HEX extract showed the lowest α-glucosidase inhibition (an IC50 value of 26.07 μg/mL), followed by the MeOH-EtOAc extract (an IC50 value of 30.18 μg/mL), β-sitosterol/stigmasterol (IC50 34.6 μg/mL) and compound A ((6E,10E,14E,18E)-2,6,10,14,18,23-hexamethyl-2,6,10,14,18,22-tetracosahexaene, an IC50 value of 114.6 μg/mL), which were isolated for the first time from Hamelia patens. Discussion and conclusion Hamelia patens possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities, which support its traditional use. These effects can be attributed to the identified compounds.

Diabetes is one the world’s most widespread diseases, affecting over 327 million people and causing about 300,000 deaths annually. Despite great advances in prevention and therapy, existing treatments for this disorder have serious side effects. Plants used in traditional medicine represent a valuable source in the search for new medicinal compounds.Hamelia patensJacq. has been used for treating diabetes and, so far, no reports have been made on thein vivoantihyperglycemic activity of this plant. The present study onH. patensaimed to test the antihyperglycemic effect of repeated administrations of the crude and fractional methanolic extracts (CME and FME, respectively) on rats with hyperglycemia induced by streptozotocin. After 10 administrations (20 days), each extract had lowered blood glucose to a normal level. The extracts produced effects similar to metformin. Of the five compounds identified by chromatographic analysis of the extracts, epicatechin and chlorogenic acid demonstrated antihyperglycemic effect. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evidenced by their IC50values (51.7 and 50.7 μg/mL, respectively). The LD50≥2000 mg/Kg suggests low toxicity for both CME and FME. Thus, considering that the antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effects of metformin and extracts fromH. patenswere comparable, the latter may be efficacious for treating diabetes.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Type 2 diabetes is characterized by tissue resistance to the action of insulin, combined with a relative deficiency in insulin secretion. In Guatemala, type 2 diabetes results in significant mortality rates. The low incomes of the indigenous population results in the use of alternative therapies such as medicinal plants to treat the illness. We could not find any previous study related to the use of medicinal plants to treat diabetes in Guatemala. The aim of this work is to determine the most effective plant species used in traditional medicine to treat type 2 diabetes. Materials and methods We performed an ethnopharmacological field study among the Cakchiquels of Chimaltenango to select the most prominent plants used to treat the disease. Type 2 diabetic patients from their community health centers were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Two mathematical tools were used to identify potential plant species: the Disease Consensus Index and the Use Value. International databases, including SCOPUS, PubMed, and Google Scholar, were used to identify whether the plants with the highest scores were known to elicit hypoglycemic effects. Results After analyzing the data, we can propose the following plants as the most prominent among the Cakchiquels of Chimaltenango to treat type 2 diabetes: Hamelia patens Jacq., Neurolaena lobata (L.) R.Br.ex Cass., Solanum americanum Mill., Croton guatemalensis Lotsy, and Quercus peduncularis Nee. Conclusions The Cakchiquel patients interviewed did not understand type 2 diabetes; however, they associated the onset of their disease with a negative emotion, such as shock, sadness or anger. Despite changes in lifestyle, influences of advertising, the availability of innovative treatments and the use of oral hypoglycemic treatments provided by health facilities serving indigenous communities, the Cakchiquel continue to use medicinal plants as adjunctive treatment. While they are unaware whether the plants can cause additional harm, they consider their consumption beneficial because they feel better. There were 11 plants identified with UVs greater than 0.5 and high DCIs; from these 64% of the plants have been identified as having hypoglycemic effects; this finding supports the traditional selection by the Cakchiquels of medicinal plants to treat T2D.

Hamelia patens is used in folk medicine in the treatment of nervous shock. The present study deals to evaluate the antidepressant-like effects of chloroform and methanol extracts of H. patens on the performance of male mice and GC-MS profiling of bioactive extract. Mice were given extracts orally in acute doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg daily for 7 days and then subjected to forced swim test, tail suspension test and open field test. Imipramine (10 mg/kg/day, p.o.) and fluxetamine (10 mg/kg/day, p.o.) were used as the standard in forced swim test and tail suspension test respectively. GC-MS profiling of chloroform extract was performed to find out the chemical constituents in bioactive fraction. After one-week treatment, the chloroform extract (100 and 200 mg/kg/day, p.o.) significantly reduced immobility time in forced swim test and tail suspension test (pVideo Clip of Methodology:4 min 06 sec: Full Screen Alternate

The potential role of soil fungi in the invasion of the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius—BP) in Florida is not known; although the low biotic resistance of Florida soils is often invoked to explain the prevalence of many invasive species. To gain an initial insight into BP's mycorrhizal associations, this study examined the rhizobiome of BP and two native plants (Hamelia patens and Bidens alba) across six locations. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated with the roots of the target plants and bulk soil was characterized by spore morphotyping. Sequence analysis of metagenomic DNA from lateral roots/rhizosphere of BP (n = 52) and a native shrub H. patens (n = 37) on the same parcel yielded other fungal associates. Overall, the total population of AMF associated with BP was about two folds greater than that of the two native plants (p = 0.0001) growing on the same site. The dominant AMF under Schinus were members of the common Glomus and Rhizophagus spp. By contrast, the most prevalent AMF in the bulk soil and rhizosphere of the two Florida native plants, Acaulospora spp (29%) was sharply diminished (9%) under BP rhizosphere. Analysis of the ITS2 sequences also showed that Schinus rhizosphere had a high relative abundance of ectomycorrhizal fungi (76.5%) compared to the native H. patens (2.6%), with the species Lactifluus hygrophoroides (Basidiomycota) being the most prevalent at 61.5% (p < 0.05). Unlike the native plants where pathogenic fungi like Phyllosticta sp., Phoma sp., and Neofusicoccum andium were present (8.1% for H. patens), only one potentially pathogenic fungal taxon was detected (3.9%) under BP. The striking disparity in the relative abundance of AMF and other fungal types between BP and the native species is quite significant. Fungal symbionts could aide plant invasion via resource-use efficiency and other poorly defined mechanisms of protection from pathogens in their invaded range. This report exposes a potentially significant but previously unappreciated fungal dimension of a complex invasion system and underscores the need to characterize these fungal symbionts, their role and mode of action during invasion; with the goal of devising measures for invasion control and ecological restoration.

Este estudio se realizó en Cantarranas, Huehuetla, Hidalgo, México, donde el tipo de vegetación dominante es bosque tropical perennifolio. Cantarranas presenta alto grado de marginación, limitado acceso a servicios de salud y pocas oportunidades para incrementar sus ingresos económicos. El objetivo fue planear el aprovechamiento sostenible y conservación de plantas medicinales usadas en la comunidad como una alternativa para resolver problemas ambientales y sociales. Las especies fueron evaluadas con métodos etnobotánicos y ecológicos. Se usaron entrevistas estructuradas para documentar el valor cultural de las especies, nivel de fidelidad, prácticas e intensidad de manejo, usos y padecimientos tratados. La distribución y abundancia se obtuvo con el método de transectos lineales. Las 19 especies evaluadas son usadas para atender 51 padecimientos, los desórdenes gastrointestinales se tratan mayormente mediante las plantas medicinales. Las especies con mayor índice de valor cultural fueron Equisetum myriochaetum (0.69), Psidium guajava (0.37), Jaegeria macrocephala (0.26592) y Costus scaber (0.25496). Hamelia patens registró el mayor nivel de ? delidad (96%), seguida de E. myriochaetum (88%). Los valores de intensidad de manejo fueron más altos en C. scaber (9.2) y P. guajava (9). La densidad poblacional osciló entre 1 y 387 individuos por hectárea, según la especie y forma de vida. Mediante la vinculación sociedad y Universidad, se desarrolló e impartió un diplomado para los miembros de la comunidad, relacionado con el uso y aprovechamiento sostenible de plantas medicinales. Se constituyó una Sociedad Cooperativa con mujeres de la comunidad, ellas trabajan en la conservación y aprovechamiento sostenible de plantas medicinales.

Hamelia patens Jacq. of Rubiaceae is a medicinal shrub. The aqueous leaf, flower and fruit extracts were tested for antifungal potentials against Aspergillus fumigatus NCBT 112, Candida albicans NCBT 140, Fusarium oxysporum NCBT 156 and Rhizoctonia solani NCBT 194. The leaf and fruit extracts at 10.0% concentration resulted 100% growth inhibition for A. fumicatus as well as for C. albicans. The leaf, flower and fruit extracts at 10.0% concentration revealed 100% growth inhibition for F. oxysporum and R. solani. The fruit extract at 5.0% inhibited 100% growth in F. oxysporum and the same concentration of leaf extract inhibited 100% growth in R. solani. The 100% inhibition of leaf, flower and fruit aqueous extract can be comparable with positive control (Control-1) with bavistin 0.5% concentration.

Studies of the anther transcriptome on non-model plants without a known genome are surprisingly scarce. RNA-Seq and digital gene expression (DGE) profiling provides a comprehensive approach to identify candidate genes contributing to developmental processes in non-model species. Here we built a transcriptome library of developing anthers of Hamelia patens and analysed DGE profiles from each stage to identify genes that regulate tapetum and pollen development. In total 7,720 putative differentially expressed genes across four anther stages were identified. The number of putative stage-specific genes was: 776 at microspore mother cell stage (MMC), 807 at tetrad stage (TET), 322 at uninucleate microspore stage (UNM) and the highest number (1,864) at bicellular pollen stage (BCP). GO enrichment analysis revealed 243 differentially expressed and 108 stage-specific genes that are potentially related to tapetum development, sporopollenin synthesis and pollen wall. The number of expressed genes, their function and expression profiles were all significantly correlated with anther developmental processes. Overall comparisons of anther and pollen transcriptomes with those of rice and Arabidopsis together with the expression profiles of homologs of known anther-expressed genes, revealed conserved patterns and also divergence. The divergence may reflect taxon-specific differences in gene expression, the use RNA-seq as a more sensitive methodology, variation in tissue composition and sampling strategies. Given the lack of genomic sequence, this study succeeded in assigning putative identity to a significant proportion of anther-expressed genes and genes relevant to tapetum and pollen development in H. patens. The anther transcriptome revealed a molecular distinction between developmental stages, serving as a resource to unravel the functions of genes involved in anther development in H. patens and informing the analysis of other members of the Rubiaceae.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Every year between 1.2 and 5.5 million people worldwide are victims of snakebites, with about 400,000 left permanently injured. In Central America an estimated 5500 snakebite cases are reported by health centres, but this is likely to be an underestimate due to unreported cases in rural regions. The aim of this study is to review the medicinal plants used traditionally to treat snakebites in seven Central American countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. Materials and methods A literature search was performed on published primary data on medicinal plants of Central America and those specifically pertaining to use against snakebites. Plant use reports for traditional snakebite remedies identified in primary sources were extracted and entered in a database, with data analysed in terms of the most frequent numbers of use reports. The scientific evidence that might support the local uses of the most frequently reported species was also examined. Results A total of 260 independent plant use reports were recorded in the 34 sources included in this review, encompassing 208 species used to treat snakebite in Central America. Only nine species were reported in at least three studies: Cissampelos pareira L., Piper amalago L., Aristolochia trilobata L., Sansevieria hyacinthoides (L.) Druce, Strychnos panamensis Seem., Dorstenia contrajerva L., Scoparia dulcis L., Hamelia patens Jacq., and Simaba cedron Planch. Genera with the highest number of species used to treat snakebite were Piper , Aristolochia , Hamelia , Ipomoea , Passiflora and Peperomia . The extent of the scientific evidence available to understand any pharmacological basis for their use against snakebites varied between different plant species. Conclusion At least 208 plant species are traditionally used to treat snakebite in Central America but there is a lack of clinical research to evaluate their efficacy and safety. Available pharmacological data suggest different plant species may target different symptoms of snakebites, such as pain or anxiety, although more studies are needed to further evaluate the scientific basis for their use.

This study was performed in the Tropical Plant Resources Research Center of Korea National Arboretum to assess the effects of natural enemy attack on aphid population feeding on tropical plants. W e measured the density of leaf-feeding aphids, Myzus persicae and Aphis gossypii , cohabiting with 5 types of tropical plants at intervals of approximately 2 weeks after introducing their natural enemy, Aphidius colemani. The density of aphids cohabiting with 4 types of tropical plants- Sanchezia parvibracteata, Hibiscus rosa-chinensis, Ficus kurzii, and Aloysia triphylla- started decreasing after 2 weeks of observation and was completely in control after 4 weeks of observation; however, the density of aphids cohabiting with the tropical plant, Hamelia patens , increased during 22 weeks of observation but decreased after the 23 rd week of observation. W e suggest that a banker plant is necessary for the maintenance of A. colemani in tropical greenhouses, and monitoring studies on H. patens , which was weakest against the aphids, should be performed. Our results indicate that biological pest management

1. Neotropical organisms have evolved in an environment of relatively low temporal variation in food availability, but when neotropical forests are converted to agriculture, the temporal patchiness of food resources is increased. Plant species with a continuous (i.e. steady-state) flowering/fruiting phenology are unique to the tropics and may more evenly distribute food resources temporally in agroecosystems. 2. Here, we test the effects of an experimentally planted supplemental steady-state floral resource, Hamelia patens Jacq., on bee diversity and pollination services in coffee agroforests. In addition, we evaluate effects of the steady-state resource during low-density and mass coffee blooms. 3. Malaise trap data indicated that bee species density was significantly higher in coffee agroforests with the supplemental steady-state floral resources [11.89 ± 1.62 (SE)] compared to those without (8.88 ± 1.10). 4. The steady-state floral resource had a negative impact on native bee visits to coffee flowers and a positive impact on Apis mellifera visits to coffee flowers (e.g. during low-density blooms agroforests with steady-state resources had 76% fewer native bee and 130% more A. mellifera visits to coffee flowers). Although coffee initial fruit set rates were higher across all agroforests during low-density blooms (0.74 ± 0.03) compared to the mass bloom (0.59 ± 0.03), steady-state floral resources did not affect initial fruit set rates (Z = −1.05, P = 0.29). 5. Our results suggest that plants with a steady-state phenology can provide more reliable resources for bees, supporting the conservation of wild bees in agroforests. However, steady-state flowering may draw native bees away from the focal crop, especially during low-density flowering.

Lime Sizzler firebush (Hamelia patens Grelmsiz) is an ornamental landscape shrub that is cultivated in USDA hardiness zones 8 to 11 (Polanco 2015). It is popular because of its lime-colored foliage and its red-orange flowers. In the summer of 2016, dark necrotic leaf spots were observed on Lime Sizzler plants being produced in Florida. Isolations on nutrient agar from symptomatic tissue consistently yielded smooth, yellow, butyrous colonies of gram negative bacteria. Two strains of the bacterium, X1963 and X1964, were selected for further identification and characterization using fatty acid methyl esters analyses with the MIDI identification system (Sherlock version 6.2B, Microbial ID, Newark, DE), partial 16S rDNA, and gyrB gene sequencing. Using MIDI, the two strains had similarity indexes of 0.870 and 0.812 for Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citrumelo and X. axonopodis pv. manihotis, respectively. For partial 16S rRNA and gyrB sequencing, we used primers and amplification protocols recommended by Ah-You et al. (2009). For both strains, sequences of 16S rRNA were identical. Similarly, sequences of gyrB gene were also identical for both strains. When using 16S rRNA and gyrB sequences in the National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) BLAST of the nucleotide collection/nonredundant (nt/nr) database, 99% identity with a number of Xanthomonas spp. was found. The 16S rRNA and gyrB sequences were deposited in the NCBI nucleotide database under accession numbers MH591441 and MH681992, respectively. To satisfy Koch’s postulates, the two strains were inoculated on 10 plants each of three Hamelia species: H. patens Grelmsiz (Lime Sizzler firebush), nonnative H. cuprea, dwarf firebush, and native H. patens var. patens (Ahmad et al. 2012). Plants were approximately 15 cm in height with 15 to 25 leaves per plant. Inoculations were done in a greenhouse with temperatures between 21 and 32°C and light levels between 9,688 and 12,917 lm/m². Suspensions of each strain were sprayed on plants to run-off at a concentration of 1 × 10⁸ CFU/ml. Plants were bagged for 24 h to raise humidity to aid infection. Within 2 weeks, leaf spots developed on all three Hamelia varieties. The same characteristic leaf spots yielded the same type of colony as the one originally inoculated and the identical 16S rRNA sequence. Inoculation experiments were repeated with the same results. To our knowledge, this is the first report of bacterial leaf spot on H. patens caused by Xanthomonas sp.