Ant Pollination of the Perennial Herb Blandfordia grandiflora (Liliaceae)

Oikos ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Ramsey
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Herb ◽  
Ant Pollination ◽  
Blandfordia Grandiflora

Flowering of Blandfordia grandiflora (Christmas bells) in response to fire frequency and temperature

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 449
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Griffith ◽  
Susan Rutherford
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rates ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Perennial Herb ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Frequency Effect ◽  
High Survival ◽  
Flowering Response ◽  
Flowering Season ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Blandfordia Grandiflora

Blandfordia grandiflora (Blandfordiaceae) is a resprouting perennial herb in wet heathland of coastal and tableland habitats on mainland eastern Australia. It has attractive turbinate flowers of considerable horticultural value. Blandfordia grandiflora is reported to have an enhanced flowering response in the first post-fire flowering season, and management prescriptions advocate frequent fire as beneficial for the species. Nonetheless, the present study appears to be the first to document the flowering response and fate of individual plants exposed to a range of fire frequencies (3-, 6- and 9-year intervals) over an extended period. We also examined the flowering response in unburnt habitat. High survival rates (>95%) were observed for B. grandiflora plants in heathland that had remained unburnt for a minimum of 30 years. Flowering after experimental burns was found to peak in the second post-fire flowering season rather than the first, and there was no clear fire frequency effect. Maximum levels of flowering during the second post-fire season reached 38 to 56% of individuals, although in some years post-fire flowering during this peak season was as low as 23%. Comparatively few plants flowered during the second-year peak season after every fire, and ~34% of individuals in both the 6- and 9-year burn treatments failed to flower at any time. Inter-fire flowering was also observed, and in some instances this flowering was not significantly different to the level achieved during the peak post-fire flowering season. For example, ~9% of individuals flowered 5–7 times over a 12-year period despite being burnt on only four occasions. Flowering after vernalisation (winter-chilling) was observed in unburnt heathland, and the level of this response was not significantly different to peak post-fire flowering in some years. The findings are examined in the context of evolutionary and habitat processes within a climate change framework. Future studies should focus on the complex interactions between climate, fire and soil for not only B. grandiflora, but more importantly for the diverse assemblage of plant species in wet heathland.

Momordica balsamina L.: An Appraisal on Morphology, Ecological Diversity, Phytochemistry, Pharmacological and Biotechnological Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 06 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saheed Sabiu ◽  
Christiana Eleojo Aruwa ◽  
Viresh Mohanlall ◽  
Himansu Baijnath
Keyword(s):  
Relevant Information ◽  
Perennial Herb ◽  
Biotechnological Applications ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Toxicological Data ◽  
Human Disorders ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Baseline Information ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Bioactive Agents

Background: Momordica balsamina L. is a monoecious climbing vine and perennial herb native to the tropical regions of Asia, Arabia and the Caribbean, and with prominent presence in Nigeria, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and Southern African provinces. While evidence of its anecdotal usage as medicine exist, scientific reports complementing the claims are still emerging or at their infancy. Objective: This review appraised the morphology, therapeutic and biotechnological significance of M. balsamina. Method: Online resources such as Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect and MeSH were utilized for literature search and included relevant information from inception till May 2020 to streamline sought outcomes for in-depth discussion. Results: The data gathered and considered worthy of inclusion in this study revealed that M. balsamina is rich in phytonutrients of medicinal significance with cucurbitane-type triterpenoids, balsamin and momordins well characterized and fully elucidated. These compounds and other novel bioactive agents in M. balsamina have found remarkable pharmacological relevance and could further be harnessed for use against several debilitating human disorders. Conclusion: The potential applications of M. balsamina as nutraceutical and pharmaceutical agent should not be undermined. Also, with the inadequate toxicological data on this wild species, its consumption should be with caution and translational studies that could advance scientific knowledge and aid better understanding of both its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics without sidelining its potent biotechnological applications are highly encouraged. It is hoped that this paper will provide baseline information that could serve as a guide and inspiration for further studies on the prospects of M. balsamina.

scholarly journals Zingiber zerumbet(L.) Smith: A Review of Its Ethnomedicinal, Chemical, and Pharmacological Uses

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Yob ◽  
S. Mohd. Jofrry ◽  
M. M. R. Meor. Mohd. Affandi ◽  
L. K. Teh ◽  
M. Z. Salleh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Biological Evaluation ◽  
Perennial Herb ◽  
Zingiber Zerumbet ◽  
Tropical Countries ◽  
Traditional Uses ◽  
Worm Infestation

Zingiber zerumbetSm., locally known to the Malay as “Lempoyang,” is a perennial herb found in many tropical countries, including Malaysia. The rhizomes ofZ. zerumbet, particularly, have been regularly used as food flavouring and appetizer in various Malays' cuisines while the rhizomes extracts have been used in Malay traditional medicine to treat various types of ailments (e.g., inflammatory- and pain-mediated diseases, worm infestation and diarrhea). Research carried out using differentin vitroandin vivoassays of biological evaluation support most of these claims. The active pharmacological component ofZ. zerumbetrhizomes most widely studied is zerumbone. This paper presents the botany, traditional uses, chemistry, and pharmacology of this medicinal plant.

scholarly journals Botanical Control of Citrus Green Mold and Peach Brown Rot on Fruits Assays Using a Persicaria acuminata Phytochemically Characterized Extract

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 425
Author(s):  
Melina G. Di Liberto ◽  
Gisela M. Seimandi ◽  
Laura N. Fernández ◽  
Verónica E. Ruiz ◽  
Laura A. Svetaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Model ◽  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Brown Rot ◽  
Phytopathogenic Fungi ◽  
Perennial Herb ◽  
Huh7 Cells ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy

Persicaria acuminata (Polygonaceae) is a perennial herb that grows in the central area of Argentina and it is commonly used by native populations to heal infected wounds and other conditions related to fungal infections. In this article, we explored the in vitro antifungal activity of its ethyl acetate extract against a panel of three fruit phytopathogenic fungi including: Penicillium digitatum, P. italicum, and Monilinia fructicola. The sesquiterpenes isolated from the extract were also evaluated against these strains, demonstrating that the dialdehyde polygodial was the responsible for this activity. In order to encourage the use of the extract rather than the pure compound, we displayed ex vivo assays using fresh oranges and peaches inoculated with P. digitatum and M. fructicola, respectively, and subsequently treated by immersion with an extract solution of 250 and 62.5 µg/mL, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the treatments with commercial fungicides and the extract over the control of both fruit rots. The concentration of the active compound present in the extract used on fruit experiments was determined by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy. Finally, cytotoxicity evaluation against Huh7 cells showed that P. acuminata extract was less cytotoxic than the commercial fungicides at the assayed concentrations. After these findings we could conclude that a chemically characterized extract of P. acuminata should be further developed to treat fungal diseases in fruits from an agro-ecological model.

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