Mats Thulin

Inventory of plants used in traditional medicine in Somalia. II: Plants of the families combretaceae to labiatae

Fifty-nine plants are listed, which are used by traditional healers in the central and southern parts of Somalia. For each species are listed: the botanical name with synonyms, collection number, vernacular name, medicinal use, preparation of remedy and dosage. Results of a literature survey are also reported including medicinal use, substances isolated and pharmacological effects.

Vigna (Leguminosae) sensu lato: The names and identities of the American segregate genera

PREMISE OF STUDY The legume genus Vigna and close relatives have highly elaborated floral morphologies that involve the coiling, bending, and intricate connection of flower parts. Banners, levers, platforms, and pumps have evolved that attract pollinators and then manipulate their movement. Given this three-dimensional floral complexity, the taxonomy of Vigna and relatives has been confounded by the study of mostly two-dimensional museum specimens. A molecular phylogenetic analysis was undertaken in the effort to resolve long-standing taxonomic questions centered on floral morphology. METHODS The phylogenetic analysis included cpDNA trnK and nuclear ribosomal ITS/5.8S (ITS) sequence variation. The American species were comprehensively sampled and outgroups included Old World relatives. KEY RESULTS The trnK and ITS data analyses concurred in resolving six well-supported clades of American Vigna that are most closely related to other American genera: Dolichopsis, Macroptilium, Mysanthus, Oryxis, Oxyrhynchus, Phaseolus, Ramirezella, and Strophostyles. These 14 American clades ranked here as genera are resolved as sister to a clade comprising the mainly Old World species of Vigna. CONCLUSIONS American Vigna clades were reassigned to the genera Ancistrotropis, Cochliasanthus, Condylostylis, Leptospron, Sigmoidotropis, and the newly described Helicotropis. Vigna sensu stricto in the Americas now includes relatively few and mostly pantropical species. Elaborate floral asymmetries are readily used to apomorphically diagnose nearly all of the American genera. The age estimates of the extant diversification of the American and its Old World sister clade are approximately coeval at ca. 6-7 million yr, which belies much greater floral variation in the Americas.

Phylogeny of the tribe Antirrhineae (Scrophulariaceae) based on morphological and ndhF sequence data.

Phylogenetic relationships within the tribe Antirrhineae (Scrophulariaceae) are analysed and discussed on the basis of parsimony analyses of morphological andndhF gene sequence data. The results indicate that the tribe Antirrhineae consists of four major groups of genera, theAnarrhinum clade, theGambelia clade, theMaurandya clade, and theAntirrhinum clade. TheAnarrhinum clade, consisting of the Old World bee-pollinated generaAnarrhinum andKickxia, is sister to the rest of the tribe. TheGambelia clade consists of the New World generaGambelia andGalvezia, which are very closely related and pollinated by hummingbirds. TheMaurandya clade consists of one subclade includingMaurandya and a number of related bee- or hummingbird-pollinated New World genera and another subclade with the Old World bee-pollinated generaAsarina andCymbalaria. TheAntirrhinum clade consists mainly of bee-pollinated Old World genera, such asAntirrhinum, Linaria, Chaenorhinum, and their segregates, but also includes the New World generaMohavea andHowelliella, of which the latter is known to be partly pollinated by hummingbirds. It is concluded that hummingbirdpollination has evolved independently within Antirrhineae at least three times from bee-pollinated ancestors.

Relationships of cucumbers and melons unraveled: molecular phylogenetics of Cucumis and related genera (Benincaseae, Cucurbitaceae).

Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) comprises 33 species of annuals and perennials with a major native center of diversity in tropical and southern Africa. The genus includes some economically important and widely grown vegetables such as cucumbers and melons. Monophyly of the genus has been disputed in previous studies, but with only limited sampling. Relationships within Cucumis are thus poorly understood; moreover, the validity of the closely related genera has not been thoroughly tested. The present study was undertaken to test the monophyly of Cucumis and several closely related genera, to test sectional circumscriptions within Cucumis, and to understand the biogeographical history of the genus. We sequenced the nuclear ITS and plastid trnS-trnG regions for 40 ingroup and three outgroup taxa, representing all recognized subgenera and sections. Parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analyses found Cucumella, Oreosyce, Mukia, Myrmecosicyos, and Dicaelospermum nested within Cucumis. The clades recovered within the Cucumis complex in some instances represent the first phylogenetically derived hypothesis of relationships, whereas others correspond to previous subgeneric and sectional classifications. At least four introductions from Africa to Asia, as well as one reintroduction to Africa, are suggested within the Cucumis complex. Cucumis sativus (cucumber) is strongly supported as sister to the eastern Asian C. hystrix, whereas C. melo (melon) is strongly supported as sister to C. sagittatus in southern Africa.

Inventory of plants used in traditional medicine in Somalia. I, Plants of the families acanthaceae-chenopodiaceae

Thirty-eight plants are listed, which are used by traditional healers in the central and southern parts of Somalia. For each species are listed: the botanical name with synonyms, collection number, vernacular name, medicinal use, preparation of remedy and dosage. Results of a literature survey are also reported including medicinal use, substances isolated and pharmacological effects.

Old-New World and trans-African disjunctions of Thamnosma (Rutaceae) : Intercontinental long-distance dispersal and local differentiation in the succulent biome

PREMISE OF THE STUDY The succulent biome is highly fragmented throughout the Old and New World. The resulting disjunctions on global and regional scales have been explained by various hypotheses. To evaluate these, we used Thamnosma, which is restricted to the succulent biome and has trans-Atlantic and trans-African disjunctions. Its three main distribution centers are in southern North America, southern and eastern Africa including Socotra. METHODS We conducted parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses based on chloroplast and nuclear sequence data. We applied molecular clock calculations using the programs BEAST and MULTIDIVTIME and biogeographic reconstructions using S-DIVA and Lagrange. KEY RESULTS Our data indicate a weakly supported paraphyly of the New World species with respect to a palaeotropical lineage, which is further subdivided into a southern African and a Horn of Africa group. The disjunctions in Thamnosma are mostly dated to the Miocene. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the Old-New World disjunction of Thamnosma is likely the result of long-distance dispersal. The Miocene closure of the arid corridor between southern and eastern Africa may have caused the split within the Old World lineage, thus making a vicariance explanation feasible. The colonization of Socotra is also due to long-distance dispersal. All recent Thamnosma species are part of the succulent biome, and the North American species may have been members of the arid Neogene Madro-Tertiary Geoflora. Phylogenetic niche conservatism, rare long-distance dispersal, and local differentiation account for the diversity among species of Thamnosma.

Evidence for a vicariant origin of Macaronesian–Eritreo/Arabian disjunctions in Campylanthus Roth (Plantaginaceae)

The numerous disjunct plant distributions between Macaronesia and eastern Africa-Arabia suggest that these could be the relicts of a once continuous vegetation belt along the southern Tethys, which has been fragmented by Upper Miocene-Pliocene aridification. We tested this vicariance hypothesis with a phylogenetic analysis of Campylanthus (Plantaginaceae), based on nuclear and plastid DNA sequence data. Our results indicate a basal split within Campylanthus giving rise to Macaronesian and Eritreo-Arabian lineages in the Pliocene/Upper Miocene. This is consistent with the vicariance hypothesis, thus obviating the need to postulate trans-Saharan long-distance dispersal. The biogeography of Campylanthus may parallel patterns in other plant groups and the implications for our understanding of the biogeography of northern and eastern Africa, and Arabia are discussed.

Family relationships of the enigmatic rosid generaBarbeya andDirachma from the Horn of Africa region

Barbeya is a monotypic genus in the Horn of Africa and adjacent parts of Arabia. It is usually treated as the familyBarbeyaceae and regarded as an aberrant member ofUrticales. Dirachma, with one species on Socotra and one in Somalia, is usually treated as the familyDirachmaceae, inGeraniales, but a position inMalvales has also been suggested. Analyses of molecular data, from bothrbcL andtrnL-F, indicate thatBarbeya andDirachma are closely related inter se as well as toRhamnaceae andElaeagnaceae. In an analysis based on morphologyBarbeya groups withElaeagnaceae, andDirachma withRhamnaceae andUlmaceae. In a combined molecular and morphological analysisBarbeya is the sister group ofElaeagnaceae andDirachma is the sister group of the wholeBarbeya-Elaeagnaceae-Rhamnaceae clade. However, the support for these arrangements is weak and, rather than mergingBarbeyaceae withDirachmaceae as suggested by the molecular analysis or withElaeagnaceae as suggested by the morphological and combined analyses, it seems best to retain bothBarbeyaceae andDirachmaceae in their present circumscriptions, but in both cases in completely new positions in the angiosperm system. The results are compatible with a new circumscription ofRhamnales comprisingRhamnaceae, Elaeagnaceae, Dirachmaceae andBarbeyaceae.

The botanical origin of Scented Myrrh (Blssabol or Habak Hadi)

It is concluded that the botanical origin of scented myrrh (bissabol or habak hadi), a major article for export from Somalia since ancient times, isCommiphora guidottii (Burseraceae) and notC. erythraea as generally has been presumed. The reasons for the previous confusion are discussed, andan updated synonymy and distribution map forC. guidottii are given.ZusammenfassungDie Stammpflanze der süsse Myrrhe (scented myrrh, bissabol oder habak hadi), ein wichtiger Ausfuhrartikel aus Somalia seit alters her, istCommiphora guidottii (Burseraceae) und nichtC. erythraea als allgemein vermutet ist. Die Gründe der eher Verwirrung sind diskutiert, und eine erneuerte Synonymik und Verbreitungskarte fürC. guidottii sind vorgelegt.

Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Ormocarpum Group (Fabaceae): a New Genus Zygocarpum from the Horn of Africa Region

Abstract The genus Zygocarpum is described with six species formerly of Ormocarpum. This genus is endemic to the Horn of Africa, the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and the island of Socotra. Analysis of combined nuclear ribosomal ITS/5.8S and morphological data reveals that Zygocarpum is strongly supported as monophyletic and the basal-most lineage of a mainly African-Madagascan clade comprising also Ormocarpum, Ormocarpopsis, and Peltiera. A second analysis involving a combination of nuclear ribosomal ITS/5.8S, chloroplast trnL intron, and morphological data reveals some well supported relationships among the species of Zygocarpum. Zygocarpum dhofarense and Z. yemenese, endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, form a sister clade to the central Somalian Z. gillettii. The precise relationships among the other two Somalian species, Zygocarpum rectangulare and Z. somalense, as well as the endemic Socotran Zygocarpum coeruleum, are less certain. The distribution of Zygocarpum, which spans the Gulf of Aden, is considered to be due to a Late Tertiary vicariant event involving the separation of the Arabian Peninsula from continental Africa. Communicating Editor: Aaron Liston