P. Fortini

Comparative leaf surface morphology and molecular data of five oaks of the subgenus Quercus Oerst (Fagaceae)

Abstract Comparisons between different data sets are important in taxonomic studies, particularly for complex taxa such as the genus Quercus. However, there is scarce literature on comparative morphological and molecular analyses in oaks. Here we describe an experimental approach based on the correlation between micromorphological features and molecular data in order to characterize and discriminate among five closely related species: Q. robur, Q. petraea, Q. frainetto, Q. pubescens and Q. virgiliana.

Role of micromorphological leaf traits and molecular data in taxonomy of three sympatric white oak species and their hybrids (Quercus L.)

Hybridisation and introgression occur with high frequency in the genus Quercus and interspecific hybrid individuals show patterns of morphological traits that might be influenced in different ways. Micromorphological leaf traits appear to be positive and stable in Quercus species, and by combining genetic and micromorphological analyses, it is possible to compare the patterns of variation in micromorphological leaf traits of pure and hybrid individuals. Trichomes and stomatal traits were examined using scanning electron microscopy at 150–2000 × magnification in sympatric oak species collected in a natural deciduous wood. Q. frainetto, Q. petraea and Q. pubescens appear to have a relatively predictable complement of trichome types. Both the pattern and quantitative values of each micromorphological trait examined (stomata and trichomes) have an important role in identifying hybrids and pure species; putative hybrids show a pattern of trichomes that is a combination of the parental types. These results, combined with the fact that micromorphological traits generally exhibit higher consistency, indicate that this source of information can be an excellent clue to hybridisation and introgression and useful in taxonomical, systematic and evolutionary studies on the European white oaks.

Ethnobotanical study on the medicinal plants in the Mainarde Mountains (central-southern Apennine, Italy)

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE New documentation of the uses of plants in the popular medicine of the Mainarde Mountain, a protected area of the central-southern Apennine characterised by a high floristic richness, is here reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS Field data were collected through semi-structured and open interviews with native People between 2011 and 2014. The plants were identified and vouchers specimens were scanned to create a Virtual Herbarium. The Ethnobotanicity Index (EI), the Relative Importance Index (RI) and the Fidelity Level Index (FL) were calculated. The plant uses surveyed in the study area were compared with those described in medical and ethnobotanical literature. RESULTS Seventy-one interviews were conducted, the age range of the informants was between 21 and 98 years. The inventory included 106 taxa belonging to 45 families; among these, 87 were wild species and 20 were cultivated species. The uses recorded were 429, among these, 69.1% of the uses concerned internal applications to treat digestive system disorders, infections and respiratory system disorders mainly, while 31.9% concerned external applications, especially to treat skin/subcutaneous cellular tissue disorders and injuries. In particular, 17 new uses and 16 unusual and rarely mentioned plants are documented. CONCLUSION The data collected support evidence on traditional uses for plant in the Apennine. Findings from medical flora and from new or rare medical uses reinforce the usefulness of such research efforts.