Stanley L. Welsh

Taxonomic implications of diterpene alkaloids in three toxic tall larkspur species (Delphinium spp.)

The diterpene alkaloid content was used to assess the chemical taxonomic diversity in three larkspur species. Samples (n=163) were collected from 18 different locations in five western states, extracted and analyzed for diterpene alkaloids using electrospray mass spectrometry. The data were statistically analyzed using canonical discriminant analysis and analysis of variance. Delphinium glaucum samples were easily grouped and were significantly different from all other groups (P<0.005) for two compounds. Delphinium barbeyi and Delphinium occidentale were found to be distinct groups, but more closely related. Samples representing a putative hybrid between D. barbeyi and D. occidentale were found to be closely related to D. occidentale, but were significantly different from all other groups. These data support the classification of D. glaucum, D. barbeyi, and D. occidentale as distinct species and suggest that a possible hybrid is more similar to D. occidentale than D. barbeyi.

New taxa of western plants-in tribute

This paper is presented in tribute to Rupert C. Barneby on the occasion of his seventieth year. Described as new areArtemisia norvegica var.picetorum Welsh & Goodrich,Astragalus lentiginosus var.higginsii Welsh & Thorne,Cirsium barnebyi Welsh & Neese,Cymopterus beckii Welsh & Goodrich,Machaeranthera kingii var.barnebyana Welsh & Goodrich,Thelypodiopsis barnebyi Welsh & Atwood,Xanthocephalum petradoria Welsh & Goodrich, andXylorhiza cronquistii Welsh & Atwood.

A swainsonine survey of North American Astragalus and Oxytropis taxa implicated as locoweeds.

Swainsonine, an indolizidine alkaloid with significant physiological activity, is an α-mannosidase and mannosidase II inhibitor that causes lysosomal storage disease and alters glycoprotein processing. Swainsonine is found in a number of plant species worldwide, and causes severe toxicosis in livestock grazing these plants, leading to a chronic wasting disease characterized by weight loss, depression, altered behavior, decreased libido, infertility, and death. Swainsonine has been detected in 19 Astragalus and 2 Oxytropis species in North America by thin layer chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and a jack bean α-mannosidase inhibition assay. In addition, 5 species in North America are presumed to contain swainsonine based upon reports from field cases. Many of these plant species have not been analyzed for swainsonine using modern instrumentation such as gas or liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. To provide clarification, 22 Astragalus species representing 93 taxa and 4 Oxytropis species representing 18 taxa were screened for swainsonine using both liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Swainsonine was detected in 48 Astragalus taxa representing 13 species and 5 Oxytropis taxa representing 4 species. Forty of the fifty-three swainsonine-positive taxa had not been determined to contain swainsonine previously using liquid or gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The list of swainsonine-containing taxa reported here will serve as a reference for risk assessment and diagnostic purposes.

A new species of Townsendia (Compositae) from Utah

An endemic, yellow ray-flowered species ofTownsendia is described asT. aprica from Sevier Co., Utah. It is apparently most closely related toT. montana Nutt. of western Montana and Wyoming south to southern Utah andT. mensana M. E. Jones of northern and western Utah and adjacent Nevada.

Profiling of Dehydropyrrolizidine Alkaloids and their N-Oxides in Herbarium-Preserved Specimens of Amsinckia Species Using HPLC-esi(+)MS

Species of the Amsinckia genus (Boraginaceae) are known to produce potentially hepato-, pneumo-, and/or genotoxic dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids. However, the taxonomic differentiation of Amsinckia species can be very subtle and there seems to be marked differences in toxicity toward grazing livestock. Methanol extracts of mass-limited leaf samples from herbarium specimens (collected from 1899 to 2013) of 10 Amsinckia species and one variety were analyzed using HPLC-esi(+)MS and MS/MS for the presence of potentially toxic dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids and/or their N-oxides. Dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids were detected in all specimens examined ranging from about 1 to 4000 μg/g of plant. Usually occurring mainly as their N-oxides, the predominant alkaloids were the epimeric lycopsamine and intermedine. Also sometimes observed in higher concentrations were the 3′- and 7-acetyl derivatives of lycopsamine/intermedine and their N-oxides. Within a designated species, an inconsistent profile was often observed that may be due to natural variation, taxonomic misassignment, or nonuniform degradation due to plant collection and storage differences.

Pediomelum Rydberg (Leguminosae) in Arizona and two previously undescribed species

ABSTRACT. Examination of specimens of Pediomelum in the Brigham Young University Stanley L. Welsh Herbarium (BRY), and others obtained on loan from the Northern Arizona University Deaver Herbarium (ASC), the Arizona State University Herbarium (ASU), and the University of Arizona Herbarium (ARIZ), allows for substantial reevaluations of the species in Arizona and for description of 2 previously undescribed species. Pediomelum verdiensis S.L. Welsh and M. Licher is described as a new species from substrate derived from the Tertiary Verde Formation, Verde Valley, north central Arizona. Pediomelum pauperitense S.L. Welsh, M. Licher, and N.D. Atwood is described as a new species from outcrops of Paleozoic limestone near Poverty Mountain, Coconino County, Arizona, north of the Grand Canyon. For the species of Pediomelum in Arizona, we include a summary revision, a key to the taxa, and a list of specimens examined for study.

A Screen for Swainsonine in Select North American Astragalus Species

Swainsonine is found in several plant species worldwide, and causes severe toxicosis in livestock grazing these plants, leading to a chronic condition characterized by weight loss, altered behavior, depression, decreased libido, infertility, and death. Swainsonine has been detected in 13 North American Astragalus species of which eight belong to taxa in four taxonomic sections, the Densifolii, Diphysi, Inflati, and Trichopodi. These sections belong to two larger groups representing several morphologically related species, the Pacific Piptolobi and the small‐flowered Piptolobi. The objective of this study was to screen the other 31 species for swainsonine in sections Densifolii, Diphysi, Inflati, and Trichopodi previously not known to contain swainsonine. Furthermore, to broaden the scope further, 21 species within the 8 sections of the Pacific Piptolobi and the small flowered Piptolobi were screened for swainsonine. Swainsonine was detected for the first time in 36 Astragalus taxa representing 29 species using liquid and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Several taxonomic sections were highly enriched in species that contain swainsonine while others were not. A systematic examination for swainsonine in these species will provide important information on the toxic risk of these species and may be a valuable reference for diagnosticians and land managers.

A Distinctive New Taxon: Gilia karenae (Polemonaceae)

Abstract. Described is Gilia karenae Kass & S.L. Welsh from Emery County, Utah.

NEW PLANT TAXA FROM COLORADO, NEW MEXICO, AND ARIZONA

ABSTRACT. Descriptions of previously undescribed taxa are provided for plant taxa from Colorado (Phacelia), New Mexico (Phacelia; Mentzelia), and Arizona (Xylorhiza).

Obituary: Wilmer Webster Tanner, 1909–2011

On 28 October 2011, two months short of his 102nd birthday, Dr. Wilmer W. Tanner passed away, leaving a lifetime of accomplishments. His most enduring achievement was his marriage to Helen Brown on 4 January 1935, which resulted in a family consisting of Lynn, David, and Mary Ann. Helen died in 1995, following 60 years of marriage. At age 90, Wilmer, always an optimist, married again, to Otella Tyndal Devey, who died in 1999. Wilmer was a caring person, who showed consideration and kindness throughout his life to each of his wives and to his 3 children, 10 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren. Wilmer considered his posterity to be his greatest legacy. He was proud of them! Wilmer’s career success came about in large part because of the sacrifices and hard work of Helen and the children. Wilmer was born 17 December 1909 in Fairview, Utah, the fourth of five children. His parents were John Myron and Lois Ann Tanner, descendants of early Utah pioneers, who resided on a ranch in the open and meadowbottomed valley at Indianola in Sanpete County. They had 5 children: Vasco, Ray, Laura, Wilmer, and Jean. Wilmer attended public schools in Sanpete County, Utah. Following graduation from high school, he served as a missionary between 1929 and 1932 for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Netherlands, where he learned Dutch by immersion, there being no language training prior to the mission. Upon his return to Utah, he attended Brigham Young University (BYU), where he earned a B.A. degree in 1936, and an M.S. degree in 1937. His earliest publications dealing with snakes date from 1939 and give indication of a life-long interest in herpetology. Economic conditions of the time were difficult. Helen Western North American Naturalist 72(1),