Yukiko Saito

Evidence of three parallel evolutions of leaf dwarfism and phytogeography in Lysimachia sect. Nummularia in Japan and Taiwan

Phylogenetic analyses were performed using nrITS variations of eight species including one variety of the genus Lysimachia sect. Nummularia in Japan and Taiwan, with another 34 Lysimachia species and Glaux maritime obtained from a DNA database. Among the four dwarf-leaf taxa in Japan and Taiwan, L. japonica var. minutissima of Japan and two Taiwanese species were placed into two different clades; and L. liukiuensis of Japan, was positioned outside of these two clades. These results suggest that three independent dwarfism events generated the four dwarf-leaf taxa; and that there were likely multiple migration events from China to Japan and Taiwan.

Taxonomic reconsideration of Disporum luzoniense (Liliaceae s.l.) using flavonoid characters

Phytochemical characters of the plants that have been treated as Disporum luzoniense (Merrill & Merritt 1910) or Disporopsis fuscopicta (Jessop 1979) in the Philippines were compared with those of Disporum kawakamii and Disporopsis fuscopicta in Taiwan. The present phytochemical study revealed that Disporum kawakamii had luteolin, apigenin and chrysoeriol as free state, while these flavonoids were not detected in the Philippine plant and Disporopsis fuscopicta from Taiwan. Moreover, flavone O-glycosides were isolated from Disporum kawakamii, while flavone C-glycoside was isolated from the Philippine plant and Disporopsis fuscopicta from Taiwan. In conclusion, the present study suggests that the Philippine plant is chemotaxonomically related to Disporopsis and this agrees with the taxonomic treatment of Jessop (1979).