Catuaba (Anemopaegma arvense), a Bignoniaceae species endemic to Cerrado regions, shows anticancer properties and is widely used as a stimulant in traditional medicine. We evaluated the genetic diversity of seven populations found in the State of São Paulo, using random amplified polymorphic DNA markers. After optimization of the amplification reaction, 10 selected primers produced 70 reproduci...

Species identification and characterization in tropical environments is an emerging field in tropical remote sensing. Significant efforts are currently aimed at the detection of tree species, of levels of forest successional stages, and the extent of liana occurrence at the top of canopies. In this paper we describe our use of high resolution imagery from the Quickbird Satellite to estimate the...

Interspecific hybridization in Tecoma Juss. was conducted to develop novel forms for the nursery industry. We report fertile hybrids from the cross T. garrocha Hieron. (pistillate parent) × T. stans (L.) Juss. ex Kunth. Leaf morphology of the F(1) hybrids of T. garrocha × T. stans was intermediate between the parents. GISH also confirmed hybridity. The F(1) hybrids were successfully backcross...

HPLC analyses of phenolics in the stigma of fruit bearing and fruitless plants of Kigelia pinnata syn. K. africana (Bignoniaceae) was made. The HPLC chromatograms showed higher peaks and higher number (9) phenolic compounds in the stigmas of fruitless plants at Agra. On the other hand, the peaks were low and there were only 8 and 7 phenolics in the stigmas of fruit bearing trees at Jammu and De...

Studies based on contemporary plant occurrences and pollen fossil records have proposed that the current disjunct distribution of seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) across South America is the result of fragmentation of a formerly widespread and continuously distributed dry forest during the arid climatic conditions associated with the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), which is known as the mode...

Pyrostegia venusta (Ker Gawl.) Miers is a plant species of the family Bignoniaceae, which is originally endemic to Brazil. It is presently a well-known garden species. It is cultivated on account of its outstanding ornamental features and on its important therapeutic properties. It has been commonly used in the traditional Brazilian medicine as a general tonic, treating many diseases such as sk...

Neotropical parrots forage for various food items such as seeds, fruit pulp, flowers, young leaves, and even arthropods. While foraging, many species wander over large areas that include both open and closed habitats. In this study, I examined parrot foraging activity during a brief synchronous and massive flowering in August 1998 in a tecoma savanna (dominated by Tabebuia aurea) in the souther...