Although plastid genomes of flowering plants are typically highly conserved regarding their size, gene content and order, there are some exceptions. Ericaceae, a large and diverse family of flowering plants, warrants special attention within the context of plastid genome evolution because it includes both non-photosynthetic and photosynthetic species with rearranged plastomes and putative losse...

We used herbarium specimens of Silene virginica, S. caroliniana, S. rotundifolia, and S. latifolia to survey the incidence of anther-smut disease (caused by Microbotryum violaceum sensu lato) in the eastern USA. We found no evidence of a collector bias against diseased specimens. Diseased specimens were frequently found in collections of S. virginica and S. caroliniana, but not in those of S. r...

Mature stomata of four mangrove taxa of different families reveal three distinct types of stomatal complex on abaxial surfaces, such as diacytic (in Acanthus ilicifolius), anomocytic (in Aegialitis rotundifolia and Xylocarpus granatum), and paracytic (in Ceriops decandra). In transverse section, there is a beak-like cuticular outgrowth overarching the stomatal pore either at the outer side or a...

This paper addresses new developments in the ongoing proof mining programme, i.e. the use of tools from proof theory to extract effective quantitative information from prima facie ineffective proofs in analysis. Very recently, the current authors developed a method of extracting rates of metastability (as defined by Tao) from convergence proofs in nonlinear analysis that are based on Banach lim...

The utility of DNA barcoding for identifying representative specimens of the circumpolar tree genus Fraxinus (56 species) was investigated. We examined the genetic variability of several loci suggested in chloroplast DNA barcode protocols such as matK, rpoB, rpoC1 and trnH-psbA in a large worldwide sample of Fraxinus species. The chloroplast intergenic spacer rpl32-trnL was further assessed in ...

European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) is currently battling an onslaught of ash dieback, a disease emerging in the greater part of its native area, brought about by the introduction of the ascomycete Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (= Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus). The closely-related fungus Hymenoscyphus albidus, which is indigenous to Europe, is non-pathogenic when in contact with F. excelsior, but could ...

Les phytophotodermatoses sont des éruptions cutanées engendrées par le contact avec une substance végétale et exagérées lors de l'exposition au rayonnement solaire. Elles sont dues à la présence de furocoumarines (psoralènes, xanthotines, bergaptènes) dans la plante et font intervenir deux mécanismes de photosensibilisation cutanée : photo-toxicité ou photo-allergie. Nous rapportons une observa...

− Pancreatic lipase digests dietary fats by hydrolysis, which is a key enzyme for lipid absorption. Therefore, reduction of fat absorption by the inhibition of pancreatic lipase is suggested to be a therapeutic strategy for obesity. We previously reported coumarins and secoiridoids of Fraxinus rhynchophylla as inhibitory constituents on adipocyte differentiation. Further investigation on F. rhy...