The first epiphytic species of Valeriana in the world: Valerianarudychazaroi (Caprifoliaceae)

The currently known species of Valeriana are herbs, shrubs, small trees and vines. After 20 years without new species of Valeriana in Mexico, here is described and illustrated the first epiphytic species in the genus. The species was found growing on Quercusglabrescens trees of the cloud forests from central Veracruz in eastern Mexico. It is known and described from very few specimens in the type locality. The most morphologically similar Mexican species are the vines V.naidae and V.subincisa, it was compared. Conservation assessment classifies this species under the Critically Endangered CR B1+B2ab(ii,v) category of the IUCN Red List Criteria.

A comprehensive overview of breeding strategy to improve phenotypic and quality traits in Valeriana jatamansi Jones

Valeriana jatamansi is a high value perennial herb that grows at an altitude of 1000-3000 MASL in the Indian Himalayan Region and is used in the Ayurvedic, Unani and Chinese systems of medicine. The plant extracts and essential oil (EO) obtained from its roots are used in the pharmaceutical, aromatic and flavouring industries. On account of high global annual demand and lack of organized cultivation of this herb, it is mostly collected from the wild causing depletion of the natural populations and also leading to variable produce making it unsuitable for industrial use. Therefore, to promote its cultivation, it becomes imperative to develop varieties with uniformity. Significant variations have been reported in V. jatamansi populations in terms of underground biomass accumulation, essential oil and valepotriates indicating potential of genotypic variability for effective selection. The review focuses on the diversity and variations at inter- and intra-population levels for phenotypic traits, variations for different active constituents and scope of improvement through selective breeding in V. jatamansi. The species has cross-pollinated breeding behaviour on account of floral dimorphism and presents unique opportunities for development of homozygous progeny lines through controlled self/sib-pollination by applying the breeding methods described in the review for population improvement. The germplasm resources of unique and improved selections can be maintained clonally to ensure their true-to-type identity. This review article was framed in the year 2022 after thoroughly studying the literature from the year 1919-2022. The study focuses on the variations in V. jatamansi which could be used to maximize the production through various breeding techniques for biomass and yield of different active constituents to meet the requirements of pharmaceutical and aroma industries.

Intraspecific Variability of Wild-Growing Common Valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.)

Common valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) is an important medicinal plant revealing sedative, hypotensive, anti-spasmodic and anxiolytic activity. The purpose of the study was to determine the intraspecific variability of the common valerian growing wild in Poland and the 'Lubelski' landrace, as to their developmental traits, chemical composition and selected genetic parameters. Both wild-growing populations (19) and the landrace (1) were evaluated under ex situ conditions. Observations of the underground organs parameters, both developmental and chemical (according to the European Pharmacopoeia) were carried out in the first year of the plant's development, while the characteristics of the aboveground organs, followed by the sowing value of seeds (according to the International Seed Testing Association)-in the second year. The genetic analyses were performed using the NGS-DArT-seq method. Results indicate the presence of five different gene pools covering the regions of population's origin, with a gene flow within and between them. A high level of developmental and chemical variabilities among the wild-growing populations was noticed, however without a clear relation to the region of the origin. The mass of underground organs ranged from 107.4 to 403.6 g FW × plant-1 with the content of sesquiterpenic acids at the level of 0.004-0.094%. Population no 18 was distinguished by the highest content of sesquiterpenic acids and the relatively high mass of underground organs, followed by the admixture of the gene pool, typical for the 'Lubelski' landrace. Unlike the 'Lubelski' landrace, the wild-growing populations were characterized by a high amount of an essential oils (3.90 to 10.04 mL/kg), which may be promising from the perspective of their potential use. In turn, the sowing value of the seeds obtained from the populations, expressed as the germinability, was rather low (25.25-62.25%).

Molecular Systematics of Valerianella Mill. (Caprifoliaceae): Challenging the Taxonomic Value of Genetically Controlled Carpological Traits

Valerianella (cornsalad) is a taxonomically complex genus formed by 50–65 annual Holarctic species classified into at least four main sections. Carpological traits (sizes and shapes of achenes and calyx teeth) have been used to characterize its sections and species. However, the potential systematic value of these traits at different taxonomic ranks (from sections to species (and infraspecific taxa)) has not been tested phylogenetically yet. Here, we have assessed the evolutionary systematic value of Valerianella diagnostic carpological traits at different hierarchical ranks and have demonstrated their ability to separate taxa at the sectional level but not at species level for species of several species pairs. A total of 426 individuals (17 species, 4 sections) of Valerianella were analyzed using AFLP and plastid data. Genetic clusters, phylogenetic trees, and haplotype networks support the taxonomic classification of Valerianella at the four studied sectional levels (V. sects. Valerianella, Cornigerae, Coronatae, Platycoelae) but show admixture for ten taxa from five species pairs (V. locusta—V. carinata, V. coronata—V. pumila, V. multidentata—V. discoidea, V. dentata—V. rimosa, V. eriocarpa—V. microcarpa), which are not reciprocally monophyletic. Dating analyses indicate that the Valerianella sections are relatively old (mid-Miocene), while most species diverged in the Pliocene–Pleistocene. A new section Valerianella sect. Stipitae is described to accommodate the highly divergent and taxonomically distinct V. fusiformis type species. Taxonomic treatments that recognize the sectional ranks and that subsume the separate species of each species pair into single species represent a natural classification for Valerianella.

Reconstructing Dipsacales phylogeny using Angiosperms353: issues and insights

PREMISE

Phylogenetic relationships within major angiosperm clades are increasingly well resolved, but largely informed by plastid data. Areas of poor resolution persist within the Dipsacales, including placement of Heptacodium and Zabelia, and relationships within the Caprifolieae and Linnaeeae, hindering our interpretation of morphological evolution. Here, we sampled a significant number of nuclear loci using a Hyb-Seq approach and used these data to infer the Dipsacales phylogeny and estimate divergence times.

METHODS

Sampling all major clades within the Dipsacales, we applied the Angiosperms353 probe set to 96 species. Data were filtered based on locus completeness and taxon recovery per locus, and trees were inferred using RAxML and ASTRAL. Plastid loci were assembled from off-target reads, and 10 fossils were used to calibrate dated trees.

RESULTS

Varying numbers of targeted loci and off-target plastomes were recovered from most taxa. Nuclear and plastid data confidently place Heptacodium with Caprifolieae, implying homoplasy in calyx morphology, ovary development, and fruit type. Placement of Zabelia, and relationships within the Caprifolieae and Linnaeeae, remain uncertain. Dipsacales diversification began earlier than suggested by previous angiosperm-wide dating analyses, but many major splitting events date to the Eocene.

CONCLUSIONS

The Angiosperms353 probe set facilitated the assembly of a large, single-copy nuclear dataset for the Dipsacales. Nevertheless, many relationships remain unresolved, and resolution was poor for woody clades with low rates of molecular evolution. We favor expanding the Angiosperms353 probe set to include more variable loci and loci of special interest, such as developmental genes, within particular clades.

Geometric morphometrics reveals shifts in flower shape symmetry and size following gene knockdown of CYCLOIDEA and ANTHOCYANIDIN SYNTHASE

BACKGROUND

While floral symmetry has traditionally been assessed qualitatively, recent advances in geometric morphometrics have opened up new avenues to specifically quantify flower shape and size using robust multivariate statistical methods. In this study, we examine, for the first time, the ability of geometric morphometrics to detect morphological differences in floral dorsoventral asymmetry following virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). Using Fedia graciliflora Fisch. & Meyer (Valerianaceae) as a model, corolla shape of untreated flowers was compared using canonical variate analysis to knockdown phenotypes of CYCLOIDEA2A (FgCYC2A), ANTHOCYANIDIN SYNTHASE (FgANS), and empty vector controls.

RESULTS

Untreated flowers and all VIGS treatments were morphologically distinct from each other, suggesting that VIGS may cause subtle shifts in floral shape. Knockdowns of FgCYC2A were the most dramatic, affecting the position of dorsal petals in relation to lateral petals, thereby resulting in more actinomorphic-like flowers. Additionally, FgANS knockdowns developed larger flowers with wider corolla tube openings.

CONCLUSIONS

These results provide a method to quantify the role that specific genes play in the developmental pathway affecting the dorsoventral axis of symmetry in zygomorphic flowers. Additionally, they suggest that ANS may have an unintended effect on floral size and shape.

Detecting Hidden Diversification Shifts in Models of Trait-Dependent Speciation and Extinction

The distribution of diversity can vary considerably from clade to clade. Attempts to understand these patterns often employ state-dependent speciation and extinction models to determine whether the evolution of a particular novel trait has increased speciation rates and/or decreased extinction rates. It is still unclear, however, whether these models are uncovering important drivers of diversification, or whether they are simply pointing to more complex patterns involving many unmeasured and co-distributed factors. Here we describe an extension to the popular state-dependent speciation and extinction models that specifically accounts for the presence of unmeasured factors that could impact diversification rates estimated for the states of any observed trait, addressing at least one major criticism of BiSSE (Binary State Speciation and Extinction) methods. Specifically, our model, which we refer to as HiSSE (Hidden State Speciation and Extinction), assumes that related to each observed state in the model are "hidden" states that exhibit potentially distinct diversification dynamics and transition rates than the observed states in isolation. We also demonstrate how our model can be used as character-independent diversification models that allow for a complex diversification process that is independent of the evolution of a character. Under rigorous simulation tests and when applied to empirical data, we find that HiSSE performs reasonably well, and can at least detect net diversification rate differences between observed and hidden states and detect when diversification rate differences do not correlate with the observed states. We discuss the remaining issues with state-dependent speciation and extinction models in general, and the important ways in which HiSSE provides a more nuanced understanding of trait-dependent diversification.