Once more unto the breach, dear friends: Resolving the origins and relationships of the Pellaea wrightiana hybrid complex

PREMISE

The taxonomic status of Wright's cliff brake fern, Pellaea wrightiana, has been in dispute ever since it was first described by Hooker in 1858. Previously published evidence suggested that this "taxon" may represent a polyploid complex rather than a single discrete species, a hypothesis tested here using a multifaceted analytical approach.

METHODS

Data derived from cytogenetics, spore analyses, leaf morphometrics, enzyme electrophoresis, and phylogenetic analyses of plastid and nuclear DNA sequences are used to elucidate the origin, relationships, and taxonomic circumscription of P. wrightiana.

RESULTS

Plants traditionally assigned to this taxon represent three distinct polyploids. The most widespread, P. wrightiana, is a fertile allotetraploid that arose through hybridization between two divergent diploid species, P. truncata and P. ternifolia. Sterile triploids commonly identified as P. wrightiana, were found to be backcross hybrids between this fertile tetraploid and diploid P. truncata. Relatively common across Arizona and New Mexico, they are here assigned to P. ×wagneri hyb. nov. In addition, occasional sterile tetraploid plants assigned to P. wrightiana are shown here to be hybrids between the fertile allotetraploid and the tetraploid P. ternifolia subsp. arizonica. These tetraploid hybrids originated independently in two regions of parental sympatry (southern Arizona and west Texas) and are here assigned to P. ×gooddingii hyb. nov.

CONCLUSIONS

Weaving together data from a diversity of taxonomic approaches, we show that plants identified as P. wrightiana represent three morphologically distinguishable polyploids that have arisen through repeated hybridization events involving the divergent sexual taxa P. ternifolia and P. truncata.

Flavonoids and Terpenoids from the Leaf Resin of Pluchea odorata

The chemical composition of the leaf resin of Pluchea odorata has been studied from material collected in Tamaulipas, Mexico. It mostly consists of triterpenes and phytosterols and an eudesmane type sesquiterpene. Very small amounts of ten different flavonol aglycones occur, dissolved in this resin; most of them are 6-methoxy compounds. A comparison with previous results on material from El Salvador shows that the latter contains a lesser number of triterpenes and especially of flavonoids, but more sesquiterpenes, while the n-alkane composition varies only quantitatively between both populations.

Three New Benzoic Acid Derivatives from the Glandular Excretion of Eriodictyon sessilifolium (Hydrophyllaceae)

Eriodictyon sessilifolium, an endemic Hydrophyllaceae of Baja California (Mexico), has been studied for the natural products exuded by glandular trichomes covering its leaves and stems. Major components of this exudate were isolated and identified by spectroscopic methods to be 4-hydroxy-3-(2,3-dihydroxy-3-methylbutyl)-benzoic acid methyl ester (1), the natural methyl ester of anodendroic acid (2), and 2,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxychroman-6-carboxylic acid methyl ester (3). Possible biosynthetic relations between these new natural products are considered. In addition, 9 known flavonoid aglycones were identified as exudate constituents.

Chloroplast DNA evolution and systematics of Phanerophlebia (Dryopteridaceae) and related fern genera

Restriction site variation in chloroplast DNA was examined in the neotropical fern genus Phanerophlebia and in selected species of the related Asiatic genus Cyrtomium and the cosmopolitan progenitor of these two, Polystichum. A total of 103 restriction site mutations was identified; these were used to construct phylogenetic networks and trees based on Wagner and Dollo parsimony and Fitch-Margoliash distance algorithms. The analyses provided evidence that Phanerophlebia did not arise from Cyrtomium. Both genera are convergent descendants from different progenitor groups in Polystichum, and Asiatic Cyrtomium is more closely related to temperate New World Polystichum than it is to neotropical Phanerophlebia. Reticulate venation, previously considered an important taxonomic character for infrageneric classification in Phanerophlebia, most likely evolved independently twice within the genus. Diploid maternal progenitors are suggested for two of four tetraploid species analyzed, and species-level distinctions for two closely related taxa of Phanerophlebia are questioned.

Chromosome studies of cheilanthoid ferns (Pteridaceae: Cheilanthoideae) from the western United States and Mexico

Although analyses of chromosome numbers represent a fundamental step in the study of any group of organisms, the xeric-adapted cheilanthoid ferns (Pteridaceae: subfamily Cheilanthoideae) have received little attention from cytogeneticists due to the difficulty in obtaining samples and accurate chromosome counts. In an effort to clarify patterns of chromosomal evolution in this group, we present 131 chromosome counts representing 75 taxa of cheilanthoid ferns from the western United States and Mexico. First reports are provided for 24 taxa, including the first count for the genus Cheiloplecton. Nine other taxa yielded numbers that had not been reported previously. Our data suggest that chromosome base numbers are more stable than previously thought and that much of the reported variation may involve erroneous counts. When coupled with published DNA sequence data, our counts suggest that the plesiomorphic base number of subfamily Cheilanthoideae is x = 30 and that x = 29 has arisen just once or twice among the taxa studied.

External Flavonoids of Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens)

Leaves and stems of Fouquieria splendens were found to accumulate flavonoid aglycones on their surfaces. Three flavones and five flavonols have been identified.

Flavonoids and Terpenoids from the Exudates of Some Baccharis Species

Seven species of the genus Baccharis have been analyzed for flavonoid aglycones. Many known methylated flavones, flavonols and flavanones were identified. From B. sarothroides, two novel flavonols were isolated and elucidated as 5,7,4′-trihydroxy-3,6,8-trimethoxyflavone and its methyl ether, 5,4′-dihydroxy-3,6,7,8-tetramethoxyflavone. Previous literature reports on flavonoids in Baccharis are summarized and their distribution and external occurrence is discussed. One novel diterpene and one rare triterpene were found in the terpenoid fractions that constitute most of the exudate material in these and other Compositae.