نشریه رستنیها
سال بیستم شماره 2 (پیاپی 58، پاییز و زمستان 1398)

The genus Rosa has a wide variety in Iran and although some natural hybrids have been found in different regions of the country, but no cultivars have been established so far. In order to optimize use of genetic resources in the country and to create varieties with desirable traits, inter-species relationships and identification of diversity, 45 populations from seven species in section Caninae collected from 13 provinces of Iran, were studied. To group the species, 61 qualitative and quantitative characters using the most suitable method of cluster analysis (WARD) were used and their ordination diagram based on the most variable factors for each species and sections were drown. Cluster analysis of quantitative and qualitative characters showed significant differences between characters. The results of classification confirmed previous taxonomy grouping. Factor analysis of R. elymatica populations showed that the hair on pedicels, sepal form, hip length, prickle base and prickle formpossessed the highest correlation. Two main groups were formed in R. boissieri based on ecological difference between them. Cluster analysis of R. orientalis also showed two main groups. Moreover, the results indicated that some populations of R. canina such as Polour, Karand, and Siahbishe (Iran), that showed the most variations in qualitative and quantitative characters, could be used to produce interspecific hybrids.Overall, the results of this study revealed that, R. canina and R. pulverulenta showed the highest variety in the section Caninae that is due to the combination of some unusual features in section.

Cyanoprokaryotes are simple photosynthetic microorganisms which have an important role in the soil carbon and nitrogen cycle. The current study aimed to investigate the flora of cyanoprokaryotes from medicinal plants bed. Also phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA marker was performed to investigate the phylogenetic relationships between different cyanoprokaryotic taxa and evaluate the efficiency of this marker in separation of taxonomic boundaries between taxa especially in the case of complex taxa, which their relations are not well-defined. For this purpose, after collection of soil, isolation and purification of strains were performed. The cyanoprokaryotic taxa were identified morphologically and 16S rRNA marker was used to approve the identifications. Phylogenetic analysis performed using Maximum Likelihood, Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian Inference. Totally, 42 cyanoprokaryotic taxa were identified and Nostoc was an abundant genus in the soil of medicinal plants bed. The phylogenetic tree revealed Nostocales as a monophyletic group. Also, Wollea together with Anabaena, and Nostoc together with Desmonostoc created monophyletic groups. Results revealed that, 16S rRNA is an effective phylogenetic marker in high classification rankings such as order, family and genus. However, 16S rRNA could not be an effective marker in separation of close genera such asNostoc and Desmonostoc.

Solanum kieseritzkii, an endemic species of Iran and the Caucasus, has been recently introduced in botanical sources as unresolved species and sometimes has been regarded a synonymous of S. dulcamara. In this research, along with field and herbarium studies, a morphological and molecular comparison is made between these two species; each of them is designated as a distinct species. Solanum kieseritzkii is a creeping rhizomatous plant 10–30 cm high, has only 1–3 flowers per inflorescence, and is found only in the dark forests of Hyrcanian province, while S. dulcamara is a plant of open habitats including residential areas, climbing the tress up to 300 cm high, and has inflorescences with 6–40 flowers. The results of the present study were highly supported by comparison of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of different samples of both S. kieseritzkii and S. dulcamara and also comparing with other accessions from Genbank. Separation of two species is also confirmed by presented phylogenic tree.

Aquatic hyphomycetes equipped with a rich array of extracellular enzymes are involved in bioremediation of anthropogenic pollutants, plastics, aromatic contaminants and petroleum hydrocarbons. The current study contributes to the knowledge of Iranian aquatic hyphomycetes. Sampling was conducted in Anzali lagoon, Gilan province, Iran during 2017. Among 55 fungal isolates obtained during this study, eight species including Arthrobotrys oligosporus, Ceratorhiza hydrophila, Fusarium cf. ensiforme, F. incarnatum species complex, Myrmecridium schulzeri, Paecilomyces variotii, Sarocladium subulatum, and Volutella citrinella were identified based on their morphological characteristics. Furthermore, three species assigned to the genera Arthrobotrys, Fusarium and Sarocladium remained unidentified. Molecular studies using mainly ITS, LSU and SSU rDNA and in some cases β-tubulin (tub2) and translation elongation factor 1-a (tef1) determined the phylogenetic position of the isolates among closely related species. The occurrence of members of Fusarium, Sarocladium, and Ceratorhiza, known as rice disease agents, in freshwater ecosystems is interesting. This is the first report of aquatic hyphomycetes communities in Anzali lagoon, Iran. In this study, Sarocladium subulatum, Myrmecridium schulzeri, and Volutella citrinella are reported for the first time for Iran.

Hedera is a genus of evergreen climbers distributed throughout Europe, North Africa, Macaronesia, and Asia. In this study, the morphological and anatomical structures of 11 populations from two species of Hedera (H. helix and H. pastuchovii) have been considered to evaluate the relationships in this genus. In total, 19 quantitative and eight qualitative morphological features were evaluated and measured. Ward’s dendrogram showed two main clusters. The first cluster is composed of populations of H. helix and the second cluster is composed of two subclusters containing populations of H. pastuchovii. Both species showed a bifacial leaf anatomical structure, so the mesophyll is differentiated into palisade and spongy tissues. Petiole cross sections showed rounded shape with wavy margin. Pedicel cross sections are similar in the general shape but the margins are different between two species. Both are rounded shape and the margin is quite wavy in H. helix and straight in H. pastuchovii. Number of vascular bundles of pedicel is different between two species. Two types of covering trichomes were identified including stellate trichomes in H. helix and scale-like trichomes in H. pastuchovii. Studied taxa were clearly separated by selected morphological and anatomical characters and these data provide additional evidence for species relationships between them.

Neoerysiphe nevoi on Crepis kotschyana and Hedypnois rhagadioloides, Leveillula linariae on Linaria melanogramma and Golovinomyces asterum var. moroczkovskii on Symphyotrichum squamatum are newly reported from Iran. Nine new host-powdery mildew combinations are reported from Iran: Neoerysiphe galii − Galium aparine; Podosphaera xanthii − Phlox paniculata; Erysiphe syringae-japonicae − Ligustrum sp.; Erysiphe cruciferarum − Barbarea sp.; Golovinomyces depressus − Centaurea depressa; Golovinomyces montagnei − Notobasis syriaca; Golovinomyces orontii − Papaver somniferum; Golovinomyces cynoglossi − Lithospermum arvense; Leveillula picridis − Launaea acanthodes. The following host plants are reported as Matrix nova for their related fungal species: Crepis kotschyana and Hedypnois rhagadioloides for Neoerysiphe nevoi; Phlomis herba-venti subsp. kopetdaghensis for Neoerysiphe galeopsidis; Euphorbia hebecarpa and Papaver macrostomum for Leveillua taurica s.str.; Paracaryum rugulosum for Golovinomyces cynoglossi; Euphorbia tithymaloides for Podosphaera euphorbiae; Iranecio paucilobus for Leveillula lappae.

During several field trips to the western parts of Iran and after comparing the collected plants with other species of Alcea, we came across to following two specimens belonging to Malvaceae family which were found new to the flora of Iran from Ilam province. Alcea acaulis is distinguished from the other species in the genus by its very short stem. The second species, A. fasciculiflora, is morphologically similar to A. iranshahrii and A. ghahremanii which is distinguished by its leaf shape, flower color and indumentum features. Both Alcea acaulis and A. fasciculiflora are sparsely to densely covered by two types of glandular and non-glandular trichomes. The glandular trichomes are of clavate type and the non-glandular trichomes are divided into three types: simple, stellate and fascicled. The present paper, therefore, deals with taxonomic descriptions and relationships of the species, important diagnostic traits, micromorphological features of the trichomes, illustrations and the distribution maps of the species in Iran.

In order to study the conservation status of the plant species and ecosystems of Gilan province (North of Iran), an alien species was observed in some ponds in the east of Rasht, which covered the surface of ponds. The plant samples were collected and photographed; also the relevant environmental data were recorded in situ. The collected specimens were studied with various scientific resources and led to the identification of the species as Pistia stratiotes which is commonly known as “water lettuce”. This species is recorded for the first time from Iran. The plant is pan-tropical and is considered to be one of the most widely distributed aquatic invasive plants in the world. The paper presents data on taxonomic remarks of this plant along with some notes on its geographical distribution and habitat. This report also highlights the need for implementing early control measures with special emphasis on all freshwater habitats in the northern parts of the country.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), a member of Fabaceae family, is a perennial or permanent plant with upright and very deep root that penetrates up to three meters into the soil, and therefore is the source of vitamins and minerals that takes from the soil. This plant is very important in terms of chemical and pharmaceutical compositions. In order to identify the fungi accompaning leaf spot symptoms of the alfalfa, leaves with leaf spot symptoms were collected from Sheikh Ali Khan region of the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province (Iran) during July 2018. The samples were transferred to laboratory and then small pieces (5 × 5 mm) were cut from the margin of leaf spots. Resulting leaf pieces were surface disinfested with 1% sodium hypochlorite for 30 sec. and then washed three times with sterilized water and were put on sterilized filter paper to remove excess water. Disinfested leaf pieces were transferred on 2% water agar medium. Isolates were purified by hyphal tip method and then were transferred to Petri dishes containing PDA culture medium and the grown fungal colonies were kept for seven days at 25 °C in continuous dark condition. Of the obtained fungal isolates, one isolate was identified as Radulidium subulatum (de Hoog) Arzanlou, W. Gams & Crous based on morphological features. According to the available literatures, this is the first report of Radulidium subulatum for mycobiota of Iran. The diameter of the fungus colony on malt extract agar (MEA) after 14 days of growth at 24 °C in continuous dark condition were 50 mm, and the colony of the fungus was pale gray in color (Fig. 1a). Conidiophores were pale brown, smooth, tapering toward the apex and have short conspicuous denticles at the tip, where the conidia were attached to the conidiophores. Denticles were densely crowded, prominent, blunt at the end and pale brown in color. The dimension of the conidiophores were 14–28(21) × 1.5–3(2.25) μm (Fig. 1 b–d). Conidia were solitary, single-celled, smooth, ellipsoid, pale brown and 4–7(5.5) × 1.5– 2(1.75) μm in diameter. Conidia had short hilum with about one micrometer in length (Fig. 1 e, f). Specimen examined: Iran: Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Sheikh Ali Khan farms, on Medicago sativa L., 11.07.2018, Samira Karimzadeh, isolate ShnY2-1 (isolate in the Agricultural Microbial Culture Collection of Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran, Karaj ABRIICC 10176). According to the literature review, the morphological features of the investigated isolate were the same with description of R. subulatum provided by Arzanlou et al. (2007). In addition to the investigated isolate, isolates of Phoma and Aspergillus were also recovered from the same leaf spot symptoms of the alfalfa plants.

Annual herb, to more than 1; stems procumbent to ascendant, branched from stems root at the basal nodes; leaves sessile, or subpetiolate; leaf sheaths cylindrical, glabrous, with margins pubescent or pilose; leaf blades ovatelanceolate to ovate-elliptic, 3–7 × 1–3 cm, glabrous to pubescent, acute to acuminate; inflorescence cincinnus, subtended by a broadly cordate spathe of 1–2.5 × 1–3 cm; peduncles or stalks 0.8–3.5 cm; sepals ovate, membranous, two party fused; the two upper petals rounded-obovate, shortly clawed at base, blue to indigo, lower petals much smaller, ovate-lanceolate, white. Three anticous stamens fertile, three posticous infertile; ovary ellipsoid, 2 mm long. Fruit dehiscent, ellipsoid, capsulate; capsule with two locules each containing two seeds, glabrous, brown, 4.5–8 mm long; seeds brown or brownish yellow, semiellipsoid, flat on 1 surface, rugose, irregularly pitted, truncate at one end, 3.8–4 × 2.2–3 mm. Commelina communis is native to East and Southeast Asia, ranging from China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, eastern Russia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam to India. The species has been widely introduced in Europe and eastern North America. The plant is a cosmopolitan weed (Ulloa & Owen 2009) but within its native range in China sometimes considered as a pest, especially in the northeast of that country where it has caused serious damages in orchards (Zheng et al. 2004). It has become invasive and a troublesome weed in some gardens of eastern North America (Lye 2011). In the recent years, it has been spreading into corn, soybean (Nice & Johnson 2007), cotton and peanut (Owen 2008) fields. This plant is also reported as a weed in the Czech Republic and Japan, and it can be found in onion and ornamental tree plantations (Gomez 2012). In areas where the Asiatic dayflower is an introduced weed it is most common in waste places, but also along the edges of fields, woods, marshes, and occasionally penetrating into woods (Faden 2006). Both species and the genus of the taxa are new records for Iran. The species is also found growing outside the tea plantations as a wildling plant of the country.