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Plumbago auriculata Lam. (Plumbaginaceae) is an ornamental/medicinal flowering shrub. However, it could be stop growing under 5 °C resulting in its poor germplasm resources. Increasing the tolerance of polyploids to environmental stress will enrich its germplasm resources. In this study, we thus employed the stem segments and buds exposed to pendimethalin and trifluralin in vitro to conduct an effective polyploid protocol, in which buds were cultured for 7 days in MS medium with 800 μM. In this study, we have developed a novel polyploid identification method based on accuracy and efficiency. Early screening was performed based on the morphological characteristics of this plants, and then polyploidy was determined by flow cytometry. The number of chromosomes was determined by the chromosomal accounting. At the anatomical level, in comparison with diploids, the root parenchyma, stem collenchyma and tetraploid spongy tissues were thickened, the guard cell size and vascular bundles number were increased, and the stomata were widened; but the stomatal density was decreased. After 24 h of cold stress, the maximal quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and maximum primary yield of photochemistry of PSII (Fv/Fo) of diploids decreased significantly. Conversely, the minimal value of chlorophyll a fluorescence (Fo), relative electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde increased markedly. Accordingly, the cold tolerance of the tetraploids presented better than these of the diploids. Taken together, our study has first developed an effective protocol to obtain and identify the tetraploid of P. auriculate plants. Furthermore, it was proved that this polyploid has presented improving cold tolerance and enriching phenotypic properties. These findings could be useful for improving cold-tolerance breeding and enriching genetic diversity of P. auriculate plants. We used stem segments and buds exposed to pendimethalin and trifluralin in vitro to conduct polyploids of Plumbago auriculata and compared characterizations including cold tolerance between diploids and polyploids.

Heteromorphic self-incompatibility (HetSI), which is regulated by sporophytes, occurs in some species as a strategy to promote cross-pollination. This research aimed to reveal metabolic changes occurring in HetSI. We used fluorescence microscopy as a tool to compare growth behavior in self-incompatible (SI) and self-compatible (SC) pollination in both pin and thrum flowers of Plumbago auriculata and to identify the ideal timepoint for sample collection for subsequent experiments. We also employed scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate intermorph structural differences in the pollen grains and stigmas in relation to HetSI. Importantly, UPLC-MS/MS was applied in this study to identify metabolites, compare metabolic differences between pin and thrum styles and monitor metabolic changes in SC and SI pollinations in the two types of flowers. The metabolites mainly included amino acids/peptides, flavonoids, glycosides/sugars, phenols, other organic acids, fatty acids (derivatives)/lipids, amines, aldehydes, alkaloids, alcohols and other compounds. Surprisingly, energy-related nutrients such as amino acids/peptides and tricarboxylic acid cycle-related metabolites were found at higher levels in SI pollinations than in SC pollinations. This result indicates that physiological changes in pollen-stigma interactions differ in pin and thrum styles and SC and SI pollinations and that energy deficiency is not one of the reasons for HetSI.

Background: The genus Plumbago distributed in warm tropical regions throughout the world is the largest genus in Plumbaginaceae. Medicinal plants are characteristic to the genus Plumbago and are cultivated and utilized worldwide. Plumbago auriculata Lam. is common in South Africa and is often cultivated for its ornamental and medicinal uses throughout the world.Materials and Methods: A comprehensive review of the genus Plumbago with focus on Plumbago auriculata was carried out and information was gathered using scientific publications, conference proceedings, the internet and books. Articles based on the morphology, pharmacological and medicinal uses of Plumbago auriculata was analysed thoroughly.Results: Plumbago auriculata plant parts posses a wide range of phytochemicals with plumbagin being the marker compound showing various pharmacological activities. Different plant parts are claimed to be used for the treatment of human and animal ailments, however they do exhibit toxic properties and need to be administered with caution. Salt secreting glands and trichomes are characteristic of Plumbaginaceae.Conclusion: This study reveals new insights on the genus Plumbago and the potential use of species in the genus as medicinal plants. Plumbago auriculata possess the bioactive compound plumbagin and secondary metabolites, thus, it is of high medicinal importance. P. auriculata is a poorly nor favourite studied species in the genus Plumbago and further research needs to be carried out to explore specific details of the species.Key words: Plumbago, salt glands, trichomes, pharmacological activities, plumbagin, micropropagation.

Response to simultaneous stressors is an important facet of plant ecology and land management. In a greenhouse trial, we studied how eight plant species responded to single and combined effects of three soil concentrations of the phytotoxic munitions constituent RDX and two levels of water-resourcing. In an outdoor trial, we studied the effects of high RDX soil concentration and two levels of water-resourcing in three plant species. Multiple endpoints related to RDX fate, plant health, and plant survival were evaluated in both trials. Starting RDX concentration was the most frequent factor influencing all endpoints. Water-resourcing also had significant impacts, but in fewer cases. For most endpoints, significant interaction effects between RDX concentration and water-resourcing were observed for some species and treatments. Main and interaction effects were typically variable (significant in one treatment, but not in another; associated with increasing endpoint values for one treatment and/or with decreasing endpoint values in another). This complexity has implications for understanding how RDX and water-availability combine to impact plants, as well as for applications like phytoremediation. As an additional product of these greenhouse and outdoor trials, three plants native or naturalized within the southeastern United States were identified as promising species for further study as in situ phytoremediation resources. Plumbago auriculata exhibited relatively strong and markedly consistent among-treatment mean proportional reductions in soil RDX concentrations (112% and 2.5% of the means of corresponding values observed within other species). Likewise, across all treatments, Salvia coccinea exhibited distinctively low variance in mean leaf chlorophyll content index levels (6.5% of the means of corresponding values observed within other species). Both species also exhibited mean wilting and chlorosis levels that were 66% and 35%, and 67% and 84%, of corresponding values observed in all other plants, respectively. Ruellia caroliniensis exhibited at least 43% higher mean survival across all treatments than any other test species in outdoor trials, despite exhibiting similar RDX uptake and bioconcentration levels.

This study evaluates the antibacterial, cytotoxic activities, and phytochemical composition, of Callistemon citrinus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Plumbago auriculata leaves and flowers, three ornamental plants in Mexico. However, in other countries offers a range of other uses. Ethanol extracts of C. citrinus leaf and flower presented stronger antibacterial activity than the extracts obtained from the other two plants. C. citrinus leaf showed low cytotoxicity (LC50

Case report A 2-year-old male Airedale Terrier was presented with an acute and painful, predominantly ventral, vesicular skin eruption following putative dermal contact with Plumbago auriculata (Sky Flower, Leadwort). Prompt dermal decontamination and supportive therapy brought about a rapid recovery in the patient. Conclusion Contact with botanical triggers is an important consideration for causes of acute vesicular skin conditions in dogs.

Plumbago auriculata (Plumbaginaceae) is a perennial ornamental shrub with many therapeutic values and native to South Africa (Saji & Antony, 2015). Several groups of phytoplasma have been reported to infect ornamental and…

Centrifugal liquid-liquid partition chromatography presents significant advantages for the separation and purification of plant metabolites owing to the short operational time of the process and the elimination of possible irreversible adsorption of compounds. The crude chloroform extract from roots of Plumbago auriculata was analysed by countercurrent chromatography using hexane:ethyl acetate:methanol:water (40:10:10:2, v/v) as solvent system. The isolation of the naphthoquinones plumbagin and epi-isoshinanolone, the steroids sitosterol and 3-O-glucosylsitosterol, plumbagic and palmitic acids was easily achieved. Naphthoquinones are typical components of Plumbago species and they show interesting biological activities.

The genus Plumbago belongs to the family Plumbaginaceae, order Plumbaginales. Comparative chemical profile of P. scandens (native) and P. auriculata (cultivated) was obtained by normal and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector. Comparison of the ultraviolet espectra and the retention times for the compounds allowed to find similar metabolic patterns in roots, stems and leaves. Four flavonoids, one phenolic acid or derivative and the naphtoquinone plumbagin were comparatively identified to standards.

Three locally available Plumbago species (Plumbago auriculata, Plumbago rosea and Plumbago zeylanica) have been quantitatively screened for the bioactive marker plumbagin by high performance thin layer chromatography. In general, the root parts were found to be the rich sources for plumbagin. Most significantly, P. rosea was found to accumulate maximum plumbagin in the roots. In contrast, P. auriculata and P. zeylanica are high yielding species for the leaf and stem parts, respectively. Studies have also been extended to evaluate some P. rosea samples collected from southern India and a traditional medicine, Chitrakadi vati, which contains P. zeylanica as the major constituents.

Phytochemical investigations of blue plumbago ( Plumbago auriculata Poir. syn. Plumbago capensis Thunb.) flowers have led to the isolation of six new anthocyanins based on three new anthocyanidins with 5,7-dimethoxylated A-rings. Their structures were identified by 2D nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry as the 3-O-β-galactopyranosides (1,2,4) and 3-O-α-rhamnopyranosides (3,5,6) of 5,7-dimethyldelphinidin, 5,7-dimethylpetunidin, and 5,7-dimethylmalvidin. Identification of 1-6 implies new structures for the previously reported anthocyanidins pulchellidin, europinidin, and capensinidin to be 5,7-dimethoxy-3,3',4',5'-tetrahydroxyflavylium, 5,7,3'-trimethoxy-3,4',5'-trihydroxyflavylium, and 5,7,3',5'-tetramethoxy-3,4'-dihydroxyflavylium cations, respectively. The anthocyanins (0.4 mg/g flowers) were accompanied by the dihydroflavonol taxifolin 3'-O-β-glucopyranoside (1.4 mg/g) and the flavonols 5-methylquercetin 3-O-α-rhamnopyranoside (8.8 mg/g) and 5-methylquercetin (0.4 mg/g). The anthocyanins 1-6 are the first reported natural anthocyanins with no free hydroxyl groups in their 5- and 7-positions on their A-rings. They have thus no possibility of forming the tautomeric quinonoidal bases (anhydrobases), which are related to the free hydroxyl groups in the 5- and 7-positions of previously reported anthocyanins. The genes behind the 5,7-dimethoxylated anthocyanins might be useful for making anthocyanins with special properties (colors, etc.).

The rapid clonal multiplication of two species of South African Drosera is described. Levels of plumbagin, (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) from in vivo and in vitro grown plants are compared to those present in Plumbago roots. P. auriculata Lam. roots contained more than twice as much plumbagin as in vivo grown D. capensis L. plants which in turn contained more than twice as much as comparable plants of D. natalensis Diels. It is concluded that the extraction of plumbagin from Drosera plants is not commercially feasible.