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Iran supports a great share of exotic and/or endemic plant genera and species. The genus Fritillaria (Liliaceae) is a precious part of this botanical richness with 19 species, of which 10 are endemic to the country. However, signs are mounting that the country is truly at a crossroads when it comes to preservation of this national wealth. In this regard, an effective conservation strategy should thoroughly consider the classification of Fritillaria, as conservation practices are compromised by knowledge gaps in systematics and taxonomy. As published studies on Fritillaria in Iran have been sporadic and limited in scope, the aim of this review is to provide information necessary to help bridge these information gaps. Our objective is to facilitate increased understanding of the geographic, taxonomic, cytogenetic and phylogenetic status of Iranian Fritillaria, which is vital to meeting the goal of sustainable conservation of the genus in Iran and neighboring areas.

The aerial parts essential oils of six Nepeta species (N. prostrata, N. saturejoides, N. sessilifolia, N. fissa, N. betonicifolia and N. ucranica) were analyzed by GC-FID and GC/MS. In the oils of two populations of N. prostrata, 1,8-cineole (49.8%–51.1%) was main constituent. Epoxy-alloaromadendrene (42.5%) was major compound in the oil of one population of N. saturejoides and α-humulene (25.4%), and caryophyllene oxide (19.7) were major components of the second population. In the oils of two populations of N. sessilifolia, n-octadecanol (17%–19%) and caryophyllene oxide (5.8%–16%) were main constituents, while α-pinene (32.5%) and spathulenol were major components of the third population. In the essential oils of three populations of N. fissa, caryophyllene oxide (16.1%–33.5%) was major compound, but each population had particular compound such as carvacrol, (E)-caryophyllene or spathulenol with remarkable amount. Tetradecanal (55.5%) and trans-muurola-4(14),5-diene (46.2%.) were main components in the oils of N. betonicifolia and N. ucranica, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achillea filipendulina is a native aromatic plant with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This research aimed to determine and compare the essential oil content and composition of different populations of this plant in farm condition. Seeds provided by the Natural Resources Gene Bank of Iran were sown in a field experiment over two years. Essential oils from the aerial parts of all populations, at full flowering stage, were obtained by hydro-distillation and analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The oil yields ranged from 0.13% to 1.20%. Twenty-six compounds were identified with 1,8-cineole (2.0–73.5%), santolina alcohol (14.2–35%) and borneol (0.6–20.4%) as major components. Cluster analysis divided all accessions into two clusters. The main compounds in cluster 1 (two populations) were santolina alcohol, borneol, cis-chrysanthenyl acetate, bornyl acetate and α-pinene. The oils in Cluster 2 contained borneol, cis-chrysanthenyl acetate and high amount of 1,8-cineole (22.6–73.5%) as main components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Berberis belongs to the Berberidaceae family, with 15 genera and 650 species around the world. It has valuable potential in the medicinal and food industries. In this study, the phytochemical diversity of 55 fruits of the Iranian Berberis genotype were investigated. The results of this study could be used in the breeding and determination of superior genotypes in the future. Plant materials were collected from the barberry Collection Garden of Mashhad and also different natural habitats of barberry in various provinces of Iran. The samples were air-dried, finely grounded, and extracted by methanol at room temperature. Then, total phenol and total flavonoid were measured by FolinCiocalteu and AlCl3 assays, respectively. Radicals neutralizing effects of extracts were examined through the 2,2-Diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. The results showed a significant difference between phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant properties of various extracts, at a probability level of 1%. A methanol extract of B. integerrima × crataegina (genotype code 4-1) resulted in the highest phenolic content with an average of 4.2 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) ml-1 extract, while the lowest content was recorded for B. integerrima )genotype code 23-4) with an average of 1.7 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/ ml extract. The highest flavonoid content was observed with extracts of B. integerrima (genotype code 4-4) and B. orthobotrys × crataegina (genotype code 15-4) with an average of 6.3 mg quercetin equivalents (Q)/ ml extract. The least was recorded for B. integerrima (genotype code 23-4) with an average of 0.4 mg quercetin equivalents (Q)/ ml extract. The highest and lowest rates of free radical scavenging DPPH were 59.06% and 12.3%, respectively. The results showed that barberry has a great diversity in terms of phytochemical characteristics in different genotypes and is a valuable genetic source for breeding research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils of the air-dried aerial parts of Teucrium orientale L. collected from 11 different localities which obtained by hydro-distillation were investigated. The essential oils were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The oil yields were 0.03-0.20% (w/w), based on dry weight. Forty-four components, representing 91.0-99.5% of the oils, were identified. The results showed that there is a significant difference in yields, chemical compositions and concentrations of essential oils obtained from different geographical regions. However, there are main and common compounds such as caryophyllene oxide (3.72 to 23.60%), Ecaryophyllene (1.03 to 39.36%), germacrene D (0.95 to 29.7%), spathulenol (1.98 to 11.11%), ß-cubebene (1.31 to 24.64%), d-cadinene (1.14 to 4.90%), hexadecanoic acid (0.47 to 32.60%), a-cubebene (0.53 to 11.37%) and hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (0.34 to 10.56%) that are found in all essential oils. According to the cluster analysis, the populations were placed in three clusters. Percentages of hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (10.6%) and humulene epoxide II (6.8%) were considerably higher in cluster 1 compared to other clusters. Percentages a-cubebene, ß-cubebene and hexadecanoic acid were considerably highest in cluster 2 with means of 7.2%, 11.9% and 20.4% respectively. Populations of cluster 3 were rich sources of E-caryophyllene (29.4%), germacrene D (16.1%) and bicyclogermacrene (3.4%) compared to other clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to evaluate the combined effects of chemical, biological and organic fertilizers on several features of Satureja khuzistanica. As an aromatic plant with medicinal properties, endemic to Iran, S. khuzistanica was studied for essential oil (EO%) and composition. Spanning for two growing seasons (2017–2019), the experiments involved 13 nutritional treatments, ie, (a) control (C), (b) nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK; 50‐25‐25 Kg ha−1), (c) cattle manure (CM30; 30 ton ha−1), (d) CM60 (60 ton ha−1), (e) CM30 + NPK, (f) CM60 + NPK, (g) vermicompost (V5, 5 ton ha−1), (h) V5 + NPK, (i) Glomus mosseae (GM), (j) Glomus Intra (GI), (k) sulphur (S0; 0 Kg ha−1) + thiobacillus (T), (l) S250 + T (sulphur: 250 Kg ha−1,) and (m) V5 + T. At full flowering stage, samples were taken from aerial segments of plants in all treatment groups. After shade‐drying, the samples were hydro‐distillated to obtain essential oil (EO) and were then evaluated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The interaction between year and fertilizer, as two treatments, had a significant effect (P ≤ 0.01) on the oil percentage, oil constituents and essential oil yield (EO.Y) of S. khuzistanica. GM and S0 + T caused the highest oil percentage in the first (3.7%) and second year (3.9%), respectively. V5 + NPK and V5 + T resulted in a substantial rise in EO.Y in the first (30.4 kg ha−1) and second year (64.3 kg ha−1), respectively. Carvacrol was highest in the first (92.1%) and second year (95.2%), as a result of using V5 + T and NPK treatments, respectively. Biological and vermicompost fertilizers not only improved the amount of EO but also enhanced its quality and aroma, as reflected in the constituents of the EO. The GI treatment and the V5 + NPK treatment led to high amounts of K in the branches. Meanwhile, high S contents were measured in the branches in response to the V5 and the S250 + T treatments. These findings suggested that biofertilizers and organic fertilizers can benefit the cultivation of S. khuzistanica because, when combined together, they can enhance the percentage and phenolic compounds in the EO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) includes over ten thousand herbal medicines, some of which were introduced from outside countries and territories. The Silk Road enabled the exchange of merchandise such as teas, silks, carpets, and medicines between the East and West of the Eurasia continent. During this time, the 'Compendium of Materia Medica' (CMM) was composed by a traditional medicine practitioner, Shizhen Li (1,518-1,593) of the Ming Dynasty. This epoch-making masterpiece collected knowledge of traditional medical materials and treatments in China from the 16th century and before in utmost detail, including the origin where a material was obtained. Of 1892 medical materials from the CMM, 46 came from Persia (now Iran). In this study, the basic information of these 46 materials, including the time of introduction, the medicinal value in TCM theory, together with the current status of these medicines in China and Iran, are summarized. It is found that 20 herbs and four stones out of the 46 materials are registered as medicinal materials in the latest China Pharmacopoeia. Now most of these herbs and stones are distributed in China or replacements are available but saffron, ferula, myrrh, and olibanum are still highly dependent on imports. This study may contribute to the further development, exchange, and internationalization of traditional medicine of various backgrounds in the world, given the barriers of transportation and language are largely eased in nowadays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A karyological study of five taxa (15 populations) of the genus Satureja L. from different geographic origins is presented. The haploid levels were different among species (n= 12 and 15). The work deals with chromosome number and morphometry. We found two of the usual basic chromosome numbers in this study for satureja species, x= 12 and x= 15. All populations were diploid and were located in 1B or 2B Stebbins classes. The karyotypic results showed the diversity among the species as mostly displayed median region (m) and submedian region (sm) and the chromosome lengths were determined between 0.60 μm in Satureja sahendica Bornm. (1041) to 2.27 μm in S. macrantha C.A.Mey. (3). Detailed karyotype analysis allows us to group the different populations and determine the relationships among them. It also pointed out the possibility of inter and intra-species cross to improve plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]