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Pilea notata (Pilea notata C. H. Wright_C. H. Wright, 1899) is Pilea Lindl. of Urticaceae, which is a commonly used Miao medicine in Guizhou province. The P. notata chloroplast genome is 150,979 bp, contains a pair of inverted repeats (IRs 25,743bp), and is separated by a large single-copy region (81,446bp) and a small single-copy region (18,047bp). A total of 131 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that P. notata, P. verrucosa and P. monilifera united as a single branch, while Pilea cadierei was defined as a sister group of this branch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pilea notata (Pilea notata C. H. Wright_C. H. Wright, 1899) is Pilea Lindl. of Urticaceae, which is a commonly used Miao medicine in Guizhou province. The P. notata chloroplast genome is 150,979 bp, contains a pair of inverted repeats (IRs 25,743bp), and is separated by a large single-copy region (81,446bp) and a small single-copy region (18,047bp). A total of 131 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that P. notata, P. verrucosa and P. monilifera united as a single branch, while Pilea cadierei was defined as a sister group of this branch.

Our study aimed to quantify the pollen trapped by the seeds and relate it with the airborne pollen concentrations. Individual Populus spp. tuft-like seeds were sampled while suspended twice a day in 2017 and 2018 during the seed dispersal season. The seeds were submitted to laboratory treatment for pollen extraction, which was quantified using an optical microscope. Airborne pollen was monitored using a seven-day Hirst-type volumetric spore sampler. A correlation analysis was performed between the airborne pollen, the pollen on the seeds, and the meteorological parameters. A total of 26 pollen grains/mg was counted in the airborne tuft-like seeds, with 26 different taxa being identified, compared with the 18 pollen taxa identified in the airborne samples. Quercus, Poaceae, Urticaceae, Pinus, and Platanus were the most frequent pollen found on the seeds, while in the atmosphere, pollen from Urticaceae, Quercus, and Cupressaceae were the most representative. A tendency of higher pollen concentrations found in the afternoon samples, both airborne and on the seeds, was observed. Correlations between the meteorological parameters and pollen concentration found airborne and in the seeds were overall not significant. Thus, airborne poplar tuft-like seeds can trap and transport pollen, most of which has been recognized to induce respiratory allergies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boehmeria is a taxonomically challenging group within the nettle family (Urticaceae). The polyphyly of the genus has been proposed by previous studies with respect to five genera (Debregeasia, Cypholophus, Sarcochlamys, Archiboehmeria, and Astrothalamus). Extensive homoplasy of morphological characters has made generic delimitation problematic. Previous studies in other plant groups suggest that plastome structural variations have the potential to provide characters useful in reconstructing evolutionary relationships. We aimed to test this across Boehmeria and its allied genera by mapping plastome structural variations onto a resolved strongly supported phylogeny. In doing so, we expanded the sampling of the plastome to include Cypholophus, Sarcochlamys, Archiboehmeria, and Astrothalamus for the first time. The results of our phylogenomic analyses provide strong support for Sarcochlamys as being more closely related to Leucosyke puya than to Boehmeria and for the clustering of Boehmeria s.l. into four subclades. The sizes of the plastomes in Boehmeria s.l. ranged from 142,627 bp to 170,958 bp. The plastomes recovered a typical quadripartite structure comprising 127~146 genes. We observe several obvious structural variations across the taxa such as gene loss and multiple gene duplication, inverted repeat (IR) contraction and wide expansions, and inversions. Moreover, we recover a trend for these variations that the early clades were relatively conserved in evolution, whereas the later diverging clades were variable. We propose that the structural variations documented may be linked to the adaptation of Boehmeria s.l. to a wide range of habitats, from moist broadleaf forests in Asia to xeric shrublands and deserts in Africa. This study confirms that variation in plastome gene loss/duplication, IR contraction/expansion, and inversions can provide evidence useful for the reconstruction of evolutionary relationships.

This article discusses a case of contact urticaria and prolonged dysesthesia caused by the poisonous wood nettle, Dendrocnide meyeniana. The authors describe how four men, including a dermatologist, experienced severe stinging sensations on their legs while hiking in the rainforests of the Philippines. The pain was accompanied by erythematous wheals, and dermoscopy revealed white spicules resembling trichomes on the skin. Treatment with topical cream and oral medication provided some relief, but the stinging sensation persisted for about a month. The article emphasizes the importance of recognizing and understanding the dermatologic effects of this plant, particularly for dermatologists and visitors to Philippine rainforests. [Extracted from the article]

Insect–plant interactions are less well studied than other types of herbivory on islands, precluding a comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary ecology of these interactions. Declines in native island plants and insects call for urgent attention to characterize these species' interactions for their conservation and to better understand evolution in these unique, insular ecosystems. In Hawai'i, the Kamehameha butterfly (Vanessa tameamea) is one of only two native butterflies, and larvae are specialists on native urticaceous plants. Using a no‐choice bioassay, we investigated performance of V. tameamea reared from egg hatching through eclosion on four native urticaceous host plants, Boehmeria grandis, Pipturus albidus, Touchardia latifolia, and Touchardia oahuensis, and one exotic urticaceous species, Cecropia obtusifolia. Performance varied significantly among the plant diets, with V. tameamea performing best on P. albidus and T. oahuensis among the performance metrics of survival, pupal and adult body mass, and development time. Larval responses to the exotic host plant C. obtusifolia varied among populations, with O'ahu caterpillars successfully completing development on it, but Hawai'i Island caterpillars rejecting it completely, suggesting a geographic mosaic for this novel species interaction. Characterization of a suite of nutritive and defensive plant traits revealed significant variability among plant species, but patterns did not align well with V. tameamea performance rankings, making it difficult to identify key drivers of host plant quality. Future work examining additional plant traits under natural conditions would provide new insights, contributing critical ecological information to conserve this charismatic island species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chamabainia cuspidata Wight (Urticaceae), Debregeasia orientalis C.J.Chen (Urticaceae), and Hydrocotyle himalaica P.K.Mukh. (Araliaceae) are being reported here as new additions to the flora of Himachal Pradesh, India. All three species were collected from Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kullu district. Of these, H. himalaica also forms an addition to the flora of western Himalayan region. Detailed description, distribution, information on habitat and colour photographs of all three species are provided for easy identification in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lilloa is the property of Fundacion Miguel Lillo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Local communities use plant resources from the surrounding environment for firewood, food and medicines, and for their livelihood maintenance, security and income generation. The different parts of Pouzolzia mixta Solms are characterized by nutritional, cultural and pharmaceutical properties. Pouzolzia mixta is a small tree or shrub which grows naturally in tropical woodlands and thickets of Africa and Asia. The current study is aimed at providing information on the biological and medicinal properties of P. mixta. Information on the biological and medicinal properties of P. mixta was obtained from online databases such as Scopus, JSTOR, Scimago, Google Scholar, PubMed and Science Direct, and pre-electronic sources such as books, journal articles, dissertations, book chapters, thesis and other scientific articles obtained from the University of Fort Hare library. This study showed that the leaves of P. mixta are used as culinary herb and leafy vegetable in tropical Africa and Asia. In south central Africa, the bark, leaves, roots and stems of P. mixta are used as ritual and protective charm, and traditional medicine to treat and manage 48 human and 13 animal diseases and ailments. The phytochemical evaluations of the species showed that the leaves and roots of the species are characterized by alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenolics, steroids and tannins. The pharmacological assessments showed that the crude extracts of P. mixta leaves, roots and stems are characterized by antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-diabetic, anti-fertility and antioxidant activities. This review highlighted the food, pharmaceutical and health benefits of P. mixta in different countries in east and southern Africa, and Asia. Based on the results of this review, detailed ethnopharmacological evaluations of P. mixta focusing on phytochemistry, pharmacological properties and toxicological evaluations, in vivo and clinical research are recommended. The data from the current study should contribute to improved management and conservation of P. mixta in tropical Africa and Asia, considering concerns about anthropogenic pressure on plant biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work discusses the nomenclature, synonymy and typification of two monotypic genera, Chamabainia and Neodistemon which belong to the tribe Boehmerieae and have a restricted range in tropical and subtropical Asia. Lectotypes are designated for names in both genera and their full synonymy is provided. Boehmeria meifenggensis is treated as a new synonym of Chamabainia cuspidata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Urticaceae family (Rosales) comprises six tribes containing 61 genera, with about 2000 species distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions. Taxonomic controversies concerning Urticaceae remain unresolved. This study aimed to characterize the specialized metabolites in Urticaceae genera and tribes in order to define their chemical profiles, micromolecular markers and the group evolutionary trends. Chemosystematic indexes—occurrence number (ON), oxidation index (OI) and skeleton specialization (SS)—and their evolutionary advancement parameters were calculated based on chemical literature data on Urticaceae flavonoids and triterpenes. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clusters were also performed. Altogether, 356 flavonoids and 607 terpenoids were analyzed. Flavonols and flavones with low protection indexes of flavonoid hydroxyls by O-glycosylation were observed. Moreover, triterpenes were predominant in the Urticaceae. The chemometric analysis confirmed that the Cecropieae tribe belongs to the Urticaceae family indicating similarities and dissimilarities due to metabolic micromolecular variability. Chemometric analysis revealed chemical similarities among several tribes of Urticaceae, including Urticeae, Elatostemateae, Boehmerieae, Parietarieae, Forsskaoleeae, and Cecropieae. C-glycosylated flavones in Cecropieae suggest an evolutionary transition consistent with their phylogenetic position in Urticaceae. These results demonstrate the usefulness of chemosystematics as a reliable tool for describing specialized metabolites in Urticaceae and for supporting molecular phylogenetic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to reveal the presence of Soleirolia soleirolii, evaluated as an alien species for the flora of Turkiye, and to document its first record in Bartın province. Furthermore, Soleirolia is proved as a new genus record for the country, which has significant implications for the region's biodiversity. The detailed morphological descriptions, identification keys, distribution map, and photos are provided for this species, which will be beneficial for future research in this area. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the distribution and morphology of this species and emphasize the need for further research on the biodiversity of this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the quality control of herbal drugs, analysis of microscopy structures is crucial to detect any adulterants or substitutes. Microscopic analysis is considered one of the first pharmacopeial parameters of pharmacognostic identification. Cecropia pachystachya Trécul (Urticaceae), commonly known as “embaúba” or Ambay pumpwood, is a broadleaved tree species native to South America, from Brazil to Argentina. Cecropia pachystachya is used in traditional medicine as a diuretic, antiasthmatic, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hypertensive. Due to the malpractice of adulterating botanicals with other species having similar morphology and therapeutic uses, an unrelated plant Tetrapanax papyrifer (Hook.) K. Koch (Araliaceae) is commonly used as an adulteration of C. pachystachya. Tetrapanax papyrifer was introduced into Brazil and utilized in folk medicine as an antidiarrheal, antitussive, anti-inflammatory, and expectorant. This work aimed to identify and differentiate between the two species using microscopic features of the leaf epidermis. The presence or absence and the morphotype of trichomes are sufficient to identify and differentiate between these species, in whole or pulverized form.

The liana Urera gravenreuthii Engl. is an endemic plant to Cameroon which was not yet been chemically and pharmacologically investigated so far despite its uses for medical purposes in local folk medicine to treat several illnesses including dysentery, neuralgia and malaria. This study mainly aimed to contribute to providing further information on the chemical composition of the plant and to identify its antiplasmodial compounds which might support its effectiveness against malaria. The purification of the methanolic extract of U. gravenreuthii led to the isolation and characterization of fifteen distinct compounds (1 ‒ 15) which were structurally confirmed using their NMR data. Thirteen compounds (1 ‒ 11, 14 ‒ 15) were evaluated for their antiplasmodial activity against P. falciparum 3D7 and the results showed that the most active were betulinic acid (2) (2.2 ± 0.2 μ M), rutin (9) (2.8 ± 1.4 μ M), quercetin (8) (3.7 ± 1.3 μ M) and lupeol (1) (4.8 ± 0.3 μ M) which displayed a good activity with IC 50 < 5 μ M. Furthermore, the hypotheses on the structure-activity relationship of the tested compounds and the chemotaxonomic significance of the study have been discussed. The results support the identification of the plant as a member of the family Urticaceae, strengthen its use for the management of malaria and qualify it as an important source of good candidates in new antiplasmodial drug development. [Display omitted] • This is the first chemical and biological investigation of Urera gravenreuthii. • Fifteen compounds have been isolated from the methanolic extract. • Betulinic acid (2) and rutin (9) were the most active with IC 50 values of (2.2 ± 0.2 μM) and (2.8 ± 1.4 μM), respectively, against P. falciparum 3D7. • The structure-activity relationship of the isolated compounds has been discussed. • The obtained results classifies the plant as an important source of antiplasmodial leads for new drugs discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laportea aestuans L. (Chew), Commelina virginica (L.) and Sida rhombifolia (L.) are common wild plants used in treating several ailments including diarrhea, dysentery, hernia, oedema, ulcers and many more in traditional African medicine especially, Nigeria. The potentials of Random Amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers in delimiting intra-specific variation in L. aestuans, C. virginica and S. rhombifolia was assessed using three RAPD primers. Plant and soil samples were collected from 19 local government areas in Lagos State and assessed for genetic and biochemical relationships. A total of 56 bands were produced of which 44 were polymorphic. Maximum number of bands (21) was produced by OPY20 while OPC04 produced minimum number of bands (14). The maximum and minimum percentage polymorphisms were 100% (OPC04) and 50% (OPA12), The dendrogram of genetic diversity had a genetic distance range of 0.57 to 1.00, 0.58 to 1.00 and 0.52 to 1.00 and clustered at 0.57, 0.58, 0.52 implying 57%, 58%, 52% similarity and 43%, 42% and 48% variability for L. aestuans, C. virginica and S. rhombifolia respectively. Results of phytochemical analysis show that S. rhombifolia is particularly high in steroids (I134.19±0.23), flavonoids (118.65±0.18), phenolics (125.25±1.43), alkaloids (63.56±0.11) and triterpenes (72.44±0.12) but low in saponins (23.29±0.05), glycosides (6.79±0.01) and tannins (7.10±0.02). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parietaria judaica y Soleirolia soleirolii (Parietariae, Urticaceae) son hierbas perennes originarias del hemisferio norte que habitan ambientes urbanos y periurbanos en diversos países. En este trabajo, se actualiza el registro para P. judaica con nuevas localidades y hábitats en la provincia de Buenos Aires, se hace referencia a los focos de naturalización de S. soleirolii en Argentina, y se establece el estado de invasión para cada especie. Se estudiaron ejemplares de herbario de ambas especies coleccionados entre 1989 y 2022 en varias ciudades de la provincia de Buenos Aires y se documentaron los hábitats que ocupan mediante observaciones en las poblaciones naturalizadas. S. soleirolii se halló solamente en ambientes urbanos. Asimismo, se amplió el área de distribución de P. judaica con registros en numerosas ciudades de la provincia de Buenos Aires, en diversos hábitats de sectores urbanos y periurbanos. Presenta un amplio período de floración y fructificación. Se mencionaron sus probables agentes y vías de dispersión. Se aportaron imágenes ilustrativas de las especies y sus hábitats, mapas de la posición geográfica de las poblaciones halladas en Buenos Aires y, adicionalmente, una clave para diferenciar los géneros de la tribu Parietarieae en Argentina. El estado de invasión de las dos especies en Argentina es diferente. S. soleirolii no es actualmente una especie con alto potencial invasor. Por el contrario, P. judaica presenta una alta presión de propágulos, avanza probablemente por las vías del ferrocarril, por lo tanto, su potencial invasor es alto. Además, su polen es alergógeno.

Lectotypes are designated here for nine names in the genus Boehmeria Jacq.: B. depauperata Wedd., B. humilis Miq., B. malabarica Wedd., B. pilosiuscula (Blume) Hassk., B. subperforata Wedd., B. travancorica Bedd., B. virgata (G. Forst.) Guill. var. longissima (Hook. f.) Friis & Wilmot-Dear, B. virgata var. macrostachya (Wight) Friis & Wilmot-Dear, and B. zollingeriana Wedd. Nomenclatural changes to names in the recently published taxonomic revision of the Old World species of the genus Boehmeria are also discussed: B. glomerulifera Miq. and B. diversiflora Miq. are considered homotypic and superfluous to B. depauperata and B. zollingeriana, respectively; B. malabarica represents a superfluous and illegitimate renaming of B. depauperata but is not automatically homotypic with the latter; and Ramium malabaricum Kuntze is added to the synonymy of B. depauperata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elatostema stewardii is an important medicinal plant endemic to China. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of E. stewardii was sequenced and assembled using next-generation sequencing technology. The complete chloroplast genome length of E. stewardii was 150,263 bp, including two inverted repeats (IRs) of 24,681 bp, which are separated by LSC and SSC of 83,791 bp and 17,110 bp, respectively. A total of 129 genes were included in the genome, consisting 85 protein-coding genes, eight rRNA genes, and 36 tRNA genes, the overall GC content of this genome was 36.3%. There are few studies on the genus Elatostema of Urticaceae, this chloroplast genome sequence will provide useful data for further research on solving the generic and familial relationships in Urticaceae.

Copyright of Journal of Agriculture & Nature / Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Tarım & Doğa Dergisi is the property of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam Universitesi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Pilea notata ( Pilea notata C. H. Wright&#95;C. H. Wright, 1899) is Pilea Lindl . of Urticaceae, which is a commonly used Miao medicine in Guizhou province. The P. notata chloroplast genome is 150,979 bp, contains a pair of inverted repeats (IRs 25,743bp), and is separated by a large single-copy region (81,446bp) and a small single-copy region (18,047bp). A total of 131 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that P. notata , P. verrucosa and P. monilifera united as a single branch, while Pilea cadierei was defined as a sister group of this branch., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

ABSTRACT Glandular trichomes are epidermal structures that produce, store and release a variety of chemical compounds. Their high morphological diversity allows their taxonomic use at various levels. Therefore, their description and standardization of terminology become challenging. Cannabaceae is a well known family of Urticalean Rosids because of the presence of cannabinoid-secreting trichomes in Cannabis sativa. Other Urticalean Rosid families (Moraceae, Ulmaceae and Urticaceae) are neglected in this regard. Thus, the morphology and distribution of glandular trichomes were studied in Cannabaceae and Ulmaceae species and compared with published data for Moraceae and Urticaceae. Surface and anatomical analyses were performed on vegetative and floral organs. Urticalean Rosids show at least 15 types of glandular trichomes, 12 of them capitate and three filiform. In particular, Trema micrantha, a Cannabaceae species, has six different types. A trichome with biseriate stalk and pluricellular head, found in Trema micrantha and Pteroceltis tatarinowii, was not previously reported. Glandular trichomes are widely distributed in the plant body, which may be related to protection against herbivory. The greatest difficulty was the large quantity of terms and the lack of morphological details of the glandular trichomes in previous studies. A standardization of the terminology of glandular trichomes was therefore proposed.

The circle complete chloroplast genome of Laportea bulbifera (Sieb. et Zucc.) Wedd. was sequenced for the first time. The genome length of L. bulbifera is 150,042 bp with 36.80% of GC content. The genome consists of a large single copy (LSC) region of 82,414 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 17,714 bp, and two inverted repeat (IRa and IRb) regions of 24,957 bp each. A total of 129 genes were annotated, including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted by 29 species from the Rosales, the results presented a closed relationship between the species Laportea bulbifera and Poikilospermum lanceolatum.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) is a common perennial herb well known for its therapeutic, cosmetic and food use. Despite the popularity of nettle hydrolate, there is currently no literature describing its composition; likewise, there is still a lack of research describing in detail the parameters of hydrolates in general. U. dioica hydrolate fractions were obtained by industrial steam distillation of fresh herb. Total stinging nettle hydrolate was prepared by mixing an equal volume of each fraction. The volatiles were isolated from hydrolate samples by liquid–liquid extraction with diethyl ether, and analysed using GC-FID-MS. Over eighty volatile compounds were identified in U. dioica hydrolate. The main group of constituents were oxygenated compounds, mainly alcohols (e.g., (E)- and (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol, carvacrol) and oxides (e.g., caryophyllene oxide). The content of volatiles in the representative sample of total hydrolate amounted to 58.2 mg/L. Some qualitative and quantitative changes in the composition of U. dioica hydrolate were observed during the progress of distillation. The content of low chain aliphatic alcohols ((E)- and (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol) decreased, whereas the percentage of some monoterpene alcohols (carvacrol and α-terpineol) increased. The total content of volatiles in hydrolate also changed and decreased (128.0–6.2 mg/L) during distillation progress. According to our results, to produce stinging nettle hydrolate of good quality, the proper relationship between the amount of hydrolate and raw plant material should result in obtaining 0.74 L hydrolate from 1 kg of fresh stinging nettle herb. Therefore, it may be assumed that the high alcohol content may increase the microbiological stability of the product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During floristic research in 2017–2020 in the Emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the authors made new findings of species from family Urticaceae that complement the species composition of the flora of vascular plants in the territory of the emirate and the UAE as a whole. The article presents data on 4 new to the UAE alien ergasiophytes from Urticaceae – Laportea interrupta (L.) Chew. (a weed in the plant nursery in Al Bidiya), Pilea microphylla (L.) Liebm. (a weed in nurseries in Al Dibba and Al Bidiya), Pouzolzia zeylanica (L.) Benn. (a weed in the seaside promenade of city of Al Fujeirah), and Pilea microphylla and Pouzolzia zeylanica also for Arabia in general. A preliminary assessment of the species diversity of family Urticaceae in the Arabian Peninsula is also given. Taking into account new records, 7 species from 6 genera belonging to this family have been identified in the UAE. The herbarium materials were transferred to the Herbarium of the Komarov Botanical Institute (LE, Saint-Petersburg, Russia), the duplicates – to the Herbarium of Altai State University (ALTB, Barnaul, Russia) and the Scientific Herbarium of Fujairah (FSH, Wadi Wuraya, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates).

Urticeae s.l. , a tribe of Urticaceae well-known for their stinging trichomes, consists of more than 10 genera and approximately 220 species. Relationships within this tribe remain poorly known due to the limited molecular and taxonomic sampling in previous studies, and chloroplast genome (CP genome/plastome) evolution is still largely unaddressed. To address these concerns, we used genome skimming data—CP genome and nuclear ribosomal DNA (18S-ITS1-5.8S-ITS2-26S); 106 accessions—for the very first time to attempt resolving the recalcitrant relationships and to explore chloroplast structural evolution across the group. Furthermore, we assembled a taxon rich two-locus dataset of trnL-F spacer and ITS sequences across 291 accessions to complement our genome skimming dataset. We found that Urticeae plastomes exhibit the tetrad structure typical of angiosperms, with sizes ranging from 145 to 161 kb and encoding a set of 110–112 unique genes. The studied plastomes have also undergone several structural variations, including inverted repeat (IR) expansions and contractions, inversion of the trnN-GUU gene, losses of the rps19 gene, and the rpl2 intron, and the proliferation of multiple repeat types; 11 hypervariable regions were also identified. Our phylogenomic analyses largely resolved major relationships across tribe Urticeae, supporting the monophyly of the tribe and most of its genera except for Laportea , Urera , and Urtica , which were recovered as polyphyletic with strong support. Our analyses also resolved with strong support several previously contentious branches: (1) Girardinia as a sister to the Dendrocnide - Discocnide - Laportea - Nanocnide - Zhengyia - Urtica - Hesperocnide clade and (2) Poikilospermum as sister to the recently transcribed Urera sensu stricto. Analyses of the taxon-rich, two-locus dataset showed lower support but was largely congruent with results from the CP genome and nuclear ribosomal DNA dataset. Collectively, our study highlights the power of genome skimming data to ameliorate phylogenetic resolution and provides new insights into phylogenetic relationships and chloroplast structural evolution in Urticeae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four p-coumaroylated sesquiterpenoids (1–4), including three new ones (1, 2, and 4), were isolated from the whole plants of Pilea cavaleriei. Their structures were established on the basis of comprehensive spectroscopic analysis and comparison with data reported in the literature. Compounds 1–4 were evaluated for their antimycobacterial activities, and 2 and 4 were active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv with the MIC values of 19.6 ± 0.19 and 17.4 ± 0.12 μg/mL, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domatia are hollow structures in plants occupied by ant colonies, in turn ants provide protection against herbivores. In plants, competition for resources has driven sex-related changes in the patterns of resource allocation to life-history traits and defence traits. The resource-competition hypothesis (RCH) proposes that female plants due to their higher investment in reproduction will allocate fewer resources to defence production, showing greater herbivore damage than other sexual forms. We hypothesise the existence of sex-related differences in defensive traits of domatia-bearing plants, being female plants less defended due to differences in domatia traits, such as size, number of domatia and their position, exhibiting more herbivore damage than hermaphrodite plants of Myriocarpa longipes, a facultative neotropical myrmecophyte. We found eight species of ants inhabiting domatia; some species co-inhabited the same plant, even the same branch. Our results are consistent with the predictions of RCH, as female plants had ant-inhabited domatia restricted to the middle position of their branches and exhibited greater herbivore damage in leaves than hermaphrodites. However, we did not find differences in domatia size and leaf area between sexual forms. Our study provides evidence for intersexual differences in domatia position and herbivory in a facultative ant–plant mutualism in M. longipes. We highlight the importance of considering the plant sex in ant–plant interactions. Differences in resource allocation related to sexual reproduction could influence the outcome of ant–plant interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pellionia scabra Benth. 1861 (Urticaceae) is distributed in east and southeast Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, and Japan, and has important applications in construction, medicine, and the food industry. We sequenced the genome using Illumina DNA sequencing technology. The genome was 153,220 bp long. Annotation of the genome showed that it encoded 130 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. In addition, 15 of the genes contained a single intron and two contained two introns. Furthermore, rps12 consists of 3 exons that are expected to be trans-spliced together. Subsequent phylogenetic analysis revealed that P. scabra is closely related to the Elatostema species (i.e. E. stewardii [MZ292972], E. dissectum [MK227819], and E. laevissimum var. laevissimum [MN189961]).

Urticeae s.l., a tribe of Urticaceae well-known for their stinging trichomes, consists of more than 10 genera and approximately 220 species. Relationships within this tribe remain poorly known due to the limited molecular and taxonomic sampling in previous studies, and chloroplast genome (CP genome/plastome) evolution is still largely unaddressed. To address these concerns, we used genome skimming data—CP genome and nuclear ribosomal DNA (18S-ITS1-5.8S-ITS2-26S); 106 accessions—for the very first time to attempt resolving the recalcitrant relationships and to explore chloroplast structural evolution across the group. Furthermore, we assembled a taxon rich two-locus dataset of trnL-F spacer and ITS sequences across 291 accessions to complement our genome skimming dataset. We found that Urticeae plastomes exhibit the tetrad structure typical of angiosperms, with sizes ranging from 145 to 161 kb and encoding a set of 110–112 unique genes. The studied plastomes have also undergone several structural variations, including inverted repeat (IR) expansions and contractions, inversion of the trnN-GUU gene, losses of the rps19 gene, and the rpl2 intron, and the proliferation of multiple repeat types; 11 hypervariable regions were also identified. Our phylogenomic analyses largely resolved major relationships across tribe Urticeae, supporting the monophyly of the tribe and most of its genera except for Laportea, Urera, and Urtica, which were recovered as polyphyletic with strong support. Our analyses also resolved with strong support several previously contentious branches: (1) Girardinia as a sister to the Dendrocnide-Discocnide-Laportea-Nanocnide-Zhengyia-Urtica-Hesperocnide clade and (2) Poikilospermum as sister to the recently transcribed Urera sensu stricto. Analyses of the taxon-rich, two-locus dataset showed lower support but was largely congruent with results from the CP genome and nuclear ribosomal DNA dataset. Collectively, our study highlights the power of genome skimming data to ameliorate phylogenetic resolution and provides new insights into phylogenetic relationships and chloroplast structural evolution in Urticeae.

Phytochemical analysis of 3 members of the Urticaceae family (eg Pilea pumila, Laportea canadensis, and Boehmeria cylindrica) was conducted using GC-MS. P pumila and L canadensis have several recorded historical medicinal uses by Native American tribes, whereas B cylindrica does not. This study was conducted to understand the historical uses in terms of chemical composition. Plant material, separated into aerial or root portions, was dried and extracted using either ethanol or heptane at room temperature. Sterols, fatty acids and esters, terpenes and terpenoids, saturated and monounsaturated hydrocarbons, small oxygen-functionalized organic molecules, and tocopherols were observed using these methods. Plant sterols composed 30.3% to 62.2% of the observed extracts, followed by fatty acids and esters ranging from 0% to 49% and terpenes and terpenoids ranging 4.56% to 33.9%. All 3 plants contained γ-sitosterol as the dominant plant sterol and palmitic, linoleic, and linolenic acids and esters. The 3 plants differed significantly in the observed terpene and terpenoid composition. Germacrene D-4-ol, known to have antifungal activity, was the major terpenoid identified in P pumila (7.42%-7.76%), phytol (4.13%), α-cadinene (3.96%), and cadina-1,4-diene (5.53%) were observed in L canadensis treatments, and squalene (2.20%-7.04%), phytol (4.17%), and cadina-1,4-diene (6.68%) were observed in B cylindrica treatments. Possible rationales for Native American medicinal uses were evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromosome numbers (2n) in 10 invasive plant species from the families Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Poaceae and Urticaceae are reported on the samples collected in the Republic of Altai. Among them, chromosome complements were first examined in Asian part of Russia for Lapsana communis (2n = 14). Saponaria officinalis (2n = 28) and Lotus corniculatus (2n = 24) were studied first from Siberia. Six species: Conium maculatum (2n = 22), Bunias orientalis (2n = 14), Vicia hirsuta (2n = 14), Leonurus quinquelobatus (2n = 18), Digitaria ischaemum (2n = 36) and Setaria pumila (2n = 36), were studied first from the Republic of Altai. The most studied species are diploids. General distribution and the history of floristic findings of these species in the Republic of Altai are given. Previously published data on chromosome numbers based on the material from Russia are cited.

Boehmeria is a taxonomically challenging group within the nettle family (Urticaceae). The polyphyly of the genus has been proposed by previous studies with respect to five genera ( Debregeasia , Cypholophus , Sarcochlamys , Archiboehmeria , and Astrothalamus ). Extensive homoplasy of morphological characters has made generic delimitation problematic. Previous studies in other plant groups suggest that plastome structural variations have the potential to provide characters useful in reconstructing evolutionary relationships. We aimed to test this across Boehmeria and its allied genera by mapping plastome structural variations onto a resolved strongly supported phylogeny. In doing so, we expanded the sampling of the plastome to include Cypholophus , Sarcochlamys , Archiboehmeria , and Astrothalamus for the first time. The results of our phylogenomic analyses provide strong support for Sarcochlamys as being more closely related to Leucosyke puya than to Boehmeria and for the clustering of Boehmeria s.l. into four subclades. The sizes of the plastomes in Boehmeria s.l. ranged from 142,627 bp to 170,958 bp. The plastomes recovered a typical quadripartite structure comprising 127~146 genes. We observe several obvious structural variations across the taxa such as gene loss and multiple gene duplication, inverted repeat (IR) contraction and wide expansions, and inversions. Moreover, we recover a trend for these variations that the early clades were relatively conserved in evolution, whereas the later diverging clades were variable. We propose that the structural variations documented may be linked to the adaptation of Boehmeria s.l. to a wide range of habitats, from moist broadleaf forests in Asia to xeric shrublands and deserts in Africa. This study confirms that variation in plastome gene loss/duplication, IR contraction/expansion, and inversions can provide evidence useful for the reconstruction of evolutionary relationships., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhan, Xue, Zhou, Zhang, Qin, Liao, Wu, Monro and Fu.)

Three new dihydrophenanthrenes were isolated from the whole plant of Elatostema tenuicaudatum collected in Vietnam. These compounds were identified as 2,3,5-trihydroxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene ( 1 ), 2-methoxy-5-hydroxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene 3-O- β -D-glucopyranoside ( 2 ), and 2,5-dihydroxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene 3-O- β -D-glucopyranoside ( 3 ). Their structures were determined by HR-ESI-MS and 1D, 2D NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the inhibitory activities of these compounds against nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW264.7 cells were evaluated. Compound 1 exhibited significant inhibition of NO production, with an IC 50 value of 15.8 ± 1.2 µM. This study represents the first report on the chemical compositions and biological activities of E. tenuicaudatum .

Elatostema stewardii is an important medicinal plant endemic to China. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of E. stewardii was sequenced and assembled using next-generation sequencing technology. The complete chloroplast genome length of E. stewardii was 150,263 bp, including two inverted repeats (IRs) of 24,681 bp, which are separated by LSC and SSC of 83,791 bp and 17,110 bp, respectively. A total of 129 genes were included in the genome, consisting 85 protein-coding genes, eight rRNA genes, and 36 tRNA genes, the overall GC content of this genome was 36.3%. There are few studies on the genus Elatostema of Urticaceae, this chloroplast genome sequence will provide useful data for further research on solving the generic and familial relationships in Urticaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) is a common perennial herb well known for its therapeutic, cosmetic and food use. Despite the popularity of nettle hydrolate, there is currently no literature describing its composition; likewise, there is still a lack of research describing in detail the parameters of hydrolates in general. U. dioica hydrolate fractions were obtained by industrial steam distillation of fresh herb. Total stinging nettle hydrolate was prepared by mixing an equal volume of each fraction. The volatiles were isolated from hydrolate samples by liquid–liquid extraction with diethyl ether, and analysed using GC-FID-MS. Over eighty volatile compounds were identified in U. dioica hydrolate. The main group of constituents were oxygenated compounds, mainly alcohols (e.g., (E)- and (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol, carvacrol) and oxides (e.g., caryophyllene oxide). The content of volatiles in the representative sample of total hydrolate amounted to 58.2 mg/L. Some qualitative and quantitative changes in the composition of U. dioica hydrolate were observed during the progress of distillation. The content of low chain aliphatic alcohols ((E)- and (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol) decreased, whereas the percentage of some monoterpene alcohols (carvacrol and α-terpineol) increased. The total content of volatiles in hydrolate also changed and decreased (128.0–6.2 mg/L) during distillation progress. According to our results, to produce stinging nettle hydrolate of good quality, the proper relationship between the amount of hydrolate and raw plant material should result in obtaining 0.74 L hydrolate from 1 kg of fresh stinging nettle herb. Therefore, it may be assumed that the high alcohol content may increase the microbiological stability of the product.

Monitoring of airborne pollen concentrations provides an important source of information for the globally increasing number of hay fever patients. Airborne pollen is traditionally counted under the microscope, but with the latest developments in image recognition methods, automating this process has become feasible. A challenge that persists, however, is that many pollen grains cannot be distinguished beyond the genus or family level using a microscope. Here, we assess the use of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to increase taxonomic accuracy for airborne pollen. As a case study we use the nettle family (Urticaceae), which contains two main genera (Urtica and Parietaria) common in European landscapes which pollen cannot be separated by trained specialists. While pollen from Urtica species has very low allergenic relevance, pollen from several species of Parietaria is severely allergenic. We collect pollen from both fresh as well as from herbarium specimens and use these without the often used acetolysis step to train the CNN model. The models show that unacetolyzed Urticaceae pollen grains can be distinguished with > 98% accuracy. We then apply our model on before unseen Urticaceae pollen collected from aerobiological samples and show that the genera can be confidently distinguished, despite the more challenging input images that are often overlain by debris. Our method can also be applied to other pollen families in the future and will thus help to make allergenic pollen monitoring more specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new cis p-coumaroyl copaborneol-type sesquiterpenoid (1), together with its known trans isomer (2) and six other known p-coumaroyl humulane-type sesquiterpenoids (3–8), were isolated from the whole plants of Pilea cavaleriei. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic data. Compounds 1–4 exhibited moderate antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circle complete chloroplast genome of Laportea bulbifera (Sieb. et Zucc.) Wedd. was sequenced for the first time. The genome length of L. bulbifera is 150,042 bp with 36.80% of GC content. The genome consists of a large single copy (LSC) region of 82,414 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 17,714 bp, and two inverted repeat (IRa and IRb) regions of 24,957 bp each. A total of 129 genes were annotated, including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted by 29 species from the Rosales, the results presented a closed relationship between the species Laportea bulbifera and Poikilospermum lanceolatum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debregeasia is an economically important genus of the nettle family (Urticaceae). Previous systematic studies based on morphology, or using up to four plastome regions, have not satisfactorily resolved relationships within the genus. Here, we report 25 new plastomes for Urticaceae, including 12 plastomes from five Debregeasia species and 13 plastomes from other genera. Together with the one published plastome for Debregeasia, we analyzed plastome structure and character, identified mutation hotspots and loci under selection, and constructed phylogenies. The plastomes of Debregeasia were found to be very conservative, with a size from 155,743 bp to 156,065 bp, and no structural variation. Eleven mutation hotspots were identified, including three (rpoB-trnC-GCA, trnT-GGU-psbD and ycf1) that are highly variable both within Debregeasia and among genera; these show high potential value for future DNA barcoding, population genetics and phylogenetic reconstruction. Selection pressure analysis revealed nine genes (clpP, ndhF, petB, psbA, psbK, rbcL, rpl23, ycf2, and ycf1) that may experience positive selection. Phylogenomic analyses results suggest that Debregeasia was monophyletic, and closest to Boehmeria among genera examined. Within Debregeasia, D. longifolia was sister to D. saeneb, whereas D. elliptica, D. orientalis with D. squamata formed the other subclade. This study enriches organelle genome resources for Urticaceae, and highlights the utility of plastome data for detecting mutation hotspots for evolutionary and systematic analysis.

Premise: Paleontologists use tooth form to assess diets of fossil mammals. Plants would also be expected to adapt their morphology to respond to herbivory. Fossil nettle leaves with definitive stinging trichomes (tribe Urticeae, family Urticaceae) are described from the early Eocene upland lacustrine floras of the Okanogan Highlands, British Columbia, Canada. This is the first report of stinging trichomes in the fossil record. Their occurrence in western North America at a time of major large herbivorous mammal radiation suggests they acted, as they do today, as a deterrent for mammal herbivory. Methods: Fossil leaf compressions and extant leaves were photographed with standard methods. Focus‐shift stacking was used to layer photos of the fossil leaves. Results: Urticaceous fossil leaves from the Okanogan Highlands greatly resemble their modern relatives in leaf morphology and particularly in both stinging and nonstinging trichomes. Nettles are common components of the flora of the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. This region is used as a modern analogue for the Okanogan Highlands, based on comparable elevation, equable conditions that host both similar floras and large folivores. Conclusions: Nettles in tribe Urticeae (Urticaceae) producing leaves with stinging and nonstinging trichomes were already present in the early Eocene of western North America at a pivotal time during the early radiation of modern mammalian herbivore groups. They offer tantalizing evidence of a selective response that plants may have developed to protect themselves from the evolving mammalian herbivores of that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Cecropia contains 61 species of high ecological importance in the Neotropics. Cecropia pachystachya Trécul has a wide geographic distribution and high morphological variability. The last taxonomic review of C. pachystachya was performed in 2005 and incorporated seven other Cecropia species by synonymization. However, this synonymization was not fully accepted by experts in Urticaceae because of high morphological variations in the taxon. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether the morphological variations observed in C. pachystachya morphotypes also occurred at the DNA level and to contribute to the understanding of the evolutionary relationship between species morphotypes. Morphological analysis of eight species descriptors in 28 accessions of C. pachystachya allowed the differentiation of all five morphotypes evaluated. The analysis of the trnL-trnF (plastid) and ITS (nuclear) regions from 24 accessions by maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference methods showed a robust molecular differentiation between C. pachystachya morphotypes. Climate was the main factor that seemed to influence clade formation in the phylogenetic trees. The higher genetic relation among morphotypes from the Amazon, Caatinga, and Cerrado regions corroborated previous hypotheses of close relationships between these biomes in past ages. The morphotype group from the Atlantic Forest seemed to be related to the proposed Pleistocene refuges to this biome. The overall analysis of morphological and molecular data shows robust differences between C. pachystachya synonymized morphotypes, which indicates the need of a taxonomic revision of the C. pachystachya complex and subsequent reinstatement of at least four synonymized species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debregeasia is an economically important genus of the nettle family (Urticaceae). Previous systematic studies based on morphology, or using up to four plastome regions, have not satisfactorily resolved relationships within the genus. Here, we report 25 new plastomes for Urticaceae, including 12 plastomes from five Debregeasia species and 13 plastomes from other genera. Together with the one published plastome for Debregeasia , we analyzed plastome structure and character, identified mutation hotspots and loci under selection, and constructed phylogenies. The plastomes of Debregeasia were found to be very conservative, with a size from 155,743 bp to 156,065 bp, and no structural variation. Eleven mutation hotspots were identified, including three (rpoB - trnC - GCA , trnT - GGU - psbD and ycf1) that are highly variable both within Debregeasia and among genera; these show high potential value for future DNA barcoding, population genetics and phylogenetic reconstruction. Selection pressure analysis revealed nine genes (clpP , ndhF , petB , psbA , psbK , rbcL , rpl23 , ycf2 , and ycf1) that may experience positive selection. Phylogenomic analyses results suggest that Debregeasia was monophyletic, and closest to Boehmeria among genera examined. Within Debregeasia , D. longifolia was sister to D. saeneb , whereas D. elliptica , D. orientalis with D. squamata formed the other subclade. This study enriches organelle genome resources for Urticaceae, and highlights the utility of plastome data for detecting mutation hotspots for evolutionary and systematic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]