Many plant species representing the hemi-parasitic genus Thesium play important roles in communities around the globe as evidenced by the numerous ethnobotanical and contemporary uses, and ...pharmacological activities. However, no attempt has been made to amalgamate and analyze all of the available information. A comprehensive survey is needed to highlight knowledge gaps, as well as to determine the economic importance and commercial potential of the genus.
To provide a comprehensive report on the species diversity, geographical distribution, ethnobotany, contemporary uses, chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of the genus Thesium, as well as to give insights into possible future research opportunities.
Literature on the ethnobotany, contemporary uses, chemistry and pharmacology of Thesium was gathered from standard search engines (Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, SciFinder and Scopus) using the phrase Thesium, as well as generic synonyms. Additional information came from relevant books, theses, patents and label information from herbarium specimens in the National Herbarium in Pretoria, South Africa. Information on geographical distributions was compiled from regional floras, regional revisions, original species descriptions and databases (GBIF, IPNI, Plants of the World online and The Plant List). Scientific names and synonyms were validated through www.plantsoftheworldonline.org.
A total of 23 Thesium species, 17 from Africa and six from Asia, were found to have traditional and contemporary uses. Despite the near cosmopolitan distribution of the genus, no uses were recorded for Europe, Australia and North America. Thesium plants are most commonly used as medicines (18 species), functional foods and beverages (seven species), charms (six species) and crafts (three species), but also have several other minor uses. Charm uses were restricted to southern and East Africa, while several contemporary uses such as functional feeds and fodders, growth mediums and fertilizers and veterinary medicine were unique to Asia. Thesium chinense is by far the most utilized and versatile species with a total of 173 uses in nine use categories, followed by T. longifolium with 39 uses in six use categories. No specific trends were observed in the plant parts used. As a medicine Thesium is used to treat 137 ailments, predominantly reproductive and breast (22), respiratory tract (18), degenerative (11), digestive (11) and urinary (10) ailments. Chemical analyses are available for only eight species, with flavonoids, fatty acids and alkaloids as the main compounds. The potential influence of the host plants on the chemistry and pharmacology remains unexplored. The pharmacological activities of two species, T. chinense and T. viride, have been studied, while three other species are reported to be poisonous. Thesium chinense has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, chemopreventive, cytotoxic and other general therapeutic properties, and T. viride anti-bacterial activity.
This study has highlighted the ethnobotanical, contemporary and pharmacological importance of Thesium and informed possible future research opportunities. While ample information is available on the traditional uses of the richly diverse African Thesium species, the few Asian species dominate the literature on contemporary uses and pharmacology, while relevant literature on species in the rest of the world is altogether lacking. In light of the popularity of Asian species as ingredients in contemporary medicines and products, further research is needed into African species and their uses, including potential commercial uses. As an important medicinal hemi-parasite in both Africa and Asia, the identities of ethnobotanically relevant species and their phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology remain underexplored and require more research attention.
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•The global distribution pattern of all Thesium species (±350) is presented.•Of the 23 species with recorded uses, 18 have medicinal applications for 137 ailments.•Chemical compounds include flavonoids, fatty acids and alkaloids.•The flavonoids of one species are anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antibacterial.•The comprehensive database will guide future studies, especially of African species.
Two shrub-like Thesium species (subgenus Psilothesium) from the Limpopo and North West Provinces in South Africa are treated. Using morphological information from the literature, herbarium material ...(including types) and geographic information, specimens of the little-known T. celatum N.E.Br. and a new species, T. hispidifructum N.Lombard and M.M.leRoux sp. nov., are treated. A first comprehensive description of the Waterberg–Magaliesberg endemic, T. celatum, is provided along with diagnostic characters to distinguish it from its morphologically most similar-looking species, T. burchellii A.W.Hill. It has hitherto been classified as data deficient due to taxonomic reasons by the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN) but a status of Vulnerable is suggested. Thesium hispidifructum is recognised for the first time here and is endemic to Blouberg and Mount Letsjume. It is morphologically most similar to T. disparile N.E.Br. Its name was chosen with reference to its hispidulous to hispid indumentum covering the entire plant including the outside of the flowers and fruit. A threat status of vulnerable is proposed. Treatments of both species include detailed morphological descriptions, information on their distribution and habitat, comparisons and an identification key with morphologically similar species and photo plates.
Abstract
The Legume Phylogeny Working Group’s Taxonomy Working Group was tasked to create a community endorsed global legume checklist that will serve as a primary source of taxa for biodiversity ...data platforms and legume-related research. The checklist was published in June 2021, recognising 772 genera and 22,360 species. It is disseminated through the new Legume Data Portal as part of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) hosted portal initiative. The process that was followed to publish and disseminate the checklist and its content is described here. The impact of the work by the Taxonomy Working Group are quantified by comparing the published checklist with the GBIF taxonomic backbone. A total of 44,157 names overlapped with the GBIF taxonomic backbone while 30,456 names were added, which enabled more accurate name matching of 61,235 legume occurrences. Continuous improvement to the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): Fabaceae checklist will allow the GBIF taxonomic backbone and other checklist managers to converge to a consistent and comprehensive list of legume taxa globally over time.
(formerly
) is a wide-spread legume species indigenous to southern Africa. Little is known regarding the identity or diversity of rhizobia that associate with this plant in its native range in South ...Africa. The aims of this study were therefore: (i) to gather a collection of rhizobia associated with
from a wide range of geographic locations and biomes; (ii) to identify the isolates and infer their evolutionary relationships with known rhizobia; (iii) to confirm their nodulation abilities by using them in inoculation assays to induce nodules under glasshouse conditions. To achieve these aims, soil samples were collected from 28 locations in seven biomes throughout South Africa, which were then used to grow
seedlings under nitrogen-free conditions. The resulting 88 bacterial isolates were identified to genus-level using 16S rRNA sequence analysis and to putative species-level using
-based phylogenetic analyses. Our results showed that the rhizobial isolates represented members of several genera of Alphaproteobacteria (
,
,
, and
), as well as
from the Betaproteobacteria. Our study therefore greatly increases the known number of
isolates which can associate with this southern African mimosoid host. We also show for the first time that members of this genus can associate with legumes, not only in the Fynbos biome, but also in the Albany Thicket and Succulent Karoo biomes. Twenty-six putative species were delineated among the 88 isolates, many of which appeared to be new to Science with other likely being conspecific or closely related to
,
,
, and
. We encountered only a single isolate of
, which is in contrast to the dominant association of this genus with Australian
.
also associates with diverse genera in the Grassland biome where it is quite invasive and involved in bush encroachment. Our findings therefore suggest that
is a promiscuous host capable of forming effective nodules with both alpha- and beta-rhizobia, which could be a driving force behind the ecological success of this tree species.
It is time to synthesize the knowledge that has been generated through more than 260 years of botanical exploration, taxonomic and, more recently, phylogenetic research throughout the world. The ...adoption of an updated Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) in 2011 provided the essential impetus for the development of the World Flora Online (WFO) project. The project represents an international, coordinated effort by the botanical community to achieve GSPC Target 1, an electronic Flora of all plants. It will be a first‐ever unique and authoritative global source of information on the world's plant diversity, compiled, curated, moderated and updated by an expert and specialist‐based community (Taxonomic Expert Networks – “TENs” – covering a taxonomic group such as family or order) and actively managed by those who have compiled and contributed the data it includes. Full credit and acknowledgement will be given to the original sources, allowing users to refer back to the primary data. A strength of the project is that it is led and endorsed by a global consortium of more than 40 leading botanical institutions worldwide. A first milestone for producing the World Flora Online is to be accomplished by the end of 2020, but the WFO Consortium is committed to continuing the WFO programme beyond 2020 when it will develop its full impact as the authoritative source of information on the world's plant biodiversity.
Background: Thesium L. is the largest genus in the family Santalaceae (sandalwood family). The last taxonomic revision of the southern African species dates back to 1925. An urgent revision of the ...genus is required as indicated in a recent national biosystematics research strategy for South Africa. Objectives: To revise the Thesium confine species complex (Thesium durum, T. confine and Thesium spartioides) and to update the typification, nomenclature, descriptions and distribution ranges. Method: Morphological characters were studied using own field collections as well as herbarium specimens from K, NU, PRE and PRU and images on Global Plants (JSTOR). Distribution ranges of the studied species were updated. Results: An examination of morphological characters revealed great similarity between T. spartioides and T. confine. Both species have an herbaceous habit, decumbent growth form, terminal (or less frequently axillary) inflorescences and a sympatric northern distribution in South Africa. Thesium durum differs from T. spartioides and T. confine in having a shrubby habit, erect growth form and axillary inflorescences and occurs in the southern part of South Africa. Conclusion: Thesium spartioides is synonymised under T. confine, and T. durum is retained as a separate species.
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•Isolated 21 rhizobial isolates, corresponding to seven Bradyrhizobium species.•One of these is conspecific with B. arachidis, while the others are new.•Most of the isolates formed ...part of new nodA clades (Clades XIV and XV).•Similar groupings were recovered from the nifD genealogy.•Evolution of these rhizobia is subject to environmental factors and host distribution.
The genus Bradyrhizobium contains predominantly nitrogen-fixing legume symbionts. Phylogenetic analysis of the genes responsible for their symbiotic abilities (i.e., those encoded on the nodulation nod and nitrogen-fixation nif loci) has facilitated the development of an extensive phylogeographic framework for the genus. This framework however contains only a few nodulating isolates from Africa. Here we focused on nodulating Bradyrhizobium isolates associated with native southern African legumes in the tribes Genisteae and Crotalarieae found along the Great Escarpment in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. The aims of this study were to: (1) obtain rhizobial isolates from legumes in the Genisteae and Crotalarieae; (2) verify their nodulation ability; (3) characterize them to species level based on phylogenetic analyses of several protein coding gene regions (atpD, dnaK, glnII, recA, rpoB and gyrB) and (4) determine their placement in the phylogeographic framework inferred from the sequences of the symbiotic loci nodA and nifD. Twenty of the 21 Bradyrhizobium isolates belonged to six novel species, while one was conspecific with the recently described B. arachidis. Among these isolates, the nodA phylogeny revealed several new clades, with 18 of our isolates found in Clades XIV and XV, and only three forming part of the cosmopolitan Clade III. These strains formed predominantly the same groups in the nifD phylogeny although with slight differences; indicating that both vertical and horizontal inheritance of the symbiotic loci occurred. These findings suggest that the largely unexplored diversity of indigenous African rhizobia are characterized by unique ancestries that might mirror the distribution of their hosts and the environmental factors driving their evolution.
Abstract A range of rare mutations involving micro-deletion or -duplication of genetic material (copy number variants (CNVs)) have been associated with high neurodevelopmental and psychiatric risk ...(ND-CNVs). Irritability is frequently observed in childhood neurodevelopmental conditions, yet its aetiology is largely unknown. Genetic variation may play a role, but there is a sparsity of studies investigating the presentation of irritability in young people with ND-CNVs. This study aimed to investigate whether there is a difference in irritability in young people with rare ND-CNVs compared to those without ND-CNVs, and to what extent irritability is associated with psychiatric diagnoses and cognitive ability (IQ). Irritability and broader psychopathology were assessed in 485 young people with ND-CNVs and 164 sibling controls, using the child and adolescent psychiatric assessment. Autism was assessed using the social communication questionnaire, and intelligence quotient (IQ) by the Wechsler abbreviated scale of intelligence. Fifty four percent of young people with ND-CNVs met the threshold for irritability; significantly more than controls (OR = 3.77, CI = 3.07–7.90, p = 5.31 × 10 −11 ). When controlling for the presence of other psychiatric comorbidities, ND-CNV status was still associated with irritability. There was no evidence for a relationship between irritability and IQ. Irritability is an important aspect of the clinical picture in young people with ND-CNVs. This work shows that genetic variation is associated with irritability in young people with ND-CNVs, independent of psychiatric comorbidities or IQ impairment. Clinicians should be aware of this increased risk to inform management and interventions.
Oberholzeria etendekaensis, a succulent biennial or short-lived perennial shrublet is described as a new species, and a new monotypic genus. Discovered in 2012, it is a rare species known only from a ...single locality in the Kaokoveld Centre of Plant Endemism, north-western Namibia. Phylogenetic analyses of molecular sequence data from the plastid matK gene resolves Oberholzeria as the sister group to the Genisteae clade while data from the nuclear rDNA ITS region showed that it is sister to a clade comprising both the Crotalarieae and Genisteae clades. Morphological characters diagnostic of the new genus include: 1) succulent stems with woody remains; 2) pinnately trifoliolate, fleshy leaves; 3) monadelphous stamens in a sheath that is fused above; 4) dimorphic anthers with five long, basifixed anthers alternating with five short, dorsifixed anthers, and 5) pendent, membranous, one-seeded, laterally flattened, slightly inflated but indehiscent fruits.
Crotalaria is a large genus of 702 species with its centre of diversity in tropical Africa and Madagascar and secondary radiations in other parts of the world. The current infrageneric classification ...system is based on morphological and morphometric studies of the African taxa only and is here re‐evaluated using a phylogenetic approach. DNA sequences derived from the nuclear ITS and the plastid matK, psbA‐trnH and rbcLa markers were analyzed using parsimony and model‐based (Bayesian) approaches. The resultant molecular phylogeny allowed for a new interpretation of diagnostically important morphological characters, including specialisations of the calyx, keel, standard petal and style, which are variously convergent in several unrelated infrageneric groups. Of particular interest is the congruence between the new phylogeny and the distribution of standard petal callosity types. A sectional classification system for the entire genus is proposed for the first time. The new system that is formalised here comprises eleven sections: Amphitrichae, Calycinae, Crotalaria, Geniculatae, Glaucae, Grandiflorae, Hedriocarpae, Incanae, Schizostigma, Borealigeniculatae and Stipulosae. Sectional limits of the Geniculatae, Calycinae and Crotalaria are modified. The subsections Stipulosae, Glaucae and Incanae are raised to sectional level, while some groups previously recognized as subsections are abandoned due to non‐monophyly (subsections Chrysocalycinae, Hedriocarpae, Macrostachyae and Tetralobocalyx). Two new sections are recognized, Amphitrichae and Borealigeniculatae.