@article {Arzani:2007p7993, title = {Iron and magnesium concentrations of mint accessions (Mentha spp.)}, journal = {Plant Physiol Biochem}, volume = {45}, number = {5}, year = {2007}, month = {May}, pages = {323{\textendash}9}, abstract = {Plant foods can contribute significantly to human nutrition and health, because they contain almost all essential human nutrients. However, nutrient composition varies among different plant foods. Improvement of nutritional quality of our food supply, especially with respect to essential nutrient minerals, such as magnesium, iron and zinc, could be an important goal of vegetable crops. There is little information available on essential mineral concentration of mint (Mentha spp.). This study was conducted to evaluate some micronutrient minerals of twelve Iranian mint accessions, three of which belonging to Mentha longifolia (Mzin5, Mzin6 and Mzin11) and the remaining were Mentha spicata L species (Mzin1, Mzin2, Mzin3, Mzin4, Mzin7, Mzin8, Mzin9, Mzin10, and Mzin12). This report is assigned to two essential human nutrients, iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg) concentrations of two mint herbage harvests in 12 mint clones within each of two studied years. Results of analysis of variance indicated a significant difference among accessions and a non-significant difference between species for Mg and Fe concentrations. Mean comparisons showed that Mzin2, Mzin12 (both belong to M. spicata) and Mzin6 (belongs to M. longifolia) possess the highest Fe concentration. Furthermore, Mzins 5, 6 and 11 belong to M. longifolia as well as Mzins 2 and 10 belong to M. spicata did not significantly differ and all included the first ranking group for Mg concentration. Fe concentration averaged on the first harvest ranged from 134mg/kg for Mzin4 genotype (belongs to M. spicata) to 210mg/kg to for Mzin5 genotype (belongs to M. longifolia), while Fe concentration at the second harvest varied from 315mg/kg for Mzin1 to 582mg/kg for Mzin12. At the first harvest, Mg concentration ranged from 748mg/kg for Mzin1 to 1174 for Mzin5. At the second harvest, Mg concentration varied from 1171mg/kg for Mzin9 to 1618mg/kg for Mzin11. It is hence concluded that the magnesium and iron concentrations of Mentha species are comparable to those reported for other leafy vegetable crops. Therefore, this is evidence that this herb is rich in some essential nutrient minerals, especially Fe and Mg which are essential for human health.}, keywords = {Cluster Analysis, Iron, Magnesium, Mentha, Phylogeny}, doi = {10.1016/j.plaphy.2007.03.023}, author = {A Arzani and H Zeinali and K Razmjo} } @article {Sudarmono:2007p7986, title = {Speciation process of Salvia isensis (Lamiaceae), a species endemic to serpentine areas in the Ise-Tokai district, Japan, from the viewpoint of the contradictory phylogenetic trees generated from chloroplast and nuclear DNA}, journal = {Journal of Plant Research}, volume = {120}, number = {4}, year = {2007}, month = {Jul}, pages = {483{\textendash}90}, abstract = {To understand the speciation process of Salvia isensis (Lamiaceae), a species endemic to a special environment (serpentine areas in the Ise-Tokai district, central Honshu, Japan), chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) were employed to analyze the phylogenetic relationships of S. isensis with related species in Japan. Allozymic polymorphisms were also used to analyze genetic relationships among Salvia species. A contradiction in the phylogenetic positions of species studied was detected when phylogenetic trees were constructed using cpDNA or nrDNA, i.e., S. isensis was a sister to the other species in phylogenetic trees generated from cpDNA, while S. japonica was a sister to the other species in the case of nrDNA. Genetic relationships between Salvia species estimated from allozymic polymorphisms did not contradict to the topology for nrDNA. Using the present results, the speciation process of S. isensis is discussed with regard to introgressive gene exchanges between related species.}, keywords = {Base Sequence, Cell Nucleus, DNA Primers, DNA: Chloroplast, Japan, Phylogeny, Salvia}, doi = {10.1007/s10265-007-0075-2}, author = {Sudarmono and Hiroshi Okada} } @article {Wang:2007p7984, title = {[Analysis on genetic diversity of different Salvia miltiorrhiza geographical populations in China]}, journal = {Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi}, volume = {32}, number = {19}, year = {2007}, month = {Oct}, pages = {1988{\textendash}91}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To research on genetic diversity of different Salvia miltiorrhiza geographical populations in China. METHOD: The genetic diversity of 27 S. miltiorrhiza geographical populations from ten provinces in China was estimated using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. The data of amplified bands were analyzed by the software POPGENE and SPSS. RESULT: The ten primers employed produced a total of 528 discernable and reproduceable amplified fragments. There were 476 polymorphic brands. The percentage of polymorphic bands with in different populations was 90.15\%. Genetic diversity analysis showed that Neis gene diversity (He) was 0.261 2 and Shannon{\textquoteright}s genetic diversity index (1) was 0.403 3. The coefficient of gene similarity was 0.504 0-0.789 0 between populations. The cluster map including all samples were obtained by UPGMA. In the map, there were seven cluster groups and one individual outside the groups. CONCLUSION: The genetic diversity with in different geographical population of S. miltiorrhiza in China is plentiful.}, keywords = {Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis, China, Cluster Analysis, DNA Primers, DNA: Plant, Genetic Variation, Genetics: Population, Phylogeny, Plants: Medicinal, Salvia miltiorrhiza}, author = {Bing Wang and Yong Zhang and Cheng-Bin Chen and Xiu-Lan Li and Rui-Yang Chen and Li Chen} } @article {Wang:2007p7983, title = {[Analysis of ITS sequences of some medicinal plants and their related species in Salvia]}, journal = {Yao Xue Xue Bao}, volume = {42}, number = {12}, year = {2007}, month = {Dec}, pages = {1309{\textendash}13}, abstract = {Molecular systematic techniques were applied to reveal the genetic diversity of medicinal plants and their related species in Salvia. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) as well as 5.8S rDNA sequences of 27 samples of Salvia were amplified using PCR method and sequenced. Mega 3.1 was used to analyze the genetic diversity within genus. The complete sequences of ITS plus 5.8S rDNA are about 612-617 bp. A phylogenetic tree generated by Neighbor-Joining method partly supported the morphological classification within Salvia, but incompatible results were also obtained in the treatment of phylogenetic positions of some species such as Salvia trijuga, Salvia flava var. flava and Salvia flava var. megalentha. The ITS regions of present Salria species showed considerable variation between subgenera in contrast with the conservative 5.8S rDNA sequences. The native Salvia species might have a different origin from the foreign species. The phylogenetic positions of subgenera and sections inferred by ITS analysis were comparable with that of traditional classification, while the phylogeny within sections is still doubtful due to limited information in ITS sequence and need to be further proved by other evidence. ITS analysis in this study supports the rationality of using species from Drymosphace section as substitute drug resources of Dan shen, but also reveals significant genetic differences between high mountain Dan shen species such as Salvia przewalskii with traditional Dan shen origins.}, keywords = {Base Sequence, DNA: Plant, DNA: Ribosomal, DNA: Ribosomal Spacer, Genetic Variation, Phylogeny, Plants: Medicinal, Polymerase Chain Reaction, RNA: Ribosomal: 5.8S, Salvia, Sequence Alignment, Sequence Analysis: DNA}, author = {Ying Wang and Da-hui Li and Ying-tao Zhang} } @article {Zhang:2007p7990, title = {[Correlation between ITS genotype and geographical distribution of Pogostemon cablin]}, journal = {Yao Xue Xue Bao}, volume = {42}, number = {1}, year = {2007}, month = {Jan}, pages = {93{\textendash}7}, abstract = {To investigate the correlation between genotype and distribution of Pogostemon cablin by sequencing ITS1 and ITS2 genes, and provide molecular information for its germplasm evaluation, ITS1 and ITS2 genes of Pogostemon cablin from different localities were identified by PCR direct sequencing. The sequences of ITS1 and ITS2 genes were 424 bp and 380 bp in length, respectively. And nineteen base substitutions were observed in ITS1 gene, and five in ITS2 gene. The results showed a good correlation between genotype and distribution of Pogostemon cablin, and ITS gene sequencing could provide useful molecular information for germplasm evaluation of the plant species verification.}, keywords = {Base Sequence, Biodiversity, China, Cluster Analysis, DNA: Plant, DNA: Ribosomal, DNA: Ribosomal Spacer, Genotype, Geography, Lamiaceae, Molecular Sequence Data, Phylogeny, Plant Leaves, Plants: Medicinal, Sequence Analysis: DNA}, author = {Ying Zhang and Yao Chen and Jin-Chao Zhang and Meng-Su Yang and Hui Cao and Pei-Gen Xiao} } @article {Lindqvist:2007p7988, title = {Polyglutamine variation in a flowering time protein correlates with island age in a Hawaiian plant radiation}, journal = {BMC Evol Biol}, volume = {7}, year = {2007}, month = {Jan}, pages = {105}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: A controversial topic in evolutionary developmental biology is whether morphological diversification in natural populations can be driven by expansions and contractions of amino acid repeats in proteins. To promote adaptation, selection on protein length variation must overcome deleterious effects of multiple correlated traits (pleiotropy). Thus far, systems that demonstrate this capacity include only ancient or artificial morphological diversifications. The Hawaiian Islands, with their linear geological sequence, present a unique environment to study recent, natural radiations. We have focused our research on the Hawaiian endemic mints (Lamiaceae), a large and diverse lineage with paradoxically low genetic variation, in order to test whether a direct relationship between coding-sequence repeat diversity and morphological change can be observed in an actively evolving system. RESULTS: Here we show that in the Hawaiian mints, extensive polyglutamine (CAG codon repeat) polymorphism within a homolog of the pleiotropic flowering time protein and abscisic acid receptor FCA tracks the natural environmental cline of the island chain, consequent with island age, across a period of 5 million years. CAG expansions, perhaps following their natural tendency to elongate, are more frequent in colonists of recently-formed, nutrient-rich islands than in their forebears on older, nutrient-poor islands. Values for several quantitative morphological variables related to reproductive investment, known from Arabidopsis fca mutant studies, weakly though positively correlate with increasing glutamine tract length. Together with protein modeling of FCA, which indicates that longer polyglutamine tracts could induce suboptimally mobile functional domains, we suggest that CAG expansions may form slightly deleterious alleles (with respect to protein function) that become fixed in founder populations. CONCLUSION: In the Hawaiian mint FCA system, we infer that contraction of slightly deleterious CAG repeats occurred because of competition for resources along the natural environmental cline of the island chain. The observed geographical structure of FCA variation and its correlation with morphologies expected from Arabidopsis mutant studies may indicate that developmental pleiotropy played a role in the diversification of the mints. This discovery is important in that it concurs with other suggestions that repetitive amino acid motifs might provide a mechanism for driving morphological evolution, and that variation at such motifs might permit rapid tuning to environmental change.}, keywords = {Alleles, DNA: Plant, Genes: Plant, Hawaii, Mentha, Minisatellite Repeats, Peptides, Phylogeny, Plant Proteins, Selection: Genetic, Sequence Homology: Amino Acid, Species Specificity}, doi = {10.1186/1471-2148-7-105}, author = {Charlotte Lindqvist and Liisa Laakkonen and Victor A Albert} } @article {Ryding:2007p1121, title = {Amount of calyx fibres in Lamiaceae, relation to calyx structure, phylogeny and ecology}, journal = {Plant Systematics and Evolution}, volume = {268}, number = {1-4}, year = {2007}, month = {Jan}, pages = {45{\textendash}58}, abstract = {Calyces of 306 species representing 181 out of the 236 genera of Lamiaceae have been studied with particular emphasis on the amount of fibres and similar xylem cells. A characteristic calyx tissue called "mesophyll fibres", reported by earlier authors, is found to belong to the xylem. Most species of the subfamilies Lamioideae and Scutellarioideae differ from most other labiates, and particularly from Nepetoideae, in having much larger amounts of fibres and similar xylem cells in the calyx tube. This result supports cladistic hypotheses based on cpDNA showing that Lamioideae and Scutellarioideae are closely related and remotely related to Nepetoideae. The new data also contribute to the knowledge about the phylogeny within Lamioideae. The amount of fibres and similar cells also seems to be positively correlated with calyx size, calyx width, a ballistic dispersal mechanism in Scutellaria, and the aridity of the habitat. Possible adaptive significances of these correlations are discussed.}, keywords = {Calyx, Fibres, Labiatae, Lamiaceae, Lamioideae, Phylogeny, Scutellarioideae, Sequences}, doi = {10.1007/s00606-007-0537-y}, url = {http://www.springerlink.com/content/51h118122296762q/}, author = {O Ryding} } @article {Sykorova:2007p7980, title = {The cultivation bias: different communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi detected in roots from the field, from bait plants transplanted to the field, and from a greenhouse trap experiment}, journal = {Mycorrhiza}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, year = {2007}, month = {Dec}, pages = {1{\textendash}14}, abstract = {The community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was investigated in roots of four different plant species (Inula salicina, Medicago sativa, Origanum vulgare, and Bromus erectus) sampled in (1) a plant species-rich calcareous grassland, (2) a bait plant bioassay conducted directly in that grassland, and (3) a greenhouse trap experiment using soil and a transplanted whole plant from that grassland as inoculum. Roots were analyzed by AMF-specific nested polymerase chain reaction, restriction fragment length polymorphism screening, and sequence analyses of rDNA small subunit and internal transcribed spacer regions. The AMF sequences were analyzed phylogenetically and used to define monophyletic phylotypes. Overall, 16 phylotypes from several lineages of AMF were detected. The community composition was strongly influenced by the experimental approach, with additional influence of cultivation duration, substrate, and host plant species in some experiments. Some fungal phylotypes, e.g., GLOM-A3 (Glomus mosseae) and several members of Glomus group B, appeared predominantly in the greenhouse experiment or in bait plants. Thus, these phylotypes can be considered r strategists, rapidly colonizing uncolonized ruderal habitats in early successional stages of the fungal community. In the greenhouse experiment, for instance, G. mosseae was abundant after 3 months, but could not be detected anymore after 10 months. In contrast, other phylotypes as GLOM-A17 (G. badium) and GLOM-A16 were detected almost exclusively in roots sampled from plants naturally growing in the grassland or from bait plants exposed in the field, indicating that they preferentially occur in late successional stages of fungal communities and thus represent the K strategy. The only phylotype found with high frequency in all three experimental approaches was GLOM A-1 (G. intraradices), which is known to be a generalist. These results indicate that, in greenhouse trap experiments, it is difficult to establish a root-colonizing AMF community reflecting the diversity of these fungi in the field roots because fungal succession in such artificial systems may bias the results. However, the field bait plant approach might be a convenient way to study the influence of different environmental factors on AMF community composition directly under the field conditions. For a better understanding of the dynamics of AMF communities, it will be necessary to classify AMF phylotypes and species according to their life history strategies.}, keywords = {Bromus, DNA: Fungal, Ecosystem, Inula, Medicago sativa, Molecular Sequence Data, Mycorrhizae, Origanum, Phylogeny, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Species Specificity}, doi = {10.1007/s00572-007-0147-0}, author = {Zuzana S{\'y}korov{\'a} and Kurt Ineichen and Andres Wiemken and Dirk Redecker} } @article {Tzanetakis:2007p7987, title = {Identification, detection and transmission of a new vitivirus from Mentha}, journal = {Arch Virol}, volume = {152}, number = {11}, year = {2007}, month = {Jan}, pages = {2027{\textendash}33}, abstract = {Mentha x gracilis {\textquoteright}Variegata{\textquoteright} is an ornamental clone with a phenotype caused by virus infection. Several clones were ordered from mail-order nurseries in an attempt to identify a virus consistently associated with symptoms. One of these clones did not exhibit typical {\textquoteright}Variegata{\textquoteright} symptoms, and steps were taken to identify any agents causing the {\textquoteright}off-type{\textquoteright} symptoms. One of the viruses identified in the atypical {\textquoteright}Variegata{\textquoteright} clone is a previously unknown virus, a member of the family Flexiviridae. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis indicate that the virus, designated as mint virus-2, is related to members of the species Grapevine virus A, Grapevine virus B and Heracleum latent virus, placing it in the genus Vitivirus. A detection protocol for the virus has been developed, and the mint aphid (Ovatus crataegarius) was able to transmit the virus in the presence of a helper virus but not from single infected plants.}, keywords = {Animals, Aphids, DNA Primers, Flexiviridae, Mentha, Molecular Sequence Data, Phylogeny, Plant Diseases, Plant Leaves, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Sequence Analysis: DNA}, doi = {10.1007/s00705-007-1030-1}, author = {I E Tzanetakis and J D Postman and R R Martin} } @article {Albaladejo:2007p7981, title = {Population genetic structure and hybridization patterns in the Mediterranean endemics Phlomis lychnitis and P. crinita (Lamiaceae)}, journal = {Annals of Botany}, volume = {100}, number = {4}, year = {2007}, month = {Oct}, pages = {735{\textendash}46}, abstract = {BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The historical influence of gene flow and genetic drift after the last glacial phase of the Quaternary Period is reflected in current levels of genetic diversity and population structure of plant species. Moreover, hybridization after secondary contact might also affect population genetic diversity and structure. An assessment was made of the genetic variation and hybrid zone structure in Iberian populations of the Mediterranean Phlomis lychnitis and P. crinita, for which phylogenetic relationships are controversial, and hybridization and introgression are common. METHODS: Allozyme variation at 13 loci was analysed in 1723 individual plants sampled from 35 natural locations of P. lychnitis, P. crinita subsp. malacitana and P. crinita subsp. crinita in southern and eastern Spain. Standard genetic diversity parameters were calculated and patterns of genetic structure in each taxon were tested to fit the equilibrium between gene flow and genetic drift. Individual multilocus genotypes were subjected to Bayesian clustering analysis to estimate hybridization and introgression rates for both geographic regions. KEY RESULTS: Contrasting patterns in the distribution of genetic variation among the three taxa were found. Phlomis lychnitis showed no significant inbreeding, low genetic differentiation among populations and no evidence of isolation by distance. Phlomis crinita subsp. malacitana and P. crinita subsp. crinita showed high levels of genetic structure consistent with a pattern of gene flow-drift equilibrium. Higher instances of hybridization and introgression were detected in locations from southern Spain compared with locations from eastern Spain, matching unimodal and bimodal hybrid zones, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: High instances of historical gene flow, range expansion and altitudinal movement during the Quaternary Period, and lineage sorting can explain the diversity of patterns observed. The results suggest that P. lychnitis is the most differentiated lineage in the group; however, the relationship between the three taxa remains unclear.}, keywords = {Bayes Theorem, Cluster Analysis, Gene Flow, Genetic Drift, Genetic Variation, Genotype, Hybridization: Genetic, Phlomis, Phylogeny, Plant Proteins, Population Dynamics, Sequence Analysis: Protein, Spain}, doi = {10.1093/aob/mcm154}, url = {http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/100/4/735.long}, author = {Rafael G Albaladejo and Abelardo Aparicio} } @article {Kapteyn:2007p7982, title = {Evolution of Cinnamate/p-coumarate carboxyl methyltransferases and their role in the biosynthesis of methylcinnamate}, journal = {Plant Cell}, volume = {19}, number = {10}, year = {2007}, month = {Oct}, pages = {3212{\textendash}29}, abstract = {Methylcinnamate, which is widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom, is a significant component of many floral scents and an important signaling molecule between plants and insects. Comparison of an EST database obtained from the glandular trichomes of a basil (Ocimum basilicum) variety that produces high levels of methylcinnamate (line MC) with other varieties producing little or no methylcinnamate identified several very closely related genes belonging to the SABATH family of carboxyl methyltransferases that are highly and almost exclusively expressed in line MC. Biochemical characterization of the corresponding recombinant proteins showed that cinnamate and p-coumarate are their best substrates for methylation, thus designating these enzymes as cinnamate/p-coumarate carboxyl methyltransferases (CCMTs). Gene expression, enzyme activity, protein profiling, and metabolite content analyses demonstrated that CCMTs are responsible for the formation of methylcinnamate in sweet basil. A phylogenetic analysis of the entire SABATH family placed these CCMTs into a clade that includes indole-3-acetic acid carboxyl methyltransferases and a large number of uncharacterized carboxyl methyltransferase-like proteins from monocots and lower plants. Structural modeling and ligand docking suggested active site residues that appear to contribute to the substrate preference of CCMTs relative to other members of the SABATH family. Site-directed mutagenesis of specific residues confirmed these findings.}, keywords = {Amino Acid Sequence, Blotting: Southern, Cinnamates, Evolution: Molecular, Expressed Sequence Tags, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Gene Expression Profiling, Kinetics, Methylation, Methyltransferases, Models: Molecular, Molecular Sequence Data, Molecular Structure, Ocimum basilicum, Phylogeny, Plant Proteins, Protein Isoforms, Proteomics, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Sequence Homology: Amino Acid, Substrate Specificity}, doi = {10.1105/tpc.107.054155}, author = {Jeremy Kapteyn and Anthony V Qualley and Zhengzhi Xie and Eyal Fridman and Natalia Dudareva and David R Gang} } @article {Walker:2007p7989, title = {Staminal evolution in the genus Salvia (Lamiaceae): molecular phylogenetic evidence for multiple origins of the staminal lever}, journal = {Annals of Botany}, volume = {100}, number = {2}, year = {2007}, month = {Aug}, pages = {375{\textendash}91}, abstract = {BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The genus Salvia has traditionally included any member of the tribe Mentheae (Lamiaceae) with only two stamens and with each stamen expressing an elongate connective. The recent demonstration of the non-monophyly of the genus presents interesting implications for staminal evolution in the tribe Mentheae. In the context of a molecular phylogeny, the staminal morphology of the various lineages of Salvia and related genera is characterized and an evolutionary interpretation of staminal variation within the tribe Mentheae is presented. METHODS: Two molecular analyses are presented in order to investigate phylogenetic relationships in the tribe Mentheae and the genus Salvia. The first presents a tribal survey of the Mentheae and the second concentrates on Salvia and related genera. Schematic sketches are presented for the staminal morphology of each major lineage of Salvia and related genera. KEY RESULTS: These analyses suggest an independent origin of the staminal elongate connective on at least three different occasions within the tribe Mentheae, each time with a distinct morphology. Each independent origin of the lever mechanism shows a similar progression of staminal change from slight elongation of the connective tissue separating two fertile thecae to abortion of the posterior thecae and fusion of adjacent posterior thecae. A monophyletic lineage within the Mentheae is characterized consisting of the genera Lepechinia, Melissa, Salvia, Dorystaechas, Meriandra, Zhumeria, Perovskia and Rosmarinus. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results the following are characterized: (1) the independent origin of the staminal lever mechanism on at least three different occasions in Salvia, (2) that Salvia is clearly polyphyletic, with five other genera intercalated within it, and (3) staminal evolution has proceeded in different ways in each of the three lineages of Salvia but has resulted in remarkably similar staminal morphologies.}, keywords = {Evolution: Molecular, Flowers, Phylogeny, Salvia}, doi = {10.1093/aob/mcl176}, url = {http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/100/2/375.long}, author = {Jay B Walker and Kenneth J Sytsma} } @article {208, title = {Staminal evolution in the genus Salvia (Lamiaceae): molecular phylogenetic evidence for multiple origins of the staminal lever.}, journal = {Ann Bot}, volume = {100}, year = {2007}, month = {2007 Aug}, pages = {375-91}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The genus Salvia has traditionally included any member of the tribe Mentheae (Lamiaceae) with only two stamens and with each stamen expressing an elongate connective. The recent demonstration of the non-monophyly of the genus presents interesting implications for staminal evolution in the tribe Mentheae. In the context of a molecular phylogeny, the staminal morphology of the various lineages of Salvia and related genera is characterized and an evolutionary interpretation of staminal variation within the tribe Mentheae is presented.

METHODS: Two molecular analyses are presented in order to investigate phylogenetic relationships in the tribe Mentheae and the genus Salvia. The first presents a tribal survey of the Mentheae and the second concentrates on Salvia and related genera. Schematic sketches are presented for the staminal morphology of each major lineage of Salvia and related genera.

KEY RESULTS: These analyses suggest an independent origin of the staminal elongate connective on at least three different occasions within the tribe Mentheae, each time with a distinct morphology. Each independent origin of the lever mechanism shows a similar progression of staminal change from slight elongation of the connective tissue separating two fertile thecae to abortion of the posterior thecae and fusion of adjacent posterior thecae. A monophyletic lineage within the Mentheae is characterized consisting of the genera Lepechinia, Melissa, Salvia, Dorystaechas, Meriandra, Zhumeria, Perovskia and Rosmarinus.

CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results the following are characterized: (1) the independent origin of the staminal lever mechanism on at least three different occasions in Salvia, (2) that Salvia is clearly polyphyletic, with five other genera intercalated within it, and (3) staminal evolution has proceeded in different ways in each of the three lineages of Salvia but has resulted in remarkably similar staminal morphologies.

}, keywords = {Evolution, Molecular, Flowers, Phylogeny, Salvia}, issn = {0305-7364}, doi = {10.1093/aob/mcl176}, author = {Walker, Jay B and Sytsma, Kenneth J} }