Explore the vast range of titles available.

Celastrus and Tripterygium species, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine, have attracted much attention due to their anti-tumor promoting and neuroprotective activities, in addition to their applications in autoimmune disorders. However, systematic relationships between them and among species are unclear, and it may disturb their further medicinal utilization. In the present study, the molecular analysis of combined chloroplast and nuclear markers of all Chinese Celastrus and Tripterygium was performed, and clear inter- and intra-genus relationships were presented. The result suggests that Tripterygium constitute a natural monophyletic clade within Celastrus with strong support value. Fruit and seed type are better than inflorescence in subgeneric classification. Chinese Celastrus are classified for three sections: Sect. Sempervirentes (Maxim.) CY Cheng & TC Kao, Sect. Lunatus XY Mu & ZX Zhang, sect. nov., and Sect. Ellipticus XY Mu & ZX Zhang, sect. nov. The phylogenetic data was consistent with their chemical components reported previously. Owing to the close relationship, several evergreen Celastrus species are recommended for chemical and pharmacological studies. Our results also provide reference for molecular identification of Chinese Celastrus and Tripterygium.

Herbal material is both a medicine and a commodity. Accurate identification of herbal materials is necessary to ensure the safety and effectiveness of medication. With this work, we initiated an identification method to investigate the species authenticity for herbal products of Celastrus orbiculatus and Tripterygum wilfordii utilizing DNA barcoding technology. An ITS2 (internal transcribed spacer two) barcode database including 59 sequences was successfully established to estimate the reliability of species-level identification for Celastrus and Tripterygium. Our findings showed that ITS2 can effectively and clearly distinguish C. orbiculatus, T. wilfordii and its congeners. Then, we investigated the proportions and varieties of adulterant species in the herbal markets. The data from ITS2 region indicated that 13 (62%) of the 21 samples labeled as “Nan-she-teng” and eight (31%) of the 26 samples labeled as “Lei-gong-teng” were authentic; the remaining were adulterants. Of the 47 herbal products, approximately 55% of the product identity were not in accordance with the label. In summary, we support the efficacy of the ITS2 barcode for the traceability of C. orbiculatus and T. wilfordii, and the present study provides one method and reference for the identification of the herbal materials and adulterants in the medicinal markets.

This is the first comprehensive molecular investigation of the genus Celastrus L. Phylogenetic relationships within the genus were assessed based on sequences of two nuclear (ETS, ITS) and three plastid ( psbA - trnH , rpl16 and trnL - F ) regions using the Bayesian inference and the maximum parsimony methods. Our results show that Celastrus , together with Tripterygium , formed a maximal supported clade. Within the cluster, Celastrus is composed of a basal clade and a core Celastrus clade, and the latter is consisted of six subclades. Relationships among species are more influenced by latitude than continental distribution patterns. The cauline cyme and lunate seeds are distinct characters to one of the maximal supported subclades. Their close relationship, similar geographical pattern and habitat imply that C. flagellaris may be a potential invasive species threatening C. scandens in North America. Celastrus leiocarpus , C. oblanceifolius and C. rugosus are confirmed as synonyms of C. punctatus , C. aculeatus and C. glaucophyllus , respectively. Discordance between the molecular data and previous morphology-based subgeneric classifications are noted. More works are needed to clarify the relationship between Celastrus and Tripterygium and the species within Celastrus .

The Himalayan taxa Begonia gemmipara Hook.f. & Thomson and Celastrus hookeri Prain are collected after a long gap from Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalayan range of India during the floristic assessment of Neora Valley National Park. During identification, it has been noticed that both the names warrant typification for the correct application of name. Hence, the both names are lectotypified here.

Eight genera from as many families are considered. One new subspecies is described, two new ranks (one variety, one subspecies) and one new combination are proposed. Two locally described names are sunk under more widespread species. The treatment of Nothopegia Blume in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India (1876) is still the most satisfactory. Under Randia L., the observed characters for three species are tabulated as an aid to a definitive revision.