Germinating the seeds of three species of Pimelea sect. Epallage (Thymelaeaceae)1

Pimelea trichostachya Lindl., P. simplex F.Muell. and P. elongata Threlfall frequently cause pimelea poisoning of cattle. Fresh seeds of these species, belonging to sect. Epallage (Endl.) Benth. of Pimelea Gaertn. (Thymelaeaceae) are strongly dormant for years when in laboratory storage. Common methods of stimulating germination, such as scarification, dry heat and cold stratification, did not remove much of the dormancy. ‘Smoke water’ stimulated some germination but its effect was unpredictable and many seedlings then grew aberrantly. Exposure of imbibed seeds to gibberellic acid greatly and reliably improved the germination of all three species. However, the manner of application and the concentration of gibberellic acid used had to be appropriate or many young seedlings grew abnormally or died suddenly, limiting successful plant establishment rates. The dormancy type involved is non-deep Type 2 physiological. Ten days of good moisture, in addition to gibberellic acid exposure, is required before appreciable laboratory germination occurs at optimal temperatures. Thus, the mechanism by which gibberellic acid stimulates good germination does not appear to be the same as that which primes seeds for the rapid and prolific germination often seen under natural conditions in arid Australia. Seeds of P. simplex subsp. continua (J.M.Black) Threlfall proved most difficult to germinate and those of P. elongata the easiest.

中国后生耳蕨组Sect. Metapolystichum 的分类学研究

本文以形态特征为主，并参考其它证据，将中国Sect. Metapolystichum分为2个亚组，8个系，共记载45种2变种，其中新分类群21种1变种，新分布1种，新组合1个，并有11个新异名。对每种载有文献和标本引证及简要特征，新种则记有拉丁描述，并对某些疑难种进行了讨论。本文对叶表皮细胞的解剖研究表明，中国Sect.Metapolystichum植物气孔基本类型有两种，即十字型四细胞型和轴极型。各种植物的叶表皮细胞形态特征都不尽相同，有一定的分类学意义。作者对孢子形态的研究表明，中国Sect. Metapolystichum植物孢子周壁纹饰可分为八类，即波状、皱波状、条纹状、脑纹状、假网状、穴状、网状和复网状；在44种2变种中，孢子周壁纹饰表现出43种不同的形态。这一研究为分类上解决一些疑难问题、组下分类及系统发育研究提供了重要依据。本文中至少23种植物的孢子形态属首次报道。本文还根据中国Sect. Metapolystichum植物形态、解剖和孢子特征，遵循分支系统学的理论，借以确定了本组植物27个性状的极性；应用最大同步法（略有改进），通过简约性分析，构建了中国Sect. Metapolystichum植物有根的Wagnet树。作者对中国Sect. Metapolystichum植物的植物地理学特征也进行了分析，讨论了本组植物地理分布特征、间断分布现象、特有现象、替代现象、植物区系成分等，并就中国Sect. Metapolystichum植物区系进行了初步分区。