Speciation through homoploid hybridization between allotetraploids in peonies (Paeonia)

Phylogenies of Adh1 and Adh2 genes suggest that a widespread Mediterranean peony, Paeonia officinalis, is a homoploid hybrid species between two allotetraploid species, Paeonia peregrina and a member of the Paeonia arietina species group. Three phylogenetically distinct types of Adh sequences have been identified from both accessions of P. officinalis, of which two types are most closely related to the two homoeologous Adh loci of the P. arietina group and the remaining type came from one of the two Adh homoeologs of P. peregrina. The other Adh homoeolog of P. peregrina was apparently lost from the hybrid genome, possibly through backcrossing with the P. arietina group. This is a documentation of homoploid hybrid speciation between allotetraploid species in nature. This study suggests that hybrid speciation between allotetraploids can occur without an intermediate stage of genome diploidization or a further doubling of genome size.

Documentation of reticulate evolution in peonies (Paeonia) using internal transcribed spacer sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA: implications for biogeography and concerted evolution.

The internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA of 33 species of genus Paeonia (Paeoniaceae) were sequenced. In section Paeonia, different patterns of nucleotide additivity were detected in 14 diploid and tetraploid species at sites that are variable in the other 12 species of the section, suggesting that reticulate evolution has occurred. Phylogenetic relationships of species that do not show additivity, and thus ostensibly were not derived through hybridization, were reconstructed by parsimony analysis. The taxa presumably derived through reticulate evolution were then added to the phylogenetic tree according to additivity from putative parents. The study provides an example of successfully using ITS sequences to reconstruct reticulate evolution in plants and further demonstrates that the sequence data could be highly informative and accurate for detecting hybridization. Maintenance of parental sequences in the species of hybrid origin is likely due to slowing of concerted evolution caused by the long generation time of peonies. The partial and uneven homogenization of parental sequences displayed in nine species of putative hybrid origin may have resulted from gradients of gene conversion. The documented hybridizations may have occurred since the Pleistocene glaciations. The species of hybrid origin and their putative parents are now distantly allopatric. Reconstruction of reticulate evolution with sequence data, therefore, provides gene records for distributional histories of some of the parental species.

Irises and Peonies with Finches

Katsushika Hokusai, style of; woodcut, surimono

The Flowers on his bedside speak of eternity

Poem

Sireenit, floksit ja iirikset- Puu-Käpylän koristekasvit

Puu-Käpylä (“Wooden Käpylä”), a neighbourhood of Helsinki, is the earliest example of the Garden City Movement in Finland. The suburb of valuable wooden architecture was built between 1920 and 1925, with the aim to provide a healthy housing area for working-class families with many children. The houses were erected by a co-operative (Käpylän kansanasunnot, “People?s Dwellings”) and they are protected by the city plan since 1960?s. However, the historical value of the sheltered courtyards has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to survey the garden flora of Puu-Käpylä and to evaluate the authenticity of the courtyard gardens. The survey covered the area of one residential quarter (1.2 ha) with twelve 2-storey semi-detached timber houses arranged around a common yard, which was originally appointed for the tenants? vegetable gardens. The houses are still rented, and each flat is allowed a small lot of the courtyard for cultivation. A complete list was made of all perennial, ornamental plant taxa present in the quarter. Spring bulbs were missed due to the timing of the survey. Generally, the plants were recorded on species level, with the exception of common lilacs, shrub roses, irises and peonies that were thoroughly studied for cultivar identification. It was assumed that plants initially grown in the courtyard could be distinguished by studying Finnish garden magazines, books and nursery catalogues published in the 1920?s and by comparing the present vegetation to surviving documents from the quarter. The total number of ornamental plant taxa identified was 172, of which 17 were trees, 47 shrubs, 7 climbers and 101 herbaceous perennials. The results indicated that a major part of the shrubs, climbers and perennials presumably originated from the 1970?s or later, whereas ca. 70 % of the tree specimens were deemed as original. The survey disclosed a heritage variety of common lilac, resembling cultivar „Prince Notger?, a specific peony taxon, Paeonia humilis Retz., cultivated in Nordic countries since long ago, and a few historic iris varieties. Well-preserved design elements included front gardens on one side of the quarter, a maple alley on another side as well as trees at the garden gates. Old garden books and magazines did not shed much light on the Finnish garden flora commonly used in the period when Puu-Käpylä was built. However, they gave a valuable picture of contemporary planting design. Nursery catalogues offered insight into the assortment of ornamental plants traded in the 1920?s. Conclusions on the authenticity of the current flora were mainly drawn on the basis of old photographs and a vegetation survey map drawn in the 1970?s. This study revealed a need for standardization of syrvey methods applied when investigating garden floras. Uniform survey techniques would make the results comparable and enable a future compilation of data from e.g. historic gardens.

栽培牡丹起源研究

牡丹在中国被称作“花中之王”。我国不仅是全部野生牡丹的原产地，也是栽培牡丹最早的驯化地。野生牡丹共有8个种，分布于云南、四川、湖北、甘肃、陕西、山西、安徽、河南和西藏等9省区，因其具有很大的观赏和药用价值，而在中国和世界温带地区广泛栽培。本研究利用形态特征和4个核基因片段（三个Adh 基因和GPAT基因片断）的核苷酸序列变异对牡丹组的种间系统发育关系进行了分析，并对我国栽培牡丹四个品种群的101个代表品种的可能祖先进行了形态学鉴定和分子诊断标记研究。在此基础上，利用核编码叶绿体表达的GPAT基因的（大内含子）部分序列和叶绿体基因组的trnS – trnG 和 rpS16 – trnQ两个基因间隔区的DNA序列变异重建了栽培牡丹37个代表品种和26个野生居群间的谱系关系。结果表明：（1）GPAT基因树是迄今得到的分辨率最好，并具有很高自展值支持的牡丹组种间系统发育关系树;（2）GPAT基因树和形态学证据一致支持银屏牡丹（P. suffruticosa ssp. yinpingmudan）, 凤丹（P. ostii）, 紫斑牡丹（P. rockii）, 卵叶牡丹（P. qiui）, 和矮牡丹 （P. jishanensis） 参与了栽培牡丹的起源;（3）叶绿体DNA单倍型网络树（network）进一步证实上述5个祖先类群的4个（矮牡丹除外）可能参与了栽培牡丹的母系起源。37个品种的GPAT基因谱系和叶绿体DNA单倍型网络树一致表明银屏牡丹是栽培牡丹最主要的祖先，其次是紫斑牡丹、凤丹、和卵叶牡丹;（4）我们的分子证据不支持形态学证据关于矮牡丹是栽培牡丹最主要的野生祖先的推测;（5）形态学和分子诊断标记证据表明，101个品种中有65.35 % 的品种具有两个以上野生种的特征，18.81 % 品种同时具有 Eco R I (+) 和 InDel51(+)物种特异分子标记。对37个品种的GPAT基因谱系和叶绿体DNA谱系比较发现，其中35个可能是杂种起源。另外，对7个古代牡丹品种（据文献记载）的GPAT基因的不同克隆类型进行测序和谱系分析，结果表明其中4 个为杂种起源。上述证据充分表明杂交和（或）渗入杂交在牡栽培牡丹的起源和进化中发挥了重要作用。根据本研究的结果，结合现有的形态学数据、考古记录，以及有关牡丹栽培和驯化历史的记载，我们对栽培牡丹的起源和驯化历史总结如下。牡丹的栽培迄今有1,600 – 2,000年，栽培牡丹最迟起源于1，500年前。最初通过驯化和对突变的选择获得原始品种。由于牡丹品种可以通过无性和（或）有性方式进行繁殖，其后新的品种通过如下方式产生：（1）对突变的选择，（2）对栽培类型和野生种之间或栽培类型之间杂交和（或）渗入杂交产生的实生苗的选择。由于绝大部分（如果不是全部）早期的原始品种已绝灭，现有栽培牡丹是起源于各种人工和自然进化力共同作用的结果，其中包括多次驯化、人工选择、突变、杂交和渗入杂交等。据作者所知，栽培牡丹的这种 ‘compilospecies’ 起源和驯化模式是目前已研究过的主要栽培作物中未见报道的。 因此，本研究不仅为栽培牡丹的多系起源和驯化历史提供了可信的分子证据，同时也为利用单拷贝基因的内含子序列构建栽培作物及其近缘野生祖先间的种系发生关系提供了成功的例子。另外，本研究也为同时利用核和叶绿体基因组的非编码DNA序列研究杂交在栽培作物的起源和进化的中作用提供了成功的例子。

牡丹花芽分化类型与促成连续二次开花

牡丹（Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.），芍药科芍药属植物，是我国的传统名花，因花朵硕大、花色丰富、花型齐全而显雍容华贵、富丽端庄，“惟有牡丹真国色，花开时节动京城”，深受人民的喜爱。人们在欣赏牡丹的过程中，一方面为其艳丽多姿而赞叹，同时又为其自然花期较短且集中而遗憾，“弄花一年，看花十日”，因此，如何通过栽培等技术措施使牡丹连续开花，一直是牡丹研究者探索的重要课题。近年，在对牡丹栽培的系统研究中，发现不同牡丹品种的花芽分化类型（数量、梯度）直接影响其开花数量和开花次数。为了有效地利用不同类型的牡丹，选育出更多的丰花、同株可连续开花的品种，服务于牡丹的产业化生产，本试验对4个牡丹品种群的135个品种进行了同枝条芽数的统计分析及花芽分化梯度的划分，阐明了花芽分化类型与促成连续二次开花的关系。初步测定了具有促成连续二次开花习性的牡丹品种‘High Noon’不同芽位腋芽内源激素的含量，揭示了牡丹同株连续二次开花过程中不同芽位腋芽内源激素的生理变化规律，为解决牡丹同株花期短、不能同株连续开花的难题奠定了理论基础。本研究主要结果如下： 1、牡丹花芽分化类型与自然开花的关系 通过对135个牡丹品种花芽分化数量和梯度类型的调查，将同枝条的芽数聚类为少（3-4）、中等（5-7）、多（8-10）三类;将花芽分化梯度划分为小、中、大三种类型。芽数类型和花芽分化梯度类型均与品种群有一定的关系。中原品种群中90%的品种属于芽数少的类型，47%的品种属于分化梯度大的类型;日本品种群中73%的品种属于芽数中等的类型，52%的品种属于分化梯度中的类型;法国品种群和美国品种群品种调查数量较少，但大多数品种属于芽数中等的类型，分别占80%和44%，分化梯度小的品种分别占调查总数的40%和67%。绝大部分品种的腋花芽因在枝条上着生的位置不同而有明显的异质性，上部芽顶端优势强，萌动率和开花率均高，芽数多的品种中、下部芽在春天自然开花季节常处于休眠状态。 2、牡丹花芽分化类型与促成连续二次开花的关系 花芽分化数量的多少与梯度的大小直接影响着开花次数。花芽分化数量少、梯度大的品种不建议直接用于同株促成连续二次开花栽培;花芽分化数量中等或多、梯度小的品种可以实现同株促成连续二次开花，10个试验牡丹品种中的中原牡丹品种‘如花似玉（Ru Hua Si Yu）’和美国牡丹品种‘High Noon’具有同株连续二次开花能力，且二次开花率达75%以上，两次开花品质均优良。 3、‘High Noon’不同芽位腋芽内源激素与促成连续开花的关系 通过测定美国牡丹品种‘High Noon’同枝条不同芽位腋芽萌动前期、后期内源激素含量，结果表明：萌动后期不同芽位腋芽的GA3、IAA、ZRs含量增加，尤其1位芽、2位芽含量增加显著;萌动后期ABA含量则随着芽位自上而下增加显著，可能是导致下部芽继续保持休眠状态的主要原因;萌动后期下部芽的ABA/ZRs配比增幅较高，说明ABA/ZRs配比与芽的生长与休眠关系密切。

Annual exhibition of the American peony society, [40th] National Peony show. [Show rules and regulations]

Mode of access: Internet.

Bulletin

No. 1-16 include its Proceedings 1914-1922