Med-Checklist Notulae, 24

Palynological contribution to the systematics ofRinderaand the allied generaParacaryumandSolenanthus (Boraginaceae-Cynoglosseae)

“…-The pollen of Solenanthus is more uniform than that of Rindera and Paracaryum and almost invariably of the Cynoglossum officinale type. This supports its inclusion in Cynoglossum, as proposed by Johnston (1924) and Greuter (1981). Apart from the N African species referred to Pardoglossum, the only remarkable deviation we could find is in S. hupehensis.…”

“…This is also supported by floral characters, e.g., the distinctly exserted stamens occurring in this group of N African taxa. On the basis of this affinity, Pardoglossum and R. gymnandra were included by Greuter (1981) in Cynoglossum subg. Mattiaria (Coss.)…”

“…Both Paracaryum and Solenanthus are, in turn, closely related to Cynoglossum L., a broad genus, the limits of which have long been a source of controversy (Mill 1979). The lack of a satisfactory correlation between floral and fruit characters in this group of Cynoglosseae, which is possibly due to parallel evolution, led Greuter (1981) to merge Rindera, Solenanthus and Paracaryum with Cynoglossum, in the wait for additional evidence to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships in the group. This treatment, however, is in contrast with that of most students of Boraginaceae (e.g., Kusnetsov 1910, Brand 1921, Johnston 1924, Popov 1950, 1953, Mill 1979, who kept the above genera separate (except Johnston who placed Solenanthus under Cynoglossum).…”

Isatis canescens is a rich source of glucobrassicin and other health-promoting compounds

“…15 Some botanists actually consider I. canescens as a sub-species of I. tinctoria. 18 An interesting characteristic of I. canescens is the traditional local use as food, unlike I. tinctoria, which is not considered as an edible green worldwide. In the region of Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe on the north-eastern coast of Sicily, Italy, rural people are accustomed, in late winter, to collecting the not yet flowered tops of the wild plants of the I. canescens sub-species, which are abundant in the countryside, and to eat them after cooking, for their slightly bitter taste.…”

Contribution to the flora of northern and central Greece

“…The specimen from Mt Vermio verifies a report by Chochliouros & Georgiadis (1997: 106) thus extending the known range of Betula pendula to the south. As a pioneer species, B. pendula grows in very different habitats, chiefly mixed and deciduous forests in the montane region, but is also known from wetland areas, e.g., the flood-plain habitats along river Nestos (Schuler 2000: 426) Raus & al. (in Greuter & Raus 1998: 165) based on collections from Volos (Thessaly) and Orestiada (Thrace).…”