Rosaceae

The genus Rubus is highly variable and frequently occurring in Iran, particularly in North regions. It has a global distribution on all climates except the Antarctic region. Ten morphological quantitative characters in seven species of Rubus in N Iran were studied. Based on the UPGMA cluster analysis of quantitative characters, the similarity of individuals was measured from 0.04 to 1. Our results showed high morphological variation among the populations. The northern Iranian Rubus populations were segregated from each other based on analysis of the quantitative morphological data. Quantitative morphological characters of the species were variable in different climatic conditions. Two species i.e. R. sanctus and R. persicus showed high rate of morphological variability in comparison to other species. Our results indicates that the morphology does not reflect the high rate of hybridization in Rubus, which is frequently reported by other researchers.
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Emesis encompasses the forceful expulsion of the contents of stomach via the mouth or sometimes the nose.
The adverse effects of currently available anti-emetic agents potentiate the natural product researchers to explore the
natural anti-emetics with fewer side effects. The presented communication constitutes a review on anti-emetic effect of
two hundred and forty five plants belonging to seventy-eight families found in different parts of the world. It also
outlined the anti-emetic effect of plant extracts and isolated secondary metabolites studied through a variety of animal
models of emesis. The reported anti-emetic plants in different countries and cultures and the scientific studies on extracts
may help in the identification of promising single chemical compound(s) that may be used as a potential leads for
developing safe anti-emetic agents in future. Moreover the reported secondary metabolites having the same effect may
open the door for the search of same secondary metabolites from other natural sources. This review will provide useful
information for the discovery of natural anti-emetic compounds and fill the gaps in knowledge.

The early Burdigalian (MN3) plant assemblage of the Güvem area (northwestern Central Anatolia) is preserved in lacustrine sediments of the Dereköy pyroclastics. Its age is well constrained by radiometric dates of basaltic rocks bracketing the pyroclastics, making the Güvem flora one of the extremely few precisely dated early Miocene floras in the Mediterranean region. The rich assemblage of impression fossils comprises ferns and fern allies (2 species), gymnosperms (12 spp.) and angiosperms (129 spp.). Ilex miodipyrena sp. nov. is described as a new fossil-species. The most diverse families in the assemblage are the Fagaceae with 12 taxa and the Fabaceae with 12 leaf morphotypes and one fruit taxon. Aquatic plants are represented by seven taxa, riparian (including palms) and swamp forest elements by >35 taxa, and lianas by three taxa (Smilax spp., Chaneya). The relatively large number of aquatic and riparian/swamp elements is congruent with the rich fish, amphibian and reptile record of the Güvem area. Another characteristic feature of the plant assemblage is the presence of various lobed leaves which show similarities with modern species of different families (e.g. Alangium, various Malvales). Trees and shrubs growing on well-drained soils and forming closed-canopy and open-canopy forests are the most diversified group (>70 taxa). In terms of number of specimens in the collection and based on field observations, by far the most abundant leaf fossils belong to evergreen oaks of Quercus drymeja and Q. mediter-ranea and to various types of foliage that cannot be assigned to a particular extant or extinct genus of Fagaceae. These sclerophyllous trees must have covered vast areas surrounding the wetlands that developed during the early Miocene in the Güvem Basin. Based on a recent reassessment of the ecology and taxonomic affinity of these trees, they are considered to reflect humid temperate climatic conditions but with a brief drier season during the winter months. These forests are more similar to the laurel forests of the southeastern United States and those stretching in a narrow belt south of the Himalayas to eastern central China. The large number of Fabaceae may indicate the presence of warm subtropical environments but this is difficult to assess, as they are known for having wide ecological ranges today and in the past. All in all, a larger part of the plant taxa point to forested vegetation. This is in agreement with previous palynological studies which detected only small amounts of her-baceous and grass pollen. Open patches of vegetation may have been restricted to river banks and to rocky areas in a volcanic landscape. The biogeographic patterns detected for the early Miocene of the Güvem assemblage are manifold; most taxa are widespread Northern Hemispheric elements. A substantial part of the species migrated from Asia into Europe during the (late) Paleogene and reached Anatolia during the early Miocene (Fagus, Paliu-rus, Chaneya, Ailanthus, Quercus kubinyii, Davallia haidingeri, Acer angustilobum, A. palaeosaccharinum). Fewer taxa may have been in Anatolia before they migrated to Europe (e.g. Nerium, Smilax miohavanensis, Quercus sosnowskyi). Finally, very few taxa are Anatolian endemics (e.g. Ilex miodipyrena).

The uppermost Eocene Florissant Formation, Rocky Mountains, Colorado, has yielded numerous insect, vertebrate and
plant fossils. Three previous comprehensive palynological studies investigated sections of lacustrine deposits of the
Florissant Formation and documented the response of plant communities to volcanic eruptive phases but overall found
little change in plant composition throughout the investigated sections. These studies reported up to 150 pollen and spore
phenotypes. In the present paper, we used a taxonomic approach to the investigation of dispersed pollen and spores of the
Florissant Formation. Sediment samples from the shale units containing macrofossils were investigated using light
microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The general picture of the palynoflora is in agreement
with previous studies. However, the combined LM and SEM investigation provides important complementary information
to previous LM studies. While a fairly large amount of previous pollen determinations could be confirmed, the purported
taxonomic affinities of several pollen phenotypes need to be revised. For example, pollen referred to as Podocarpus or
Podocarpidites sp. belongs to the Pinaceae Cathaya, Malus/Pyrus actually belongs to Dryadoideae, pollen of the form genus
Boehlensipollis referred to as Proteaceae/Sapindaceae/Elaeagnaceae or Cardiospermum belongs to Sapindaceae but not to
Cardiospermum, and pollen of Persicarioipollis sp. B with previously assumed affinities to Polygonaceae actually belongs to
Thymelaeaceae. Pandaniidites and one type of Malvacipollis cannot be linked with Pandanaceae and Malvaceae. A few taxa
are new records for Florissant (Ebenaceae: Diospyros; Menispermaceae; Trochodendraceae: Tetracentron). In general,
SEM investigations complement the LM palynological studies and improve the identification of dispersed pollen and
spores and enable integration of data from dispersed fossil pollen into a wide range of comparative morphological,
taxonomic, evolutionary, biogeographic and phylogenetic studies.

Der Weißdorn widersetzt sich sowohl bei den aktuellen wie auch bei den historischen Aspekten gern einer eindeutigen Beurteilung. Ist er ein Strauch oder doch eher ein Baum? Welche Arten sind medizinisch relevant und welche weniger (in Europa werden wenigstens fünf Arten genutzt)? Hinter welchen Namen und Beschreibungen verbergen sich aktuelle Weißdornarten in den historischen Quellen und welche Anwendungen waren wirklich am Weißdorn erprobt? Für welche Erkrankungen kann Weißdorn heute empfohlen werden?