Ying Feng

Based on field observation and extensive herbarium studies, a comprehensive taxonomic revision of Artemisia subg. Seriphidium in China was conducted. Twenty-nine species are recognized, four of them are endemic to China. A new species, A. neolehmanniana, is described and illustrated. Two new combinations, A. minchunensis and A. sawanensis, are proposed. Thirty names are lectotypified and two names are reduced to synonymy. Three species are listed as dubious and nine species are excluded. In addition, detailed species descriptions, distribution and habitat, phenology, nomenclatural, taxonomic notes and distribution maps of each species as well as a key to Chinese subg. Seriphidium taxa are provided.

The Altai Mountains are an important center of biodiversity and are a major habitat for threatened and endemic species in Asia. Moreover, the Altai Mountains are a valuable site for the study of the evolution of central Asian vegetation. The Xinjiang Altai subrange represents the largest part of the southern Altai Mountains and has many unique plant communities. After conducting a thorough literature review and field investigation, we utilized the Chinese vegetation categorization system to identify the dominant plant communities in the Xinjiang Altai subrange and report their composition and distribution characteristics. Our results show that (1) the natural plant communities present in the Xinjiang Altai subrange can be divided into eight vegetation types, eighteen vegetation subtypes, and 50 communities. Among these, two communities—Form. Calligonum rubicundum and Form. Seriphidium borotalense-Festuca valesiaca—are present only in the Xinjiang Altai subrange. (2) The Xinjiang Altai subrange is located at the junction of three major biomes containing unique vegetation types (coniferous forest, temperate broadleaf forest, and desert). Thus, the Xinjiang Altai subrange is distinct in its staggered transition from mountainous boreal taiga to temperate desert. This research provides textual data to contextualize the cultural heritage of the Xinjiang Altai subrange and also provides a scientific basis for the protection and sustainable management of natural resources found in the Xinjiang Altai.

Seventy percent of the territory of Uzbekistan consists of arid regions. This situation is considered very favorable for plants adapted to a desert climate. Medicinal plants distributed in the arid regions of Uzbekistan have not been studied much. Medicinal plants are considered inexpensive, yet are vital for the lives of local residents. They play a very important role in the traditional healing of ailments. To determine the current state of medicinal plants and enhance their subsequent protection and sustainable use, it is necessary to obtain annual information on the state of their distribution, their population size, and the impact of negative factors on their populations. Based on our field studies, which were conducted during the period from 2012 to 2022 in the arid regions of Uzbekistan, we updated the checklists of the main medicinal plants used in these regions. A total of 529 medicinal species belonging to 70 families and 269 genera were identified in the study region. Several species, including Peganum harmala L., Capparis spinosa L., Ferula foetida (Bunge) Regel, Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Alhagi pseudalhagi (M. Bieb.) Desv. ex Wangerin, Lagochilus inebrians Bunge, Xanthium strumarium L., Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn., Onopordum acanthium L., Ziziphora tenuior L., and Cichorium intybus L., are spread over large areas and have been used regularly by the locals since ancient times. These species are common in saline and degraded soils in arid regions of Uzbekistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with tabibs (traditional doctors), elders, herders, and residents with experience in traditional healing using medicinal plants. The medicinal value of most plants was based on the interviews with representatives of the local population, which were useful for understanding traditional healing skills and customer service skills.

Artemisia qingheensis (Asteraceae, Anthemideae), a new species from Qinghe County, Xinjiang, China, is described and illustrated. We investigated its phylogenetic position and relationships with 35 other species of Artemisia using whole chloroplast DNA sequence data. The molecular phylogenetic results and morphological evidence (multi-layered involucral bracts and homogamous capitula with bisexual flowers) showed that the new species belongs to Artemisia subgenus Seriphidium. A diagnostic table and discussion of morphological characters are provided to distinguish the new species from A. amoena, A. gracilescens, A. lessingiana and A. terrae-albae.

DNA barcoding is a well‐established tool for rapid species identification and biodiversity monitoring. A reliable and traceable DNA barcode reference library with extensive coverage is necessary but unavailable for many geographical regions. The arid region in northwestern China, a vast area of about 2.5 million km², is ecologically fragile and often overlooked in biodiversity studies. In particular, DNA barcode data from the arid region in China are lacking. We develop and evaluate the efficacy of an extensive DNA barcode library for native flowering plants in the arid region of northwestern China. Plant specimens were collected, identified and vouchered for this purpose. The database utilized four DNA barcode markers, namely rbcL, matK, ITS and ITS2, for 1816 accessions (representing 890 species from 385 genera and 72 families), and consisted of 5196 barcode sequences. Individual barcodes varied in resolution rates: species‐ and genus‐level rates for rbcL, matK, ITS and ITS2 were 79.9%–51.1%/76.1%, 79.9%–67.2%/88.9%, 85.0%–72.0%/88.2% and 81.0%–67.4%/84.9%, respectively. The three‐barcode combination of rbcL + matK + ITS (RMI) revealed a higher species‐ and genus‐level resolution (75.5%/92.1%, respectively). A total of 110 plastomes were newly generated as super‐barcodes to increase species resolution for seven species‐rich genera, namely Astragalus, Caragana, Lactuca, Lappula, Lepidium, Silene and Zygophyllum. Plastomes revealed higher species resolution compared to standard DNA barcodes and their combination. We suggest future databases include super‐barcodes, especially for species‐rich and complex genera. The plant DNA barcode library in the current study provides a valuable resource for future biological investigations in the arid regions of China.

Background: Artemisia subg. Seriphidium, one of the most species-diverse groups within Artemisia, grows mainly in arid or semi-arid regions in temperate climates. Some members have considerable medicinal, ecological, and economic value. Previous studies on this subgenus have been limited by a dearth of genetic information and inadequate sampling, hampering our understanding of their phylogenetics and evolutionary history. We therefore sequenced and compared the chloroplast genomes of this subgenus, and evaluated their phylogenetic relationships. Results: We newly sequenced 18 chloroplast genomes of 16 subg. Seriphidium species and compared them with one previously published taxon. The chloroplast genomes, at 150,586–151,256 bp in length, comprised 133 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes, and one pseudogene, with GC content of 37.40–37.46%. Comparative analysis showed that genomic structures and gene order were relatively conserved, with only some variation in IR borders. A total of 2203 repeats (1385 SSRs and 818 LDRs) and 8 highly variable loci (trnK – rps16, trnE – ropB, trnT, ndhC – trnV, ndhF, rpl32 – trnL, ndhG – ndhI and ycf1) were detected in subg. Seriphidium chloroplast genomes. Phylogenetic analysis of the whole chloroplast genomes based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses resolved subg. Seriphidium as polyphyletic, and segregated into two main clades, with the monospecific sect. Minchunensa embedded within sect. Seriphidium, suggesting that the whole chloroplast genomes can be used as molecular markers to infer the interspecific relationship of subg. Seriphidium taxa. Conclusion: Our findings reveal inconsistencies between the molecular phylogeny and traditional taxonomy of the subg. Seriphidium and provide new insights into the evolutionary development of this complex taxon. Meanwhile, the whole chloroplast genomes with sufficiently polymorphic can be used as superbarcodes to resolve interspecific relationships in subg. Seriphidium.

Artemisia borotalensis Poljakov is an endemic and endangered herb in China. In this study, we sequenced and analyzed the complete chloroplast genome of this species. Sequencing revealed the genome to be 151,179 bp in length, containing a large single copy region (82,862 bp), a small single copy region (18,377 bp), and a pair of inverted repeat regions (24,970 bp each). Our analyses demonstrated that it contained 133 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and one pseudogene (ycf1). Furthermore, we found the genome to have an overall GC content of 37.4%. A phylogenetic analysis indicated that A. borotalensis and A. maritima clustered together as sister group to A. annua and A. fukudo clade.

Nanophyton L. has been treated as a monotypic genus, but seven other Nanophyton species have been published based on morphological features. To examine the phylogenetic relationships between Nanophyton species, especially the similar species N. erinaceum and N. mongolicum , all species in Nanophyton except N. pulvinatum and different populations of N. erinaceum and N. mongolicum in China were sampled from herbarium specimens. Samples were analyzed based on two molecular markers (ITS and psb B‐ psb H) using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. Our results provided support for the following conclusions: 1) Nanophyton is monophyletic and composed of two monophyletic clades. One clade may be recognized as N. sect. Nanophyton , but contrary to the current taxonomy it includes only N. erinaceum . The other clade represent N. sect. Montana and include all other Nanophyton species, but intragenetic variation within this clade is low. 2) Variable sites in both ITS and psb B‐ psb H sequences well distinguish N. erinaceum from N. mongolicum , and samples from different populations of N. erinaceum and N. mongolicum in China formed well‐supported, distinct clades. 3) Nanophyton erinaceum is a typical Central Asian species, mainly distributed in western Siberia and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia and northwestern China (north Xinjiang)), while N. mongolicum is a Mongolian floristic element species mainly found from the Altai region of northern Xinjiang (China) to Mongolian Altai (Mongolia).

The complete chloroplast genome of Isatis minima, a typical ephemeral plant of Brassicaceae in the Central Asia desert, was sequenced and characterized in this study. The genome 153,642 bp in size, contains a typical quadripartite genome organization including LSC and SSC regions of 83,423 bp and 17,709 bp, and two copies of the IR regions of 26,255 bp. It has 113 unique genes, including 79 protein-coding, 30 tRNA, and four rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis fully resolved I. minima in a monophyletic clade with I. tinctoria. This bioinformatic data contributes to the phylogenetics systematics and evolutionary history of Brassicaceae.