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HEMOLYSIS, A SYNAPOMORPHIC DISCRIMINATOR OF AN EXPANDED GENUS MEDICAGO (LEGUMINOSAE)
Author(s) -
Jurzysta Marian,
Small Ernest,
Nozzolillo Constance
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
taxon
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1996-8175
pISSN - 0040-0262
DOI - 10.2307/1222144
Subject(s) - medicago , melilotus , hemolysis , biology , botany , trigonella , medicago sativa , genus , saponin , synapomorphy , phylogenetics , biochemistry , immunology , medicine , clade , alternative medicine , pathology , gene
Summary Hemolysis is a traditional test for the presence of certain saponins in plant tissues. The hemolytic capacities of Medicago and allied genera were examined. It was found that leaves of Medicago species are hemolytic, although there are considerable differences in strength of reaction among species and populations of species. The leaves of species of six related genera consistently proved not to be hemolytic. Thus hemolysis by leaves is a synapomorphic discriminator, and supports a recent, controversial expanded circumscription of Medicago. The hemolytic capacities of seeds of Medicago and its closest allies, Trigonella and Melilotus , were also examined. Only about a third of Medicago species had hemolytic seeds, and the distribution of these is more or less characteristic of certain infrageneric groups. Three interrelated species of Trigonella proved to be the only species of genera other than those of Medicago with hemolytic seeds. In Medicago , hemolysis is caused by glycosides of the saponin medicagenic acid; different but as yet unidentified hemolytic agents are present in the seeds of the three hemolytic species of Trigonella.