• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.100-106
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• 2009

The morphological characters and scientific names on 3 taxa of Korean Euphorbia were reviewed. Growing pattern of stems, arrangement of leaves, the presence of appendages, the presence of ovary's hairs, shape of seeds and the presence of caruncles were valuable characters in identifying the taxa. The correct scientifie names of Nang-dok, Keun-ttang-bin-dae and Ae-gi-ttang-bin-dae were E. fischeriana, E. hypericifolia and E. maculata respectively based on the morphological characters, the type specimens and the original descriptions. Keys to the species were provided for the accurate identification.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.389-403
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• 2008

Seed morphological studies of 12 species of sect. Zygophyllidium and related Poinsettia using light and scanning electron microscopy were conducted to test the hypotheses of the sectional boundaries and species relationships. Characteristics of seeds, and the keys of identification of 12 species were presented. Seeds of 12 species were divided into 6 types based on the UPGMA tree from numerical analyses using nine seed characters. Type I, including E. uniglandulosa, is characterized by the foveolate seed with granulate testa cells. Type II, including species E. exstipulata, E. lagunensis, E. bilobata, E. hexagonoides and E. chersonesa, was recognized by the presence of inter-cellular granules among testa cells. Type III, including E. cyathophora, has a seed with acute apex, and concentric circles on the surface of testa cells. Type IV, including species of E. dentata and E. pentadactyla, has a seed with caruncle and lacking inter-cellular granules among testa cells. Type V, including E. hexagona, was characterized by the ovate seeds and lacking inter-cellular granules. Type VI, including E. eriantha and E. lacera, was recognized by the seeds with rectangular shape with caruncle. Based on the seed morphology, sect. Zygophyllidium should be defined only species with E. exstipulata, E. lagunensis, E. bilobata, E. hexagonoides and E. chersonesa. E. hexagona, traditionally included in this section, was closely related to E. dentata from Poinsettia.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.219-228
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• 2010

The seeds of 16 species from sect. Anthacantha and related taxa were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy to illucidate the boundary of the section and their relationship among species. Using six qualitative characters clustering analyses were conducted, and three types were recognized. Type I including species from sect. Anthacantha+sect. Meleuphorbia is characterized by the ovate shape, rounded at base and smooth along the ventral line. Type II including species from sect. Medusae+sect. Treisia-1 is squared in shape and are tuberculate. Tubercles are prominent along the ventral line. Type III (sect. Treisia-2 group) is mostly rounded, and as in type II, tubercles are prominent along the ventral line, but the unique crestae consisting of the grouping testa cells differed from the surface patterns of Types I and II. Based on the seed morphology, sects. Anthacantha and Meleuphorbia are closely related, which is well supported by the results from molecular and pollen morphological studies. Besides, sects. Treisia and Medusae are not closely related in terms of seed characters, and this is not consistent with the results of recent molecular studies.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.329-338
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• 2008

Pollen morphological studies using light and scanning electron microscopy were conducted to determined the sub-sectional boundary and species relationship of 12 species of subsect. Meleuphorbia and related taxa. Based on the sculpturing patterns of pollen grains and UPGMA tree from numerical analyses using 8 quantitative pollen characters 12 species were divided into two types: type I, having microperforate pollen grains in E. epicyparissias, E. inermis, E. pillansii, E. obesa, E. bubalina, E. meloformis, E. nesemanii, and E. jansenvillensis, and type II, having fossulate sculpturing pattern in E. longituberculosa, E. monteiri, E. caput-medusae and E. grantii. The resulting pollen data suggest that the subsect. Meleuphorbia should not be a natural group, but closely related to the species from subsect. Anthacantha and sect. Treisia and sect. Medusea. Thus, the pollen morphological data recommended to combine above taxa as a single taxonomic group.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.339-362
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• 2002

Pollen morphology of 13 species of Korean Euphorbia was re-examined by means of LM and SEM. Taxonomic evaluation of palynological characters and relationships among taxa were also discussed based on the analysis of polar length, equatorial diameter, aperture size and exine thickness. Korean Euphorbia species were classified into three groups based on the mean size of polar length (P) and equatorial diameter (E) as follows:Group 1. sect. Tulocarpa and Tithymalus of subgenus Esula; $(P){\times}(E)=(54.88-67.17{\mu}m){\times}(44.30-64.75{\mu}m)$, Group 2. sect. Esula and Helioscpiae of subgenus Esula; $(P){\times}(E)=(39.98-47.24{\mu}m){\times}(36.07-38.83{\mu}m)$, Group 3. sect. Chamaesyce and Hypericifoliae of subgenus Chamaesyce; $(P){\times}(E)=(30.32-32.51{\mu}m){\times}(21.71-26.23{\mu}m)$. Various features of surface sculpturing were also grouped into 8 types by the characteristics of perporation size and distance of perporations as well as connection state of it. Pollen size and surface sculpturing were comparatively available in the levels of subgenus and section. Especially subgenus Chamaesyce was distinctly different from subgenus Esula by having compactly distributed perporations on exine surface as well as its small size of pollen grains. Because of the great variations in pollen size and the occurrence of various types of surface sculpturing according to the local poulations of each species, it was evaluated that they were unsuitable in classifying each species of Euphorbia. But such cases, that is, E. hylonoma being more familiar with E. ebracteolata than E. Pallasii, and E. pekinensis and E. fauriei as well as E. pallasii being strongly related with each other based on the similarity of surface sculpturing, reflected its usefulness in the classification of some Euphorbia species.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.279-293
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• 2003

Somatic chromosomes about 13 taxa of Korean Euphorbia L. was investigated to estimate its taxonomic significance. Somatic chromosome numbers of treated taxa were 2n= 12, 20, 22, 28, 40, 42, 56, therefore basic chromosome numbers of those were x=6, 7, 10, 11. The chromosome numbers of E. pallasii Turcz. (2n=20), E. hylonoma Hand.-Mazz (2n=20.), E. fauriei H. L$\acute{e}$v. & Vaniot ex H. L$\acute{e}$v (2n=28) and E. jolkini Boiss. (2n=28) were determined for the first time in this study. The chromosome numbers of four taxa were same as previous ones; E. sieboldiana Moor. & Decne. (2n=20), E. ebracteolata Hayata (2n=20), E. humifusa Willd. ex Schlecht. (2n=22). But those of six taxa were different; E. esula L (2n= 16, 20, 60, 64 vs 2n=20), E. helioscopia L. (2n=12, 42 vs 2n=42), E. lucorum Rupr. (2n=28, 40 vs 2n=56), E. pekinensis Rupr. in Maxim. (2n=24 vs 2n=28, 56), E. maculata L. (2n=28, 42 vs 2n=12), E. supina Raf. (n=7 vs 2n=40). E. ebracteolata, E. pallasii and E. hylonoma were distingushcd from the other taxa by the chromosome numbers, size and satellites, E. maculata, E. humifusa, E. supina had the different basic and somatic chromosome numbers in spite of the similar morphological. anatomical and palynological chracters. The chromosomal character of Korean Euphorbia was supported the Ma and Hu's systems, and as above results, it was found to be a good character in delimiting above sections and estimating relationships for some species.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.281-287
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• 2014

The present study was conducted to understand the growth pattern, pollinators and their frequency of visits of Euphorbia helioscopia population which is located at Tongyoung areas in Korea. The vegetative parts of the species grow early in March, and flowering begins in the middle of the month, and pollination was completed at the mid of April. As a typical form of early spring type, the fruits of E. helioscopia were matured between early in April and May, and the upper parts of plants were disappeared between May and June. During the blooming season about 11 insects species which belong to Diptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera and Heteroptera were the most common groups found on this plants. Among them the species of Diptera are the most dominant pollinators for E. helioscopia which is concordant to previous reports in Euphorbia species. Despite of significant numbers of insect visitors in Euphorbia species being reported, E. helioscopia attracts only 11 insect species in study areas, and the paucity of species probably associates with the insect fauna in Tongyoung areas or typical patterns of early spring bloomer of Euphorbias. We observed majority of Diptera species to visit in the morning, and the frequency of visit decreased in the afternoon. Thus, it suggests that the visiting activity of Diptera species is not associated with the temperature increase which was reported in Euphorbia species. However, the number of the cyathium during the blooming season is likely to be related to the frequency of visit of pollinators in E. helioscopia.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.195-208
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• 2006

Using light and scanning electron microscopy morphological studies of pollens were conducted to determine the sectional boundary and the relationships among eight species of section Zygophyllidium and its five related species of subg. Poinsettia. Pollen characters of 13 species were described, and their diagnostic keys were presented here. Based on the sculpturing patterns and the results of numerical analysis using 10 pollen characters 13 species were divided into four Pollen types: type I, having micro-reticulate shaped pollen (E. hexagona, E. lagunensis, E. hexagonoides and E. bilobata), type II, having reticulate shaped pollen (E. delicatula, E. extipulata, E. dentata, E. heterophylla, E. pulcherrima and E. cyathophora), type III, micro-reticulate shaped pollen with platten muri (E. lacera), and type IV, haying foveolate shaped pollen grains (E. chersonesa and E. eriantha). The results of pollen morphological studies suggest that the sect. Zygophyllidium should be delimited based on only four species, E. hexagona, E. lagunensis, E. hexagonoides and E. bilobata, E. delicatural and E. exstipulata of sect. Zygophyllidium must be transferred to subg. Poinsettia based on pollen morphology. E. eriantha and E. chersonesa having forveolate sculpturing pattern of pollen grains seem to be closely related with species from subg. Agaloma, and additional studies of these species are needed to determine the species relationships within Agaloma group.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.164-170
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• 2011

Two naturalized plants (Euphorbiaceae) were recorded from Busan Metropolitan City and from the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Euphorbia heterophylla L. (A-me-ri-ka-dae-geuk) was found in a park near Suyeong-gang, Allak-dong, Dongnae-gu, in Busan Metropolitan City. This species is distinguished from E. dentata by its alternating leaves of main stem and glands of involucres with a circular opening. Euphorbia hirta L. (Teol-ttang-bin-dae) was found in Yerae village, Yerae-dong, Seogwipo-si, in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. It is distinguished from E. hypericifolia as it has capsules with hairs.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

Using starch gel electrophoresis, ten isozyme loci were examined in nine populations of Euphorbia ebracteolata in Korea. Populations of E. ebracteolata tend to have higher within-population levels of genetic variation (A = 2.2, P = 61.1, He = 0.165) along with low levels of genetic differentiation ($F_{ST}$ = 0.075) compared to previously reported Euphorbia species. The relatively high genetic variation in E. ebracteolata may be due to its long-lived regional distribution and to the outcrossed nature of the species. Low levels of genetic differentiation and the absence of unique alleles in E. ebracteolata populations suggest that Korean populations diverged recently. This study does not support the recognition of var. coreana and for. magna as separate taxa, and suggests that they should be combined with E. ebracteolata.