• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.269-273
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• 2019

We report the meiotic chromosome numbers of four Carex taxa from Korean populations. Three are the first reports made on taxa from Korean populations: Carex appendiculata (Trautv. & C. A. Mey.) $K{\ddot{u}}k$. ($n=27_{II}$), C. fernaldiana H. $L{\acute{e}}v$. & Vaniot ($n=33_{II}$), and C. metallica H.$L{\acute{e}}v$. ($n=15_{II}$). Reports on the other species expand the range of variation in the chromosome number within a taxon, C. miyabei Franch. (n = $43_{II}$, $44_{II}$, $45_{II}$). Carex L. (Cyperaceae) consists of more than 2,000 species worldwide and is the most species-rich genus in Korea. The species diversity in the genus has been hypothesized to be associated with the chromosome variation, but chromosome information pertaining to Korean Carex taxa is not well known. This report updates the chromosome number inventory on Korean Carex to 24 out of 180 taxa.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.111-125
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• 2022

Background: Zanthoxylum armatum is one of the 30 prioritized medicinal plants for economic development of Nepal with a high trade value. Understanding the ecology of individual species is important for conservation and cultivation purposes. However, relation of ecological factors on the distribution and populations of Z. armatum in Nepal remain unknown. To address this knowledge gap, an attempt has been made to study the population structure, distribution, and regeneration potentiality of Z. armatum. Vegetation sampling was conducted at six different localities of Salyan district along the elevation range of 1,000 m to 2,000 m. Results: Altogether 50 plant species belonging to 44 genera under 34 families were found to be associated with Z. armatum. Significantly higher species richness was found at Rim (1,400-1,700 m) and Chhatreshwori (1,800-2,000 m) and lower at Kupinde (1,600-1,800 m). The highest population density of Z. armatum was at Kupinde (1,600-1,800 m) with a total of 1,100 individuals/ha. and the lowest at Chhatreshwori (1,800-2,000 m) with 740 individuals/ha. Based on the A/F value (Whitford index), it can be said that Z. armatum has random distribution in the study area. The plants were categorized into seedlings, saplings and adults based on plant height and the status of natural regeneration category determined. The regeneration potentiality of Z. armatum in the study area was fair with the average seedlings and saplings densities of 150 and 100 individuals/ha. Respectively. A Shannon-Weinner index mean value of 2.8 was obtained suggesting high species diversity in the study area. Conclusions: The natural distribution and regeneration of Z. armatum is being affected in the recent years due to anthropogenic disturbances. Increasing market demand and unsustainable harvesting procedures are posing serious threat to Z. armatum. Thus, effective conservation and management initiatives are most important for conserving the natural population of Z. armatum in the study area.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.159-163
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• 2021

Saussurea albifolia, a new species, is reported from the Baekdudaegan Mountains. It has distinctive morphological characteristics that distinguish it from other congeneric species of Saussurea in Korea; radical leaves persist or withered till flowering, white tomentose leaf beneath, campanulate involucre with brown-cobwebby hairs, and dark purplish phyllaries with acuminate tips. Saussurea albifolia is a new, endemic species, narrowly restricted to the Korean Peninsula as a consequence of adaptation to alpine or subalpine environments of the Baekdudaegan Area. Among the Korean species of Saussurea, S. gracilis Maxim., S. insularis Kitam., and S. seoulensis Nakai are morphologically similar to S. albifolia by having leaves with white hairs beneath and persistent radical leaves during blooming period. It has been well understood that Saussurea is one of the highly diversified and adaptable groups in Asteraceae and also that the currently recognized species in Korea likely significant underestimates its diversity on the Korean Peninsula.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.362-369
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• 2013

Agastache rugosa, a member of the mint family (Labiatae), is a perennial herb widely distributed in East Asian countries. It is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of cholera, vomiting, and miasma. This study assessed the genetic diversity and population structures on 65 accessions of Korean mint A. rugosa germplasm based on inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. The selected nine ISSR primers produced reproducible polymorphic banding patterns. In total, 126 bands were scored; 119 (94.4%) were polymorphic. The number of bands generated per primer varied from 7 to 18. A minimum of seven bands was generated by primer 874, while a maximum of 18 bands was generated by the primer 844. Six primers (815, 826, 835, 844, 868, and 874) generated 100% polymorphic bands. This was supported by other parameters such as total gene diversity ($H_T$) values, which ranged from 0.112 to 0.330 with a mean of 0.218. The effective number of alleles ($N_E$) ranged from 1.174 to 1.486 with a mean value of 1.351. Nei's genetic diversity (H) mean value was 0.218, and Shannon's information index (I) mean value was 0.343. The high values for total gene diversity, effective number of alleles, Nei's genetic diversity, and Shannon's information index indicated substantial variations within the population. Cluster analysis showed characteristic grouping, which is not in accordance with their geographical affiliation. The implications of the results of this study in developing a strategy for the conservation and breeding of A. rugosa and other medicinal plant germplasm are discussed.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2019

Daphne pseudomezereum var. koreana is an endangered deciduous shrub distributed in mountain areas that is vulnerable to climate change. The purpose of this study was to provide foundational data on the physical characteristics, soil environment, and vegetation structure of habitats of Daphne pseudomezereum var. koreana habitat in Korea in order to help with management decisions on ecosystem restoration. Rock exposure was 15 to 35%, with an average of 24%. The native habitat of D. pseudomezereum included 129 taxa consisting of 46 families and 95 genera. Two-way cluster analysis divided the habitat into three plant communities: Community I (dominaterd by Tilia amurensis and Quercus mongolica), Community II (dominaterd by Fraxinus rhynchophylla and Acer pseudosieboldianum), and Community III (dominaterd by Ulmus davidiana var. japonica). The diversity indices for Communities I, II, and III were 1.124, 1.047 and 0.932, respectively. The soils were loam or clay loam. Soil pH, organic matter content, and available phosphoric acid were 5.40, 14.38%, and 31.08 ppm, respectively. Ordination analysis resulted that most significant factors influencing D. pseudomezereum distribution were magnesium content of soil, shrub layer, and altitude.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2018.05a
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• pp.49-49
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• 2018

A variety of bioactive secondary metabolites have been reported from plant-associated microorganisms. Halophytes, plants that can only grow in hypersaline area, were reported to host beneficial microorganisms such as plant growth-promoting endophytes. The microorganisms have been reported to show notable mutualistic symbiosis with halophytes to help them survive in high saline condition. Finding out bioactive secondary metabolites as well as elucidation of relationship(s) between microbes and the host halophyte has been paid attention, because of their functional diversity. Novel microbes often have associated with novel natural products. In an effort to investigate natural compounds with interesting structures from fungi, we selected plants from a distinct environmental setting which could be a promising source. Several fungi were isolated from halophyte or medicinal plants. Some strains of the fungi were cultivated on a large scale and extracted with ethyl acetate, which were subjected to a series of chromatographic methods, leading to the isolation of tens of compounds. The isolated compounds were identified by analysis of spectroscopic methods such as 1D-, 2D-NMR, and MS. Details of isolation, structure determination, and biological activities will be discussed.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.114-117
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• 2022

Lindera angustifolia is mainly distributed in the temperate climate zone of China but shows an extraordinary distribution, disjunctively isolated on the western coastal islands of Korea. We therefore present the complete chloroplast genome of Korean L. angustifolia. The complete plastome was 152,836 bp in length, with an overall GC content of 39.2%. A large single copy (93,726 bp) and a small single copy (18,946 bp) of the genome were separated by a pair of inverted repeats (20,082 bp). The genome consists of 125 genes, including 81 protein-coding, eight ribosomal RNA, and 36 transfer RNA genes. While five RNA editing genes (psbL, rpl2, ndhB×2, and ndhD) were identified in L. angustifolia from China, the "ndhD" gene was not recognized as an RNA editing site in the corresponding Korean individual. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that Korean L. angustifolia is most closely related to the Chinese L. angustifolia with strong bootstrap support, forming a sister group of L. glauca.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.214-222
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• 2015

This study was conducted to evaluate the growth conditions and vegetation of Peucedanum japonicum habitat in uninhabited islands of Incheon Korea. The emergence area of Peucedanum japonicum was 4.9 m distance in coastline, and altitude and slope was 7.4m and 47.5%. Soil pH, organic matter and $P_2O_5$ of habitat were 7.1, 8.3% and 29.0 mg/kg, and contents of K, Ca, Mg and Na were 0.66, 4.9, 3.4 and $1.13cmol^+/kg$, respectively. Growth plants with Peucedanum japonicum were total 55 taxa, and Gakeuldo in uninhabited islands was the most as 25 taxa. In growth plants with Peucedanum japonicum, plants of over 25% frequence per plot were Miscanthus sinensis, Dendranthema boreale, Lilium lancifolium, Hemerocallis middendorffii, Elymus dahuricus, Cirsium japonicum var. maackii, Asparagus schoberioides, Gypsophila oldhamiana, Cocculus trilobus, Silene aprica var. oldhamiana, Artemisia capillaris, Crepidiastrum denticulatum and Sedum oryzifolium. The vegetation of Peucedanum japonicum habitat was classified into Aster spathulifolius community, Miscanthus sinensis community, Dendranthema boreale community, Setaria viridis var. pachystachys community, Cirsium japonicum var. maackii community and Hemerocallis middendorffii community. According to general condition of habitat, suitable growing areas was determined to slightly acidic from mild alkaline soils.

• Mycobiology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2012

In the present study, an attempt to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of fungal endophytes inhabiting $Emblica$ $officinalis$ has been made keeping in view the medicinal importance of the selected host plant in Indian traditional practices. A total of four endophytic fungi belonging to Phylum Ascomycetes were isolated from different parts of the plant which were characterized morphologically and by using rDNA-internal transcribed spacer. The most frequently isolated endophyte was $Phomopsis$ sp. The antioxidant activity by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and reducing power assay, and total phenol were evaluated using ethanolic extract of endophytic fungi. DPPH activities in all the ethanolic extract increased with the increase in concentrations. Endophytes, $Phomopsis$ sp. and $Xylaria$ sp. showed highest antioxidant activity and also had the higher levels of phenolics. Antimicrobial activity of fungal extract were tested against four bacteria namely, $Escherichia$ $coli$ MTCC730, $Enteroccocus$ $faecalis$ MTCC2729, $Salmonella$ $enterica$ ser. $paratyphi$ MTCC735 and $Streptococcus$ $pyogenes$ MTCC1925, and the fungus $Candida$ $albicans$ MTCC183. In general, the fungal extracts inhibited the growth of test organisms except $E.$ $coli$.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.10a
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• pp.23-23
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• 2018

Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, located on tropical and subtropical climate zones with abundant biological resources. According to the latest version of the Flora of Taiwan, there are 4339 species of vascular plants including 1054 endemic species. First, Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides), named after its native island of Taiwan, have been isolated more than 500 secondary metabolites, including lignans, terpenoids, steroids, and flavonoids. Several of the metabolites are reported to have antibacterial, antifungal, antimite, antitermite and antitumor activities. In order to investigate plant secondary metabolic diversity toward industrial applications, we established deep transcriptome resources for non-model plants and fungi to produce terpenoid metabolites of economic importance. Second, many plants of Lauraceae have been utilized in folk medicine for their exciting bioactivities. The twigs and leaves from 27 tree species of Lauraceae grown in Taiwan were performed to evaluate potential bioactivity. The leaves of Cinnamomum osmophloeum are traditionally used in folk medicines, and many biological activities have been identified, such as antibacterial, antifungal, antitermite, antidiabetic, antihyperuricemia, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant activities. However, C. osmophloeum has nine chemotypes with various secondary metabolite profiles. In order to efficiently produce active compounds, we established the genetic markers to identify the chemotype plants. Finally, Cinnamomum kanehirae is the host of the medicinal mushroom Antrodia cinnamomea. Several in vivo and in vitro studies indicated that A. cinnamomea possesses a diverse range of biological activities. Because of the potential pharmacological application, we established the transformation system to enhance the triterpenoid contents production.