In kyu Lee alga (Aglaothamnion inkyui) from Korea closely related to Aglaothamnion pseudobyssoides

NEWS - Researchers collected red algae from the east coast of Korea and phylogenetic analysis using rbcL sequences and two DNA-based species delimitation analyses revealed the specimens to be a new species, In kyu Lee alga (Aglaothamnion inkyui E.Shim & G.H.Kim sp. nov), which is closely related to A. pseudobyssoides.

Aglaothamnion was assigned by Feldmann-Mazoyer (1941) to species previously placed in the genus Callithamnion, with the type species A. furcellariae (J.Agardh) Feldmann-Mazoyer (1941: 454), which was later synonymized with A. tenuissimum (Bonnemaison) Feldmann-Mazoyer (1941; 469).

Currently 35 Aglaothamnion names are accepted and 3 of them are recorded from Korea: A. callophyllidicola (Yamada) Boo, I.K.Lee, Rueness & Yoshida (1991), A. chejuense (G.H.Kim & I.K.Lee) and A. oosumiense Itono (1971). Now Eunyoung Shim and Gwang Hoon Kim from Kongju National University in Gongju and colleagues examine the new collection as a new species of red alga.

A. inkyui has a thallus is uniseriate, thin, up to 4 cm high, attached at the base by multicellular rhizoids. No reproductive structures were seen. Branching is dichotomously alternate, sometimes branches appear at irregular intervals at the bottom of the axial cells.

Freshly collected thalli are reddish in color with a light brown hue. Near the base of the thallus, the initial regular dichotomous pattern is sometimes less easy to observe. Branching results in a marked zig-zag arrangement of the axial cells in the apical parts of the thallus. Mature axial cells, ca. 10 cells below the apex, are longer than wide (30-60 mm by 300-500 mm; L/W: 2–8:1).

Lateral branching is of 2-3 orders; the apical cell is blunt. All cells are uninucleate. The average nuclear size is 10x15 μm in the main axial cells, while the newly growing cells at the tip had smaller nuclei, averaging 4x6 μm.

The species is distributed in Sungeut Beach, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea. It is mostly found on tidal rocky substrates. The fibrous thallus is attached to hard rocky substrates. This is a new species record of South Korea. The name honors Professor In kyu Lee for his many years of psychological research in South Korea.

Original research

Eunyoung Shim, Soo Yeon Kim, Yong Tae Kim, Giuseppe C. Zuccarello & Gwang Hoon Kim (2024). A new species of Aglaothamnion (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta) from Korea, Aglaothamnion inkyui sp. nov. Phytotaxa 671 (1): 001–011, DOI:10.11646/phytotaxa.671.1.1

Dlium theDlium

Lolot (Piper sarmentosum)

Lolot pepper ( Piper sarmentosum ) is a species of plant in Piperaceae, perennial herb, erect or lodging, creeping rhizome, up to 120 cm long, branched, enlarged branches, cylindrical stems, brown or green, often grooved, growing on the forest floor and shade. P. sarmentosum has leaf stalks up to 15 cm long, up to 13 cm wide, green, alternately arranged, heart-shaped, pointed tips and flat margins. The leaves have 5 main veins from the base of the blade, linear and slightly curved to the tip, glands on the upper surface and many fine pinnate veins. The upper side is shiny green, the lower side is pale green. The flowers are white. The fruit grows in the upper armpit of the leaf, is slightly oval and green. The leaves are used as a medicine for asthma, malaria, stomach ache, tinea versicolor, toothache, difficulty urinating, aches and pains, maintaining stamina, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and so on. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiosperma...

East Indian globe thistle (Sphaeranthus indicus)

Gorakhmundi or gorakh mundi or mundi buti ka phool or mundi booti ka phool or sembung delan or East Indian globe thistle ( Sphaeranthus indicus ) is a species of plant in Asteroideae, a perennial, multi-branched, strong fragrance with erect stems, winged and toothed wings, growing wild in rice fields forming colonies, dense open rugs in the tropics. S. indicus has alternating sitting leaves, oval, narrow at the base, toothed and serrated, 1-3 cm long and green. Leaves 2-7 cm long, 1-3 wide, broad and deep wings, continuing into a large bone in the center of the leaf to a sharp tip and several lateral veins. The flower is round, grows at the tip, has a large and long stalk, is purple in color, 8-15 mm in size, consists of many tiny flowers, green or red or purple and has pale purple stamens. Head ovate-ellipsoid and 12-15 mm long. Phyllaries are white and have purple crest. Female flowers have a corolla tube 2-2.5 mm long. The bisexual flowers are 2.3-3 mm long and the hardened pa...

Red lip (Syzygium myrtifolium)

Pucuk merah or daun pucuk merah or red lip ( Syzygium myrtifolium ) is a plant species in the Myrtaceae, a medium tree with a cylindrical trunk and produces cambium, up to 5 meters high, bark rough and light brown, many branches and strong roots. S. myrtifolium has oval-shaped leaves, pointed tip and base, up to 7 cm long, up to 2 cm wide, a vein in the middle, flat margins, shiny surface, bright red leaf buds and will turn green over time. The flowers are compound and arranged in panicles. The flowers bloom with a stigma in the center and are white. The fruit is round and up to 1 cm in diameter, the middle of the upper surface has a depression and is shiny black when ripe. This species grows in forests, agricultural land, roadsides and abandoned lands. This tree has a root structure that goes deep into the ground and is sturdy so it is often used to rehabilitate land, prevent landslides and store water reserves. This tree has a greater ability to absorb CO2 than other types of pla...

Dlium