Complete chloroplast genome sequences of two species (Zingiberaceae).

and are well known medicinal and edible plants with a strong fragrance and flavour in China. Here, we have sequenced the two complete chloroplast genomes of and , which are 163,612 bp and 163,487 bp in length, respectively, and exhibited LSC and SSC regions separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions. The cp genome of has 120 annotated genes, including 82 protein-coding genes, while has 121 annotated genes, including 83 protein-coding genes.

Differentiation in fructification percentage between two morphs of Amomum tsaoko (Zingiberaceae).

Amomum tsaoko is a flexistylous ginger. Flexistyly is a unique floral mechanism promoting outcrossing, which is known only in some species of Zingiberaceae till date. This is a pioneer report on flexistyly in A.

[Study on content of volatile oil in Amomum tsao-ko seeds and its influencing factors].

Objective: To lay the foundation for quality evaluation of medicinal materials of Amomum tsao-ko and its selection of fine varieties, the variation of percentage of volatile oil in the seeds among populations and individuals and its influencing factors were studied.

Methods: Extracted volatile oil from the seeds according to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, studied quantitative characters of fruit, and analyzed the data according to SPSS 13.0.

[Study on comparison of quantitative multistate character of infructescence of Amomum tsao-ko from five populations].

Objective: To study the difference of the quantitative multistate character of infructescence of Amomum tsao-ko from five populations, and the correlations between the quantitative multistate character and altitude, longitude and latitude.

Methods: By observing and analyzing the quantitative multistate character of infructescence of Amomum tsao-ko from five populations.

Results: There is highly significant difference among the number of flowerlets each inflorescence from five populations.

[Anatomy and adaptation to environment study of endangered alpine medical plant Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora].

Objective: To study the anatomical structure of endangered alpine medical plant Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora and the high altitude adaptability.

Methods: The leaf epidermis character as well as section structure of leaf, aerial stem and rhizome were observed by light microscopical technique.

Results: The leaf surface of Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora was covered with two kinds of glandular hair, and the stommata was anomocytic type.

[Study on quantitative multistate character of fruit and seed of Amomum tsaoko].

Objective: To explore the regulation of the growth of fruit of Amomum tsaoko and the factors influencing the weight of fruit.

Methods: To compare and analyze the quantitative multistate character of fruit and seed of Amomum tsaoko.

Results: The quantitative multistate character of fruit and seed of Amomum tsaoko in populations and between populations were abundant.

[Growth comparison among Psammosilene tunicoides populations in tissue culture].

The comparison between the growth of eight populations from Psammosilene tunicoides at Yunnan Province was made by the tissue culture. The initial results showed out two populations from Yunshanping (Lijiang) and Xiaomoyu (Kunming) was dominant than orthers. It would be regard as one of fine germplasm resources for the culture of Psammosilence tunicoides.

Temperature dependence of nickel stabilization in inorganic oxide matrices.

Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and other means are used to investigate the effect of thermal treatment temperature, 105-1100 degrees C, on the immobilization of nickel (Ni) by the inorganic oxides of latosol. Ni is more firmly immobilized by the latosol with increasing temperature. Spectral analyses indicate that a shoulder toward the edge-jump appears in the spectra of X-ray absorption near-edge structure for the samples heated at 900 and 1100 degrees C.

Molecular study of thermal immobilization of chromium(VI) with clay.

Clay that contains kaolinite has been used extensively as a raw material for manufacturing of bricks and china at 900-1100 degrees C. This study used clay to stabilize the contaminant chromium(VI) [Cr(VI)] through a heating process at 500-1100 degrees C. X-ray absorption spectroscopic results indicated that the 500-900 degrees C heating process transformed hazardous Cr(VI) to nontoxic Cr(III); Cr2O3 was the species detected as most abundant.