Two dibenzofurans, isostrepsilic acid and hypostrepsilic acid, were produced in large amounts by the mycobiont of Usnea orientalis cultured on malt-yeast extract medium containing sugar alcohols. These substances were not detected in the natural lichen thalli growing in the field which normally produces usnic acid and salazinic acid. Isostrepsilic acid is a new lichen substance which has been determined to be 3,7-dihydroxy-9-hydroxymethyl-1-methyldibenzofuran-2-carboxylic acid.

In this second part of the paper, an enumeration of the species from No. 23 to 64 is prepared. Two new species are described in this part.

The lichen Chrysothrix flavovirens is reported as new to Japan, based on a recent collection in the Imperial Palace Grounds in Tokyo. Further records are also reported, based on earlier collections from Aki and Suo Provinces. The species was previously known only from Europe.

Jiaomu,” a traditional Chinese medicine used as a diuretic, is derived from the seeds of the genus Zanthoxylum, the family Rutaceae, and of the same origin as “Huajiao.” On the other hand, it is difficult to identify Zanthoxylum seeds because of their similar external morphology and the difficulty of sectioning them to observe the inner structure. In this paper, in order to develop a method for the identification of “Jiaomu,” we report a new anatomical method using a scanning electron microscope and an image analysis system on the seeds of 16 species, three varieties and one form, collected from China, Japan and Nepal. The results showed that 16 species and varieties could be distinguished from each other by the following characteristics: number of layers of epidermal cell, ratio of radial diameter to tangential diameter of epidermal cell, shape of closed curve which was drawn in between epidermis and sclerenchyma tissue (its degree of roughness shown by SFC value) ratio of average thickness of outer mesophyll to inner mesophyll, ratio of occupation of epidermis to outer seed coat, ratio of thickness of outer seed coat to the radius of transection of seed, etc. The commercial samples of Shanghai and Datong (Shanxi) market were the seed of Z. bungeanum and that of Huhehaote (Inner Mongolia) market was a mixture of seeds and pericarps of Z. schinifolium. (Continued from Nat. Med. 51: 1997)

Four floral characters of Helonias bullata and four species of Ypsilandra were compared. As a result, the following facts have been disclosed. (1)Helonias has often been described to possess three separate styles, but results showed that they are often connated to form a very short column at the base. As Ypsilandra also has a connate and columnar part in its stylar structure, this character of forming a column is common to both genera. (2) Although the anthers of Helonias have been reported to be bilocular, evidence revealed that they are in fact unilocular. As Ypsilandra has also unilocular anthers, this character is shared by the two genera. (3)Both genera were shown to possess the same character on the basal part of the filament; i.e., the basal part of the inner filament is adnate to the basal part of the ovary, while the same part of the outer filament is free from the ovary, in anthesis. (4) Contrary to previous reports, it turned out that Helonias has nectaries, and this character is also shared by Ypsilandra. All these facts not only suggest that the two genera are very closely related to each other, but also throw doubt on the current taxonomic practice of separating them in generic rank. It seems more appropriate to treat them under the same genus.

A new species of Clerodendrum, C. izuinsulare, endemic to the Izu Islands, is described on the bases of the slightly protruded anthers, whitish flower tube and narrower and green calyx lobes.