Fraxinus excelsior subsp. excelsior is recorded for the flora of Iran. Two new varieties including Fraxinus angustifolia subsp. syriaca var. pilosa and F. angustifolia subsp. persica var. pubescens are described from West of Iran (Zagros mountain). Fraxinus angustifolia subsp. persica is the new combination. Also field studies approved that Oleaferruginea and O. aucheri are synonymous and they should be included in O. europaea subsp. cuspidata.

Opening frontiers has led in the last two decades to a massive migration of Romanians to Spain and Italy, two countries known to have large areas planted with olives. Romania owns large areas planted with ash forests. Because of cross-reactivity between these two trees belonging to the Oleaceae family and the big allergenic potential of olive pollens, after a number of years of residence in these countries, many Romanians will present allergic respiratory symptoms of rhinitis and asthma, both in the season of olive pollination and ash pollination.

To determine the suitable pollinator for olive, cv. ‘Dezful’ among Manzanilla, Sevilana, Kalaman, local Gorgan 2 and local Gorgan 3 cultivars, this study was accomplished in Safiabad Agricultural Research Center for 2 years. The experimental design was Randomized Complete Blocks with four replications. Cross pollinations were carried out on four ‘Dezful’ cv. trees having the same situation and, the fruit set was measured at stone hardening period. The results showed that the kind of pollen affected ‘Dezful’ cultivar fruit set and cross pollination could increase fruit set significantly (p<0.01). Comparison of fruit set means in different treatments showed that 21.49 and 31.23 percent of ‘Dezful’ pistils pollinated by pollens of ‘local Gorgan 2’ and ‘local Grgan 3’ cultivars in first and second examined years were fertilized respectivily, while only 7.78 and 9.02 percent of self pollinated ‘Dezful’ pistils were fertilized, therefore, apparently self incompatibility exists in ‘Dezful’ olive. Analysis of combined two years showed that the annual effect on fruit set in ‘Dezful’ was not significant. The effect of pollination on oil content of fruit was not significant in different treatments, varying between 51.3 and 54 percent in dry matter. Study of flowers in ‘Dezful’ cultivar showed that the ratio of perfect and imperfect flowers from year to year was not the same and about 20 –34 percent of flowers were perfect. Fruit set of all flowers with open pollination was 3.04 – 3.4 percent.  

Fraxinus L. is one of the 24 genera in Oleaceae family and comprises 43 species that are distributed in northern hemisphere. Two species: F. excelsior L. and F. angustifolia Vahl. are reported from Iran. These species are very similar on the basis of morphological characteristics which make their identification difficult. In order to overcome the ambiguity of these two species and their subspecific ranks, morphological and micromorphological traits of the species in 55 populations were studied. Forty nine qualitative and quantitative morphological characteristics were studied. Phenetic analysis was carried out using SPSS ver.16 software and phenogram of the species considering morphological characters were plotted. Furthermore, PCA analysis was carried out and the most variable characters were determined. Factor analysis revealed the color of adaxial and abaxial surfaces of leaflets, color of winter buds, type of inflorescence, shape of fruit and its tip, and margin of leaflets are the most effective separating characters.According to descriptive analysis, three factors including the type of inflorescence, color of winter bud and shape of the margin serration of the leaflets are the most important ones. Micromorphological studies using scanning electron microscope, revealed two types of trichomes: acicular and capitate. Pollen grains in all specimens are monad and tricolpate. An identification key was prepared using morphological and micromorphological features.

Asexual propagation through cuttings is an appropriate method used for most ornamental plants. Success in increasing the percentage of rooting, reducing root emergence and increasing proliferation efficiency depends on several factors like plant growth regulators, especially auxins. Rooting of Forsythia × intermediais difficult and requires specific hormonal treatments and proper cultivation beds. This work evaluated the rooting of Farsythia × intermedia cuttings under the action of different concentrations of plant growth regulators. The cuttings consisted of 15 cm long shoots with their basal leaves removed. The basal part of the cuttings was treated with 0, 500, 1000 and 1500 mg l-1 IBA and/or NAA. Stem cuttings were kept in hormones solution for 10 seconds. Then, they were planted in rice husk, sand and perlite as cultivation bed under greenhouse conditions. After two months, the percentage of rooted stem cutting, root number per stem cuttings, root length and root fresh and dry weights were determined on stem cuttings. The highest rooting percentage (51%) was obtained in cuttings treated with 1000 mg l-l IBA+1500 mg l-l NAA. The maximum root number was obtained in cuttings treated with 1500 mg l-l IBA+1500 mg l-1 NAA. The maximum root length (4.66 cm) was obtained in stem cuttings treated with 500 mg l-1 IBA+1000 mg l-1 NAA.

Background: Ethnobotanical investigations conducted in Turkey demonstrated that Jasminum fruticans L. extract and fruit juice had been used against parasites in animals. In this study, the possible antihelmintic activity of various J. fruticans extracts contributing to its traditional use, was relatively assessed. In addition, the antioxidant potentials and phytochemical composition of the extracts were investigated since there is a relationship between helminthiasis, oxidative stress and phenolic metabolites. Methods: In this study, aerial parts of J. fruticans were subsequently extracted using n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and methanol (MeOH). In vivo anthelmintic activity of the extracts was compared with albendazole used as a reference in adult earthworms. Various methods, including free radical scavenging and metal-related activity assays, were used to assess the antioxidant capacity of the above-mentioned extracts. Assessment of phenolic composition was accomplished through total phenolic, phenolic acid, and flavonoid content assays as well as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) scan modes. Further chlorogenic acid (3-O-caffeoylquinic acid) contents of extracts were quantified using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). Results: Between all tested extracts, MeOH extract at a quantity of 50. 0 mg/mL, paralysed worms in 8. 1 min and killed them in 12. 8 min, showing a high anthelmintic effect similar to albendazole. Similarly, in vitro DPPH radical scavenging activity, cupric ion reduction and total antioxidant capacity experiments demonstrated that MeOH extract had significant antioxidant activity. Further phytochemical screening showed that MeOH extract was richer regarding phenolic metabolites. Chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid and gallic acid were only detected in the MeOH extract. Conclusion: Results justify and support the use of J. fruticans in traditional medicine as an anthelmintic agent. Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between the strong antioxidant capacity along with the phenolic composition determined in the MeOH extract and anthelmintic activity.

Airborne pollen is considered one of the causative agents of hay fever, allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and asthma. We aimed to investigate airborne pollens in the context of Shiraz located in the southwest of Iran and find their association with meteorological parameters. The survey was conducted from October 2017 to September 2018, using seven days of volumetric Burkard spore trap, located in the center of the city. A total of 5810 pollen grains/m3 belonging to 15 taxa were identified and recorded. Among them, 73. 8% was the tree, while the grass, shrub, and weed constituted 13. 56%, 3. 5%, and 9. 2% of total reported pollens, respectively. The major pollen types were Platanaceae (28. 39%), Oleaceae (21. 17%), Pinaceae (15. 11%), Amaranthaceae (9. 29%), and Brassicaceae (8. 02%). A higher number of pollen counts and types were recorded in March, followed by September, while it was lower in May. Meteorological parameters were correlated with the monthly pollen counts. Wind speed was found to have a positive correlation with Platanaceae concentration. The significant correlation between pollen concentration and the temperature was positive for Poaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Plantaginaceae and negative for Rosaceae, Oleaceae, and Ulmaceae. Poaceae and Amaranthaceae were negatively correlated with humidity and positively with Rosaceae, Oleaceae, and Plantaginaceae. A negative correlation was found between rainfall and Poaceae and Amaranthaceae, while Plantaginaceae had a positive correlation with this parameter. The results of this study may be helpful for allergologists in the diagnosis and treatment of airborne allergic disorders due to pollen grains.

A new species, Agistemus manjilicus Khanjani, Hajizadeh & Zarei sp. nov. was collected from olive leaves and litter in olive orchards, Olea europaea L. (Oleaceae) in Manjil vicinity, Guilan province, Iran, is described and illustrated.