This study presents an overview of the phytochemistry of species of the Annonaceae family native to Mexico. The most numerous groups of secondary metabolites in the family are acetogenins, alkaloids, phenols, and terpenes. Information for each species has been compiled from June 2025 through a comprehensive literature review. In addition, reviews by researchers on secondary metabolites in Annonaceae have also been considered. The distribution of these molecules by species and tissues is summarized in informative tables. Sixteen of the 74 Annonaceae species found in Mexico have at least one study characterizing their secondary metabolites. Six of the 12 genera have been studied. Annona has the largest number of species, particularly those important for fruit production ( A. cherimola, A. macroprophyllata, A. mucosa, A. muricata, A. purpurea and A. squamosa). Alkaloids have been reported in fourteen species, terpenes in eleven, and acetogenins and phenols in nine and seven species. These findings have been primarily due to the interest aroused by their potent biological activities, including insecticidal, anticancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Studies on Mexican Annonaceae are pioneering in this family in the search for the ecological and physiological significance of these metabolites. The chemodiversity presented by Annonaceae documented so far is an incentive to continue searching for new molecules with pharmacological and agronomic potential, but also constitutes a strong argument for their conservation.

Background: The genus Dahlia is native to Mexico and has 41 described species. Globally, it is notable for its diversity and ornamental relevance. In Mexico, its use is widespread, being employed for ornamental purposes, food, and medicine. Despite its historical and cultural significance, detailed knowledge about the uses of Dahlia mostly comes from scattered gray literature. Questions: What are the documented traditional uses, geographic distribution of knowledge, and conservation challenges for the genus Dahlia in its center of origin? Studied species: The study focused on the genus Dahlia (Asteraceae). Study site: Mexico, the center of origin and diversification for the genus. Methods: Information was compiled from scientific databases, theses, and herbarium specimens. A systematic search was conducted to identify all available sources reporting traditional uses of Dahlia within Mexico. Results: Our research documented ethnobotanical uses in 19 states and for 11 Dahlia species. Ornamental use is the most extensive and widely documented. Other uses include food and medicine, though these are less recorded. Conclusions: We highlight the need for further studies on regional ethnobotany, conservation, and sustainable management to preserve this valuable genetic and cultural resource. The over reliance on gray literature emphasizes the urgency of concentrated and formalizing this knowledge before it is lost. The geographic patterns shown in this work are a fragment of the total knowledge. Future studies should prioritize filling these geographic and taxonomic gaps to fully appreciate and safeguard this invaluable biocultural heritage.

Studied species / data description: The focal species was Agave salmiana. Data included vertebrate floral visitors, pollen loads, and nectar production. Diversity was assessed using Shannon-Wiener, Simpson, Pielou indices, and Hill numbers. Study site and dates: The study was conducted in cultivated landscapes of the Llanos de Apan, central Mexico, during 2023 and 2024. Methods: Vertebrate visitors were recorded using camera traps. Pollination potential was evaluated through pollen load analysis, and nectar volume and timing were measured. Results: Vertebrate visitors were dominated by hummingbirds (Trochilidae), with Eugenes fulgens showing the highest visitation rate. Nectar-feeding bats (Glossophaginae) were frequent nocturnal visitors and effectively contacted flowers. Insects, particularly Apis mellifera, were abundant but rarely contacted reproductive structures. All visitors carried A. salmiana pollen, with the highest loads recorded in E. fulgens and Basilinna leucotis. Nectar volume peaked in the afternoon and evening. Diversity values were comparable to those of wild agave species, although evenness was lower due to dominance by a few species. Conclusions: Agave salmiana is pollinated by both diurnal and nocturnal vertebrates and is not specialized on either group. Flowering agaves in cultivation provide key floral resources that support local pollinator diversity in agricultural landscapes.

Background: Theobroma bicolor is a relative of cacao that distributes in Mexico. It is considered a semidomesticated species that has been seldom studied. Questions: What levels of genetic and morphological variation can be found in pataxte from cacao growing regions in Mexico? Study species: Theobroma bicolor (Humb. & Bonpl.). Study site and date: Cacao growing regions from the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Chiapas and Tabasco, Mexico, 2021-2024. Methods: We collected fruits and leaves for morphological and genetic analyses. For molecular analyses we obtained sequences for four chloroplast and five nuclear regions to estimate genetic diversity and genetic structure. For morphological analyses, we calculated the mean and standard deviation of fruit and leaf morphological traits and obtained violin plots to observe the distribution and density of the data. We also conducted principal component analyses for fruit and leaf morphological traits. Results: No genetic variation was found among the analyzed DNA regions. Nonetheless, regarding morphological traits, our data suggest morphological variation in leaves and fruit across cacao growing regions in Mexico. Conclusions: The lack of genetic variation Theobroma bicolor may be explained by its population history. Morphological variation may be present between cacao growing regions, but additional samples are required to test this hypothesis. Implementing genotyping by sequencing or a whole genome sequencing approach will allow analyzing genome wide genetic diversity. Genotype, phenotype and environmental interactions should also be considered in future studies to inform management in terms of seed exchange and plant selection.

Antecedentes: Verbesina es el género más diverso de Asteraceae tribu Heliantheae. En la Sierra Madre Occidental existen dos áreas de riqueza, donde recientemente se recolectaron especímenes afines a Verbesina sección Pterophyton que no corresponden con otro taxón descrito y que se proponen como especies nuevas. Se contrastan rasgos morfológicos y ecológicos entre taxa relacionados y se aportan mapas, fotografías y una clave de identificación. Preguntas: ¿Es posible reconocer una mayor diversidad en Verbesina sección Pterophyton a partir de poblaciones estudiadas en la Sierra Madre Occidental? Especies estudiadas: Verbesina sección Pterophyton. Sitio y años de estudio: SMOC, 2016-2024. Métodos: El estudio se basó en exploraciones de campo y revisión de especímenes de herbario. Se emplearon datos de distribución y criterios de la UICN para determinar el estado de conservación. Resultados: Se describen dos especies nuevas. Verbesina bernalii es única por desarrollar tallos y pedúnculos alados, hojas opuestas, enteras, 3-lobadas o hastadas y concentradas hacia la base del tallo, 1-2 capítulos, flores radiadas fértiles y 30-52 flósculos. Verbesina carrilloi pertenece al grupo con tallos alados y pedúnculos enteros, pero difiere por desarrollar capítulos discoides. Ambos taxa pueden considerarse en peligro de extinción. Conclusiones: Las novedades en Verbesina confirman algunos patrones de distribución: Durango y Zacatecas, el municipio de Mezquital, los bosques de Quercus y Pinus-Quercus y el sur de las ecorregiones Madrense, Madrense Tropical y Madrense Xerófila son centros de riqueza. Se propone continuar con exploraciones y recolectas de Verbesina en las zonas antes señaladas, pues podrían existir más especies no descritas.

Background: In parasitic plants, it remains uncertain whether size, structure, and mutation rates in the mitogenome aligns with those of other angiosperms, and whether reduction in gene content is found across lineages of parasitic plants. Question: Are there differences in gene loss patterns and selective pressures among mistletoe species in the order Santalales? Studied species: Psittacanthus palmeri (Loranthaceae). Study site: Santa María Tecomavaca, Oaxaca. Methods: We assembled and annotated the mitogenome of P. palmeri. Then, we characterized the gene content, number and type of repeat sequences, and identified the mitochondrial plastid sequences. Finally, we reconstructed a phylogenetic tree for analysis of synteny and estimation of Ka/Ks ratios. Results: The circular P. palmeri mitogenome (232,342 bp) contains 55 unique genes. Repeat analysis identified 52 microsatellites and 15 tandem repeats, along with 60 plastid sequences (43,874 bp, 18.9 %). Phylogenetic comparison revealed limited synteny (< 7 kb), suggesting frequent rearrangements. Ka/Ks analysis indicated negative selection in atp1, atp8, cob, cox1, nad9, rpl5, and rps12, and positive in ccmB, cox3, matR, mttB, nad3, nad4, nad4L, nad7, rps4, and rps10. Conclusions: The P. palmeri mitogenome is similar to those of other Santalales species in gene content, but differs in content of repeat sequences, and type and length of mitochondrial plastid sequences. Incorporating these features in future studies will allow to make inferences about expansion/contraction patterns that the mitogenomes have experienced during Santalales evolution.

Antecedentes: Las temperaturas altas generan estrés en las semillas durante la germinación. Hipótesis: La respuesta al estrés por calor de las semillas de chile verde (Capsicum annuum L.) durante la germinación depende de la altitud de procedencia. Sitio de estudio: Semillas de frutos cultivados en 2022 en Cuautempan (1,503 m snm) y Xochiapulco (1,992 m snm), Sierra Norte de Puebla, fueron evaluadas en un laboratorio del Programa de Posgrado en Botánica en el Colegio de Postgraduados, Montecillo, México. Métodos: Las evaluaciones, en diseño experimental completamente al azar, incluyeron la masa y número de semillas por fruto y masa e imbibición (cada 4 h, durante 72 h) y germinación de las semillas (cada 12 h, durante 350 h) con ocho temperaturas, entre 20.0 y 40.0 ± 1 ºC constantes. Resultados: Las semillas de Cuautempan (3.56 mg de peso) embebieron entre 88 % con 37.5 ºC y 152 % con 25.0 ºC y las de Xochiapulco (3.74 mg) entre 133 con 32.5 ºC y 158 % con 40.0 ºC. La germinación máxima varió entre 0 % con 37.5 y 40.0 ºC y 87 % con 20.0 ºC en las semillas de Cuautempan y entre 0 % con 37.5 y 40.0 ºC y 68 % con 30.0 ºC en las de Xochiapulco. La germinación en ambas muestras inhibida totalmente, durante 14 d, con 37.5 y 40.0 ºC fue activada al transferirlas a 25.0 ºC. Conclusión: El estrés por calor afecta diferente a las semillas de chile verde de distinta altitud.

Background: With 615 species worldwide, Mimosa is among the largest genera of the Leguminosae family, and Mexico is the second center of distribution of the genus after Brazil, with 105 species. In recent years, interest has arisen in morphological and anatomical characters of the flower in relation to floral visitors in Mimosa. Questions: What is the relationship between inflorescence type, number and arrangement of flowers on the floral axis? What are the morphological and anatomical characters of the floral whorls that distinguish the Mimosa species? Which is the pollen-stigma relationship, how does it influence the reproductive strategies? Study species: Por favor cambiar a: Mimosa affinis B.L.Rob., M. albida Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd., M. lactiflua Delile ex Benth., and M. polyantha Benth. Study area: Southeastern Morelos and southwestern Puebla, Mexico. Methods: A comparative study of inflorescence morphometry in capitula and spikes was carried out, to evaluate the merism variability of flowers in anthesis, the comparative morphoanatomy of flowers and pollen aggregations. Results: Statistical analysis showed differences in morphometric characters of inflorescence, flower and pollen aggregation. There are anatomical differences in the flowers such as: various types of trichomes on the bracteole, perianth and ovary; fusion of the stamens at the base; poriform and crateriform stigma; paracytic stomata; striate cuticle in epidermal cells. Conclusions: The species showed morphological and anatomical differences in inflorescence, flower and pollen aggregation, generating relevant information to understand Mimosa’s reproductive strategies although further studies of floral characters are needed regarding the interactions with floral visitors.

Antecedentes: El tabaco fue usado y apreciado por considerable número de pueblos originarios en México y en el continente americano, empleado ritual y medicinalmente. Preguntas: ¿Cuál es la importancia del tabaco como planta sagrada en la cultura mazateca en la actualidad y qué factores socioculturales explican su saliencia? Especie de estudio: Nicotiana tabacum L. Sitio y años de estudio: Huautla de Jiménez, Oaxaca, México. 2023-2024 Método: Se aplicaron 93 entrevistas semiestructuradas a jóvenes, adultos y adultos mayores. Se construyó un índice de importancia cultural (IIC) basado en 12 variables tangibles e intangibles. Se realizó un análisis discriminante lineal (ADL) para conocer las variables socioculturales que influyen en la preservación de los saberes, prácticas y creencias del tabaco. Resultados: Existen 33 diferentes usos para N. tabacum, el mágico-religioso es el más referido. El IIC no reflejó la saliencia local de este recurso. El ADL separó los tres grupos etarios, y demostró que la edad, el idioma, y el ser partícipe de ceremonias en las que este recurso ocupa un lugar central, son las variables que explican estadísticamente (P ˂ 0.001) su preservación. Conclusiones: El desconocimiento del valor histórico y cultural del tabaco lo destituye de su vínculo con lo sagrado, fomentando una visión dañina y suscitando su mal empleo. Los jóvenes desconocen la importancia de este recurso en cuanto su uso mágico-religioso, y no hay espacios de reproducción cultural que permitan su aprendizaje.

Algae constitute a non-natural group of organisms that share morphological, physiological and ecological characteristics due to a complex shared evolutionary history. They live attached to a substrate or floating in a column of fresh or marine water. These latter are classified into macro and microalgae, whose current diversity recorded in Mexico is represented by approximately 1,700 species of macroalgae and 1,500 of microalgae. However, this diversity is based on morphological attributes. The problem of the morphospecies is that it depends on the expression of the genotype in response to the environmental heterogeneity in which these organisms establish themselves, resulting in phenotypic plasticity or morphological monotony, with the consequent overlapping of characters, generating misidentifications with several taxonomical problems associated and unstable classification systems. The molecular characterization of species has generated great taxonomic changes and more robust classifications. Currently, the diversity of Mexican phylospecies is reduced, with only 250 macro and microalgae, representing 12.5 and 2.3 % of the diversity, respectively. However, of the 142 works associated with phylospecies, 82 have led to taxonomic changes and proposals with important implications in the construction of more stable classification systems and a better understanding of Mexican phycofloristic diversity in all groups.