This article is a broad review focused on dragon trees—one of the most famous groups of trees in the world, well known from ancient times. These tertiary relicts are severely endangered in most of the area where they grow. The characteristic features of the dragon tree group are described and the species belonging to this group are listed. This review gathers together current knowledge regarding the taxonomy, evolution, anatomy and morphology, physiology, and ontogeny of arborescent dragon tree species. Attention is also paid to the composition, harvesting, medicinal, and ethnobotanical use of the resin (dragons’ blood). An evaluation of population structure, distribution, ecology, threats, and nature conservation forms the final part of the review. In the conclusions we recommend further avenues of research that will be needed to effectively protect all dragon tree species.

Dracaena draco, which belongs to the genus Dracaena, is an endemic succulent of the Canary Islands. Although it is one of the most popular and widely grown ornamental plants in the world, little is known about its genomic variability. Next generation sequencing, especially in combination with advanced bioinformatics analysis, is a new standard in taxonomic and phylogenetic research. Therefore, in this study, the complete D. draco chloroplast genome (cp) was sequenced and analyzed in order to provide new genomic information and to elucidate phylogenetic relationships, particularly within the genus Dracaena. The D. draco chloroplast genome is 155,422 bp, total guanine-cytosine (GC) content is 37.6%, and it has a typical quadripartite plastid genome structure with four separate regions, including one large single copy region of 83,942 bp length and one small single copy region of 18,472 bp length, separated by two inverted repeat regions, each 26,504 bp in length. One hundred and thirty-two genes were identified, 86 of which are protein-coding genes, 38 are transfer RNAs, and eight are ribosomal RNAs. Seventy-seven simple sequence repeats were also detected. Comparative analysis of the sequence data of various members of Asparagales revealed mutational hotspots potentially useful for their genetic identification. Phylogenetic inference based on 16 complete chloroplast genomes of Asparagales strongly suggested that Dracaena species form one monophyletic group, and that close relationships exist between D. draco, D. cochinchinensis and D. cambodiana. This study provides new and valuable data for further taxonomic, evolutionary and phylogenetic studies within the Dracaena genus.

The oxidative stability of nutritive and bioactive lipids is essential for their functionality. This study evaluated the potential of lipid fractions from pumpkin seeds obtained from eleven high-performing cultivars of Cucurbita maxima Duchesne, C. pepo L., and C. moschata Duchesne cultivated in Poland, aiming to evaluate their stability for nutraceutical applications. This study investigated the intrinsic relationship between chemical composition and oxidative stability to identify cultivars with promising functional potential and commercial value. The fatty acid, sterol, and lipid antioxidant profiles were characterized using gas chromatography (GC), GC–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), respectively. Antiradical activity was assessed via the DPPH assay, and oxidative stability was evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The oils exhibited high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (59.5–68.6%), with n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratios ranging from 66.5 to 211.6. The lipid extracts contained up to 97.1% Δ⁷-sterols, while key antioxidants included squalene (616.6–3092.0 mg/kg) and γ-tocopherol (54.1–423.6 mg/kg). Notably, the C. pepo cultivar ‘Moonshine’ was the least abundant in these bioactive compounds. The carotenoid content ranged from 5.7 to 19.4 mg/kg across the extracts. Among the studied cultivars, ‘Show Winner’ and ‘Pink Jumbo Banana’ (C. maxima) stood out as promising candidates for nutraceutical applications due to their elevated levels of tocopherols, carotenoids, and squalene. A moderate n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio (100–170), coupled with balanced levels of γ-tocopherol and squalene, was found to significantly enhance the oxidative stability of pumpkin seed lipids. These lipid fractions also show potential as stabilizing additives for oils rich in α-linolenic acid but deficient in natural antioxidants.

Even though plants represent an essential part of our lives offering exploitational, supporting and cultural services, we know very little about the biology of the rarest and most threatened plant species, and even less about their conservation status. Rapid changes in the environment and climate, today more pronounced than ever, affect their fitness and distribution causing rapid species declines, sometimes even before they had been discovered. Despite the high goals set by conservationists to protect native plants from further degradation and extinction, the initiatives for the conservation of threatened species in Europe are scattered and have not yielded the desired results. The main aim of this Action is to improve plant conservation in Europe through the establishment of a network of scientists and other stakeholders who deal with different aspects of plant conservation, from plant taxonomy, ecology, conservation genetics, conservation physiology and reproductive biology to protected area's managers, not forgetting social scientists, who are crucial when dealing with the general public.

The genetic diversity of five populations of Liparis loeselii from two regions of Poland, Podlachia and Silesia, was compared with respect to minisatellite markers. Moreover, the standard 2-loci barcode DNA regions, rbcL and matK genes, as well as an additional region trnL-F from chloroplast and ITS2 from nuclear genome were studied. The total genetic diversity at the species level amounted to H_T = 0.356. The analysis of molecular variance revealed that 58% of genetic variation was distributed within populations, 2% among populations, and 40% between regions from NE Poland (Podlachia), and S Poland (Silesia). Nei's genetic distances indicated that specimens from the Podlachia population were genetically isolated from Silesian ones. Two genetic barriers among the studied populations were found: one barrier separated the Podlachian population from all Silesian populations and another barrier divided Kuźnica Warężyńska population from other Silesian populations. Based on barcode sequences it was found that all the examined samples were identical with respect to all the studied DNA regions. Liparis loeselii trnL-F region sequences were detected for the first time and they can be useful as complementary barcodes for this species. The analysed sequences of L. loeselii are fully consistent with sequences of specimens originating from the UK, Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, Sweden, Italy, and Russia.

This paper describes the procedures and operational aspects related to the proper storage and handling of taxonomic, biogeographic and ecological data of biological specimens digitised under the AMUNATCOLL project. In the introductory phase of this process, the definition of the metadata is carried out, which is the formal handler of the structure, based upon the analysis of existing standards. The set of parameters derived from the standard is extended by data that is important according to the point of view of the specificity and functionality of the developed system. Subsequently, the database, as a key element in many IT systems, must be set up for data storage along with the suitable structure that reinforces efficiency. The process of preparing and casting a large amount of data requires automated procedures with dedicated tools attached. These approaches address a variety of processes starting from data preparation, where occasionally conversion must occur, aggregation and finally validation, which guarantees that data apply defined rules. Above all, dedicated operational procedures must be defined and applied to enable proper handling of the entire process.