Michelia maudiae ‘Rubicunda’ (M. maudiae ‘Rubicunda’) is one of the most popular ornamental plants. However, relatively little is known regarding its floral development. Here, the variations of the mineral, endogenous hormone, and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) contents in the petals and gynoecium and androecium (GA) at five developmental stages during M. maudiae ‘Rubicunda’ flower development were analyzed. The results suggested that the carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) endogenous hormones, NSC contents, and C/N/P stoichiometric ratios exhibit large variations during flower development. There were significant differences in N and P contents in the GA and petals among the five growth stages, while C contents did not change significantly. In the five flower development stages, the average N and P contents in the GA were higher than those in the petals. The maximum C/N and N/P ratios in the GA and petals were foundat the senescent flower stage (stage5) and green bud stage (stage1), respectively. The C/P ratio in petals reached its maximum value at the mature bud stage (stage 2), and the C/P ratio in the GA reached its maximum value at the senescent flower stage (stage 5). The C/N/P stoichiometric ratios in the petals were more sensitive to development stages than those in the GA. There were highly significant correlations between the NSC and C/N/P stoichiometric ratios in the GAand petals. Moreover, acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid 3 (GA3), and cytokinin (CTK) contents in the petals exhibited significant changes in response to development stages. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed significant correlations and clear differences in the test indexes between the development stage and organs, and the variation was explained by PC-1 (55.6%), PC-2 (23.3%), and the cumulative contribution percentage of the total biplot (78.9%). These studies can lay the foundation for elucidating the requirements and dynamic balance among C, N, P, NSC, and hormone contents during the flower development of M. maudiae‘ Rubicunda’.

Triadica sebifera (T. sebifera) has attracted much attention because of the high oil content in its seeds, but there are few systematic studies on the phenolic compounds of T. sebifera leaves (TSP). In this study, the extraction process of TSP was optimized by response surface methodology. The phenolic components of these extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Moreover, the effects of hot air drying (HD), vacuum drying (VD) and freeze drying (FD) on the antioxidant activity and characterization of T. sebifera leaf extract (TSLE) were evaluated. Under the conditions of ethanol concentration 39.8%, liquid–solid ratio (LSR) 52.1, extraction time 20.2 min and extraction temperature 50.6 °C, the maximum TSP yield was 111.46 mg GAE/g dw. The quantitative analysis and correlation analysis of eight compounds in TSP showed that the type and content of phenolic compounds had significant correlations with antioxidant activity, indicating that tannic acid, isoquercitrin and ellagic acid were the main components of antioxidant activities. In addition, through DPPH and ABTS determination, VD-TSLE and FD-TSLE showed strong scavenging ability, with IC50 values of 138.2 μg/mL and 135.5 μg/mL and 73.5 μg/mL and 74.3 μg/mL, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) infrared spectroscopy revealed small differences in the extracts of the three drying methods. This study lays a foundation for the effective extraction process and drying methods of phenolic antioxidants from T. sebifera leaves, and is of great significance for the utilization of T. sebifera leaves.

Mineral elements and non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) are important nutrients and energy sources for flower development in plants. However, no studies were reported on the dynamic changes of nutrient stoichiometry and NSC contents in Houpoea officinalis (H. officinalis) flower. In this study, the changes in carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and NSC contents as well as C:N:P stoichiometry in the pistil, stamen, and petal of H. officinalis flowers at four developmental stages were comparatively analyzed. The results showed that C, N, P, and NSC contents, as well as C:N:P stoichiometric ratios in the three parts of the flower exhibited large variations at four development stages. Development stages and organs had significant effects on the measured parameters in the three organs of H. officinalis flowers, but their interactions had no significant effects. During the flower development, C, N, and P contents in different floral parts ranged from 418.7 to 496.3 mg/g, 26.6 to 45.3 mg/g, and 0.396 to 0.656 mg/g. P content decreased continuously with development, C:N in stamen were significantly higher than those in other flower parts at the same developmental stage. Glucose, starch, fructose, and sucrose contents showed significant differences in three parts of H. officinalis flowers at four development stages. These differences may reflect differences in elemental storage capacity and biomass allocation patterns of H. officinalis flowers. In general, our data will help to improve our understanding of the relationship between NSCs and C:N:P stoichiometry in response to development stages and organs in H. officinalis flowers.

Zanthoxylum armatum (Z. armatum) is an economic crop widely planted for both spice and medicinal purposes in Southwest China. Soil is a key environmental condition that affects seedling growth and development, and screening suitable soil types is of great significance for the large-scale cultivation of crops. This study designed growth experiments of Z. armatum seedlings in red soil (RS), yellow soil (YS), acidic purple soil (ACPS), alkaline purple soil (ALPS), and alluvial soil (AS) to screen for more suitable soil types. The growth traits of Z. armatum seedlings and the carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), C:N:P stoichiometry, and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) content of different organs were comparatively analyzed. The results showed that the morphological indexes of Z. armatum seedlings cultured in AS were better than those in the other four soils.AS and RS may be beneficial for the culture of Z. armatum seedlings due to higher nutrient levels in three organs. Two-factor ANOVA and PCA analysis showed that C, N, and P and their proportions would affect the uptake and distribution of NSC in various organs of Z. armatum seedlings. These results showed that soil types and plant organs significantly affected the accumulation and distribution of N, P, and NSC in Z. armatum seedlings. These results are conducive to screening soil types suitable for the growth and development of Z. armatum and provide data support for further large-scale cultivation of Z. armatum in suitable areas.

Houpoea officinalis (H. officinalis) flowers are rich in a spectrum of bioactive compounds and mineral nutrients. The availability and balance of mineral elements directly impact the morphogenesis of flower organs, which play pivotal roles in various physiological and biochemical processes that drive flower development. However, relatively little is known about the changes in mineral elements composition that occur during flower development in H. officinalis. The objective of this study is to analyze the variations of 22 mineral elements contents in pistil, stamens, and petals of H. officinalis flower at four development stages. The amount of mineral elements (Na, Mg, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Sn, Al, Ti, Ga, Cd, Ba, Tl, Pb, and Bi) in these samples was determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results showed that H. officinalis flowers are rich in macroelements such as potassium (K, 25.80–48.06 mg/g) and calcium (Ca, 17.27–31.00 mg/g), as well as microelements like zinc (Zn, 445.17–1553.16 μg/g) and iron (Fe, 324.27–622.31 μg/g). Notably, the pistil part is found to harbor a more significant concentration of mineral elements during the early developmental stages of flowers. Correlation analysis and PCA have effectively exposed a pronounced association between the accumulation patterns of mineral elements in H. officinalis flowers and their corresponding developmental stages and organs. These findings will provide more detailed information about the accumulation and distribution of mineral elements in H. officinalis flowers at different development stages and organs, which help to encourage researchers to enhance the flower quality for human consumption.

Zanthoxylum armatum DC. (Z. armatum) is a versatile plant species valued for its aroma oil and nutritional components. However, the variability of chemical composition in Z. armatum fruits in the field remains largely unknown, and it is still unclear how harvest parameters affect the aroma and nutritional quality of the fruits. To address this gap, Z. armatum fruits from varying harvest times, tree ages, and fruiting positions were analyzed for physicochemical properties, nutrients, minerals, aroma profiles, and antioxidant activity. A quality assessment method was developed based on key Z. armatum fruit parameters. Results showed significant differences in the size, weight, total phenol, flavonoid and sanshool content of Z. armatum fruit from different harvest parameters. Z. armatum fruits contained abundant minerals, showing diverse harvest-condition variations. In vitro antioxidant assays showed higher ABTS/DPPH scavenging activity and reducing capacity (23–54 mg/g). HS-SPME-GC-MS identified 64 aroma compounds, encompassing terpenes, alcohols, etc. Linalool was the predominant constituent (46.65%). PLS-DA and Volcano plot analyses highlighted significant differences in VOCs among harvest times and tree ages, while fruit positions showed minimal impact. The Mantel test identified aroma-active compounds associated with antioxidant activity. These findings facilitate a science-based harvesting strategy to standardize Z. armatum fruit quality and marketability.