To gain a deeper understanding of the flowering pattern and reproductive characteristics of Epimedium sagittatum, to enrich the research on the flower development of E. sagittatum and its reproductive regulation, and to screen the methods suitable for the rapid detection of pollen viability of E. sagittatum and to promote its cross-breeding. The characteristics of its flower parts were observed, recorded and measured, and the pollen viability of E. sagittatumwas determined by five methods, including TTC staining, I₂-KI staining, red ink staining, peroxidase method and in vitro germination method. The flowering process of E. sagittatum can be divided into five stages: calyx dehiscence, bract spathe, petal outgrowth, pollen dispersal, and pollination and withering. The results of I₂-KI staining and peroxidase method were significantly higher than those of other methods; the in vitro germination method was intuitive and accurate, but the operation was complicated and time-consuming; the red ink staining method was easy to operate and had obvious staining effect, and the results were the closest to those of the in vitro germination method; and it was found that the pollen of E. sagittatum was not as effective as the in vitro germination method at the bud stamen stage, the flower stigma and the flower bud. It was also found that the pollen viability and germination rate of E. sagittatum pollen were higher in the three periods of bud spitting, petal adductor and pollen dispersal. Comparing the five methods, the red ink staining method was found to be a better method for the rapid detection of pollen viability; the best pollination periods of E. sagittatum were the bud stamen stage, petal adductor stage, and pollen dispersal stage of flowers at the peak of bloom. This study on the flowering and fruiting pattern of E. sagittatum, and the related mechanism of sexual reproduction, can be used as a reference for the next step of research on the breeding of E. sagittatum.

Atractylodis lancea (Cangzhu) and Atractylodes macrocephala (Baizhu) are two traditional Chinese medicines with complex chemical compositions. However, a comprehensive comparative analysis of their constituents remains lacking. In this work, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS) method was developed for the rapid characterization and differentiation of chemical components in Cangzhu and Baizhu. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column with gradient elution, and compounds were detected using electrospray ionization in both positive and negative modes. By analyzing characteristic fragmentation patterns and neutral losses, a total of 111 compounds were tentatively identified, including 14 common components (present in both species) and 97 differential components (unique to one species). This study presents the first comprehensive comparative chemical profiling of the two Atractylodes species, offering valuable references for pharmacodynamic material basis studies and quality control.

This study aimed to establish a rapid analytical method for the determination of 69 pesticide residues in Platycodonis Radix using GC-MS/MS and UHPLC-MS/MS, as well as carry out a dietary risk assessment on 42 batches of Platycodonis Radix samples collected from different geographical origins. Samples were prepared using the QuEChERS method, followed by high-speed centrifugation and membrane filtration, and the target pesticides were analyzed in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode via GC-MS/MS and in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode via UHPLC-MS/MS. Among the 42 tested batches of Platycodonis Radix samples, 3 out of 27 pesticide compounds were detected via GC-MS/MS screening, while only 1 pesticide compound was positive from the 42 compounds determined via UHPLC-MS/MS, and the risk assessment results demonstrated that both chronic and acute dietary exposure risks of all detected pesticides were considerably lower than 1.