Palmatine is a valuable ingredient in Chinese medicine that is produced by Phellodendron amurense Rupr. The contents of palmatine content in root bark, trunk bark, perennial branch bark, annual branches, and leaves of the trees with different ages and geographies in Northeast China were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The contents of palmatine in the barks of root, trunk, and perennial branch were significantly higher than those in annual branches and leaves. The contents of palmatine in trunk bark and root bark from Lesser Khingan Mountains increased with age, which is significantly opposite to other three vegetation types. The contents of palmatine in perennial branch bark, annual bark and leaves had no significant regularity. Moreover, the contents of palmatine in samples of root bark, trunk bark, perennial branch bark and annual bark varied significantly with latitude. The nature populations of P. amurense growing at low latitude contained significantly more palmatine than those growing at high latitude. These results provide a scientific basis for the reasonable cultivation and efficient utilization of P. amurense.

A new orchid species, Cymbidium jiangchengense, from Yunnan Province, China, is described and illustrated. Its distinctiveness is evaluated with morphology and molecular analyses. A detailed comparison between the newly discovered orchid and other members of Cymbidium was performed. The new plant was characterized by stem-like pseudobulbs, narrowly oblong leaves, coriaceous leaves with an acute apex, a 2-flowered inflorescence, a purplish pink flower, narrowly elliptic sepals, petals, a obovate-lanceolate lip with a cordate midlobe, a yellow central callus, and a disc with a trough shape longitudinal lamella from the base extending to the base of the midlobe and a lamellae apex inflated to form two calluses that are not confluent apically. These features distinguish this new orchid from all other known species of Cymbidium. A molecular study based on nuclear ribosomal ITS and plastid matK and rbcL DNA sequence data indicates that C. jiangchengense is a distinct species that sister to C. wadae and a member of section Eburnea, subgenus Cyperorchis.

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