Hee-Young Gil

• PhD
• Researcher at Korea National Arboretum

We evaluated the patterns of genetic diversity, structure, and differentiation both within and among populations levels of Sophora koreensis in South Korean populations using the genotyping-by-sequencing method. We obtained 1,463 single nucleotide polymorphisms from 92 individuals from 12 populations. Genetic diversity analysis revealed a significa...

An updated checklist of the native vascular flora of Korea, covering both South and North Korea, is presented. The checklist comprises 3,975 taxa (3,307 species and 668 infraspecific taxa such as subspecies, varieties, forms, and hybrids), classified into 951 genera and 183 families. These taxa include 31 lycophytes, 333 ferns and fern allies, 30 g...

In the 1930s, Koreans residing in the Russian Far East were forcibly relocated to Central Asia by the Soviet Union, wherein they have subsequently become established as the Koryoin (Koryo-saram) community. Despite this displacement, whilst adapting to the new environment the Koryoin have maintained their Korean cultural traditions, resulting in a f...

The genus Tulipa L., belonging to the Liliaceae family, has significant economic, horticultural, and ecological importance and is culturally revered in various regions worldwide. The total number of Tulipa species, including 90–120 taxa, varies based on different sources. Globally, Kazakhstan has one of the highest diversities of Tulipa species, mo...

We describe a new species, Chrysosplenium insularis J.E.Jang, K.H.Lee & H.Y.Gil, belonging to the family Saxifragaceae, from the southern islands of the Republic of Korea. Chrysosplenium insularis is morphologically similar to C. japonicum (Maxim.) Makino but can be distinguished by fairly persistent bulbils, green to yellowish-green sepals, four s...

Eremurus zoae Vved. 1971 is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Asphodelaceae and an endemic species of the Kyrgyz Republic; however, its complete chloroplast genome sequence has not been reported. Here, we investigated the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of E. zoae using next-generation sequencing. The cp genome was 153,744 bp long, with a...

Four species of Saussurea, namely S. involucrata, S. orgaadayi, S. bogedaensis, and S. dorogostaiskii, are known as the “snow lotus,” which are used as traditional medicines in China (Xinjiang), Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Russia (Southern Siberia). These species are threatened globally, because of illegal harvesting and climate change. Furthermore,...

Native to Europe, Western Asia, and the Caucasus, Aethusa cynapium L. is an invasive plant that has been introduced in many parts of the world, including North America, North Africa, the Russian Far East, and Japan. As for the Republic of Korea, the species is currently found in the Yangjaecheon Stream in Gaepo-dong, Gangnamgu, in Seoul. Morphologi...

Sophora koreensis Nakai, an endemic species distributed only in the Korean Peninsula, is of great geographical, economic, and taxonomic importance. Although its complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence has been reported, its mitochondrial (mt) genome sequence has not yet been studied. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate its mt genome...

The Altai Mountains of Central and North Asia are biologically rich and comprise a wide range of ecosystems and phytogeographical regions. According to the latest checklist, a total of 321 endemic vascular plant species, including 217 endemic and 104 subendemic taxa, have been recognized in the Altai Mountain Country (AMC). In this study, we conduc...

The genus Allium, with over 900 species, is one of the largest monocotyledonous genera and is widely accepted with 15 recognized subgenera and 72 sections. The robust subgeneric and sectional relationships within Allium have long been not resolved. Based on 76 species of Allium (a total of 84 accessions), we developed a highly resolved plastome phy...

This paper discusses identifying Important Plant Areas (IPAs) in one of the most densely populated regions of Central Asia-the Fergana valley. The recognition of IPA sites is an attempt to introduce new ways of conserving local plant diversity with a high concentration of endemic species in Central Asia, where conservation methods of the former Sov...

Adenostemma madurense D.C. belongs to the family Asteraceae and is a wild annual herb found in Korea. In this study, we determined the phylogenetic origin of A. madurense by identifying its complete chloroplast sequence. The result indicated a genome size of 150,054 bp, which was composed of a large single copy of 82,008 bp, two inverted repeats of...

The complete chloroplast genome (cp genome) sequence of Clematis calcicola J. S. Kim (Ranunculaceae) is 159,655 bp in length. It consists of large (79,451 bp) and small (18,126 bp) single-copy regions and a pair of identical inverted repeats (31,039 bp). The genome contains 92 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNA genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes,...

We determined the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Ligustrum foliosum Nakai, an endemic species of Korea. The plastome was 165,731 bp long, with a large single copy (90,009 bp), a small single copy (11,448 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (32,137 bp). Moreover, 113 genes were encoded, including 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and...

Vulpia octoflora (Walter) Rydb., a newly identified invasive alien species, was found in Gangcheon-ri, Yeoju-gun, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It is native to North America and has been reported to be an invasive alien plant in Japan, Australia, and Ukraine. Vulpia octoflora is a weed that grows mainly in dry sandy or rocky soil and is frequently foun...

This study was to understand the genetic structure and diversity of the Korean Malus species. We used genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology to analyze samples of 112 individuals belonging to 18 populations of wild Malus spp. Using GBS, we identified thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the species analyzed. M. baccata and M. toringo,...

Here, we aimed to identify important plant areas (IPAs) in the Fergana Valley, one of the most densely human-populated regions in Central Asia with a diverse array of endemic and endangered species. The IPA programme in FV aims to identify and protect a global network of plant conservation sites. We conducted a field survey from 2018 to 2021 to re-...

In commemoration of Korea’s 70th national liberation, the Korea National Arboretum of the Korea Forest Service published English Names for Korean Native Plants in order to correctly refer to Korean plants’ vernacular names in English. Thanks to this publication, we are able to introduce newly named Korean native plants, which have been incorrectly...

Functional gene transfer from organelles to the nucleus, known as intracellular gene transfer (IGT), is an ongoing process in flowering plants. The complete plastid genomes (plastomes) of two Ulleung island endemic violets, Viola ulleungdoensis and V. woosanensis, were characterized, revealing a lack of the plastid-encoded infA, rpl32, and rps16 ge...

Previous studies on the chloroplast genome in Clematis focused on the chloroplast structure within Anemoneae. The chloroplast genomes of Cleamtis were sequenced to provide information for studies on phylogeny and evolution. Two Korean endemic Clematis chloroplast genomes (Clematis brachyura and C. trichotoma) range from 159,170 to 159,532 bp, conta...

Mt. Taegi (1,261.4 m) located in Gangwon-do, is a geographically important region for plant biodiversity. But the biodiversity of Mt. Taegi has been seriously damaged by the invasion of foreign plants, the development of forests and so on. We conducted 21 field surveys between April and August in 2008 and March and October in 2018 to investigate th...

Scrophularia takesimensis is a critically endangered endemic species of Ulleung Island, Korea. A previous molecular phylogenetic study based on nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences with very limited sampling suggested that it is most closely related to the clade comprising S. alata and S. grayanoides. To determi...

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Astilboides tabularis, one of endemic species of Eastern Asia, was determined. The chloroplast genome was 157,147 bp in length with large single-copy (87,703 bp), small single-copy (18,268 bp) and a pair of inverted repeats (25,588 bp). In total, 131 genes were encoded, including 86 protein-coding genes,...

Mt. Taegi (1,261.4 m) located in Gangwon-do, is a geographically important region for plant biodiversity. But the biodiversity of Mt. Taegi has been seriously damaged by the invasion of foreign plants, the development of forests and so on. We conducted 21 field surveys between April and August in 2008 and March and October in 2018 to investigate th...

The complete plastome sequence of Asplenium × bimixtum (Aspleniaceae) was determined. The whole genome is 153,098 bp in length, consisting of large (86,394 bp) and small (21,508 bp) single-copy regions, and a pair of identical inverted repeats (22,598 bp). The genome contains 88 protein-coding genes, 33 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 1 pseudogene (i...

Sparganium coreanum, a barely recognized species in Korea, was rediscovered during a field survey by the authors, who conducted a re-examination of specimens deposited in the Herbarium of the Korea National Arboretum (KH). This species was described initially by H. Léveillé from a specimen collected by F. Taquet from Jeju-do (Taquet 2150). Subseque...

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Liparis yongnoana was determined and analyzed in this study. The chloroplast genome size is 153,165 bp in length with 36.9% GC content. It comprises a large single-copy region (LSC) of 83,690 bp, a small single copy region (SSC) of 17,661 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRa and IRb) of 25,907 b...

Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim. is an oriental domesticated pear which have been used as a traditional medicine as well as dominant contributor of many Asian origin pear breeds. Here, we presented complete chloroplast genome of P. ussuriensis which is 160,157 bp long and has four subregions: 88,148 bp of large single-copy (LSC) and 19,227 bp of small sing...

Field surveys were conducted from April 2008 to September 2018 to investigate the vascular flora in Mt. Taegi (1,261.4 m) located in Gangwon Province. The results revealed 673 taxa, comprising 87 families, 338 genera, 590 species, 4 subspecies, 66 varieties, 13 forms. Among them, pteridophyta was 33 taxa (4.9%), gymnosperm was 8 taxa (1.1%), dicoty...

Two complete chloroplast genomes of Aristolochiaceae (Aristolochia manshuriensis Kom. and Asarum versicolor (Yamaki) Y.N.Lee) were characterized and compared in terms of the structure and distribution of repetitive regions. While the plastome of A. manshuriensis showed a typical quadripartite structure [i.e., a large single copy (LSC), a small sing...

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Sparganium eurycarpum subsp. coreanum was determined. The genome size was 161,761 bp in length with 36.9% GC content. It included a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb) of 26,886 bp, which were separated by small single copy (SSC: 19,029 bp) and large single copy (LSC: 88,960 bp) regions. The cp genome...

Mankyua chejuense is the only member of the monotypic genus Mankyua (Ophioglossaceae) and is endemic to Jejudo Island, Korea. To determine the precise phylogenetic position of M. chejuense, two cpDNA regions of 42 accessions representing major members of lycophytes are obtained from GenBank and analyzed using three phylogenetic analyses (maximum pa...

Pimpinella saxifraga L. (Scarlet pimpernel or Burnet saxifrage), a newly introduced species, was found from Baekyakyi oreum (a parasitic cone or cinder cone) in Seogwipo, Jejudo Island. This species is native to Europe and western Asia and is reported as a widely invasive species around the world. Pimpinella saxifraga is distinguished from other re...

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Sorbus ulleungensis, a recently described endemic species to Ulleung Island of Korea, was determined. The genome size was 159,632 bp in length with 36.5% GC content. It included a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb) of 26,402 bp, which were separated by small single copy (SSC: 18,824 bp) and large sing...

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Saussurea polylepis, one of vulnerable and endemic species of Korea, was determined. The genome size was 152,488 bp in length with 37.7% GC content. It included a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb) of 25,191 bp, which were separated by small single copy (SSC: 18,689 bp) and large single copy (LSC: 83,...

Ulleung Island is an oceanic volcanic island in Korea, which has never been connected to the adjacent continent. Previous studies highlighted Ulleung Island as an excellent system to study the pattern and process of early stages of flowering plant evolutions on oceanic island. The predominant mode of speciation in flowering plants on Ulleung Island...

Plants that have been treated as Sorbus commixta on Ulleung Island, Korea, show morphological variability and their taxonomy is unclear. We extensively studied the morphology of wild populations of these plants and found that they can be distinguished from S. commixta by their larger fruits and flowers and wider inflorescences. Here we describe and...

Subalpine species, Sorbus pohuashanensis in the Korean peninsula, which is assumed to be evolved from hybridization between S. commixta and an unknown species based on the flavonoids data. Morphometric analysis was conducted on the basis of 19 leaf and flower (or fruit) characters. A total of 721 samples in 13 populations of Sorbus pohuashanensis a...

The existence of endemism in many parts of the world is an important factor for conservationists. Conservation can only be carried out under national legislation, and national endemics, which have very limited ranges, fully depend on the effort and success of conservation. A total of 523 vascular plant taxa were listed in the latest national checkl...

Records found on labels of specimens deposited at University of Tokyo herbarium (TI) and references about Japanese naturalist, Tamezo Mori (1884-1964) were assembled to produce collector`s itineraries from 1909 to 1916 in Korea. Mori collected large numbers of botanical specimens from different parts of the country. In August 1911 and 1912, Mori co...

Pinus parviflora Siebold et Zuce, on Ulleung Island, Korea, has been proposed to be more closely related to P. armandii Pranch. because both have long leaves and seeds that are either wingless or have very short wings. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers using nine primers and sequence analysis of the trn G gene and the matK gene and...

rust fungus, Uromyces truncicola, infected stems, branches and leaves of Sophora japonica trees, and 78% of planted host depending on investigated sites. Teliospores of this fungus were reddish brown, global to oval and . The urediniospores were yellowish brown, elliptical to oval with spiny surface and . In the infected branches cork layers were t...