The continuous exploration in deep seawater from Korea makes us lead the discovery of ancient Chlorophyta, Palmophyllum, in the Korean coast. The phylogenetic analyses of 18S rRNA and rbcL genes demonstrate that our specimens are Palmophyllum crassum (Naccari) Rabenhorst, recorded in Japan and clearly distinguished from P. umbracola from New Zealand and California, USA. Palmophyllum crassum grows in the subtidal region, 8-30 m deep, and has a crustose thallus which is closely adherent to substrates such as non-geniculate crustose coralline algae, sponge, shells, or rocks. P. crassum is composed of numerous spherical cells embedded in the gelatinous matrix. The discovery of this ancient green seaweed implies that the Korean coast is one of the hotspots of algal species diversity and has the suitable marine environment for algal speciation. We suggest the grounds to conserve the Korean coast environmentally as the biodiversity center of marine species by studying the phylogeny of seaweeds.

The region containing 18S rRNA gene, ITS 1 and part of the 5.8S rRNA gene of the Atractylodes japonica Koidz was amplified by PCR and the product cloned in a pBluescript SK II plasmid. DNA sequence of the cloned DNA was determined and submitted to the GenBank (accession number EU678363). Phylogenetic analysis of the ITS 1 DNA showed close similarity with the other plant species of the family Compositae. The extract of the plant materials of five different members of the family Compositae was analyzed by HPLC to detect atractylon. Extract of the A. japonica Koidz showed presence of significant amount of atractylon. However, noticeable amount of atractylon was not detected by the same analyses from the extracts of the other plants belonging to the family Compositae including Artemisia capillaris, Chrysantemum zawadskii, Eclipta prostrata or Taraxacum platycarpum.