BACKGROUND Most reports of domesticated plants that involve a domestication gradient or inter-specific hybridization in Mexico have focused on those used as food. This study provides knowledge about these processes in two aromatic medicinal plants, Agastache mexicana (Lamiaceae) and A. m. subsp. xolocotziana, widely used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal ailments and for their sedative effect. Different populations of A. mexicana along a gradient of domestication are found in the foothills of the Popocatepetl volcano of central Mexico, while in this same area the subsp. xolocotziana grows only in the cultivation, possibly a product of hybridization between A. mexicana and Agastache palmeri. This study links ethnobotanical, morpho-physiological, and phytochemical evidence to document the domestication of both taxa as well as elucidates the possible hybrid origin of the subsp. xolocotziana. METHOD We analyze three groups of data derived from (1) 80 semi-structured interviews aimed at documenting the selection criteria related to the use and management of A. mexicana; (2) a cultivation experiment under homogeneous conditions, evaluating 21 floral, vegetative, and seed characters (that were important according to ethnobotanical information) in 97 plants corresponding to 13 populations of the taxa under study; and (3) the chemical profiles of the essential oils of these plants by means of a thin-layer chromatography. RESULTS By linking the three types of evidence, two evolutionary processes are distinguished: (1) A. mexicana occurs in the encouraged-cultivated phases of the domestication gradient and (2) A. m. subsp. xolocotziana may have originated through inbreeding depression or hybridization. These two cultivated plants show a domestication syndrome based upon organoleptic differentiation due to their dissimilar phytochemical composition and gigantism in flowers, seeds, and rhizomes (the last enhancing their asexual reproductive capacity). In addition to this, A. mexicana exhibits more intense floral pigmentation and foliar gigantism while subsp. xolocotziana presents floral albinism and partial seed sterility. CONCLUSION Two divergent evolutionary processes are reported for the domestication of A. mexicana as a result of the intensification of its use and management. The selection processes of these plants have resulted in alternation of the organoleptic properties based upon the divergence of the phytochemical composition. Also, gigantism has been selected in culturally preferred plant parts and in correlated structures. The preceding characteristics reinforce the joint use of these plants in infusion in Mexican traditionalmedicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and for their sedative effects.

中文翻译：

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墨西哥芳香药用植物的驯化：藿香（唇形科）——民族植物学、形态生理学和植物化学分析。

背景技术大多数涉及墨西哥驯化梯度或种间杂交的驯化植物的报道都集中在用作食物的植物上。这项研究提供了有关两种芳香药用植物藿香（唇形科）和藿香的这些过程的知识。亚种 xolocotziana，广泛用于墨西哥传统医学中，用于治疗胃肠道疾病并具有镇静作用。在墨西哥中部的波波卡特佩特火山山麓中发现了沿驯化梯度的不同 A. mexicana 种群，而在同一地区发现了 A. mexicana 亚种。xolocotziana 仅在栽培中生长，可能是 A. mexicana 和 Agastache palmeri 杂交的产物。这项研究将民族植物学、形态生理学和植物化学证据联系起来，记录了这两个类群的驯化，并阐明了该亚种可能的杂交起源。xolocotziana。方法 我们分析了三组数据，这些数据来自 (1) 80 次半结构化访谈，旨在记录与墨西哥墨西哥人的使用和管理相关的选择标准；(2) 在均质条件下进行栽培实验，评估与所研究的分类群的 13 个种群相对应的 97 种植物的 21 种花、营养和种子特征（根据民族植物学信息，这些特征很重要）；(3) 通过薄层色谱法分析这些植物精油的化学特征。结果 通过将三种类型的证据联系起来，可以区分出两种进化过程：(1) A. mexicana 发生在驯化梯度的鼓励栽培阶段，(2) A. m. 发生在驯化梯度的鼓励栽培阶段。亚种 xolocotziana 可能起源于近交衰退或杂交。这两种栽培植物表现出基于感官分化的驯化综合症，这是由于它们不同的植物化学成分以及花、种子和根茎的巨大性（后者增强了它们的无性繁殖能力）。除此之外，A. mexicana 表现出更强烈的花色素沉着和叶巨大性，而亚种。xolocotziana 表现出花白化和部分种子不育。结论 由于墨西哥墨西哥蓟的利用和管理集约化，其驯化经历了两个不同的进化过程。这些植物的选择过程导致了基于植物化学成分差异的感官特性的改变。此外，巨人症已在文化上优选的植物部分和相关结构中被选择。上述特征强化了墨西哥传统医学中联合使用这些植物输液来治疗胃肠道疾病及其镇静作用。