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In this paper, we discuss charcoalified foxtail millet grains dated to the middle to late Western Zhou Dynasty and collected from the Chenyuan archeological site in Shangluo, in China's southeastern Shaanxi Province. We assigned these specimens to the species Setaria italica based on the following characteristics: an obtuse chalazal apex with missing stigmatic remains; an undulant seed surface composed of rectangular cells with undulate anticlinal walls; an elongated and deeply depressed embryo extending to almost the full seed length; and spherical starch grains. We suggest that the spread of foxtail millet from its original northern distribution center to the southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains could be attributed to: its prominence across Zhou crop systems; the latter area's arid or subarid climate; and the migration south of Zhou people fleeing severe conflict between their nation and northern nomads.

The region described in the Nanshan Section of Classic of the Mountains and Rivers is thought to be a subtropical forest in current Eastern China. In this study, the plants of the Nanshan Section are described through literature research and plant exegesis. The plants were identified using features of the leaf, flower and fruit described in the original record in Classic of the Mountains and Rivers and other records from herbal medicine, and classic botanic and agricultural texts. In total 11 species were identified including Nan ( Pheobe zhennan ), Gui ( Cinnamomum cassia ), Bai Gao ( Morus sp.), MiGu ( Broussonetia papyrifera ), Yan tree ( Diospyros lotus ), Jing (Vitex negundo ), Qi ( Lycium chinens ), Zi ( Catalpa ovata ), Yu ( Oryza sativa ), Jian ( Themeda villosa ), and Zhu Yu ( Allium senescens ). Subtropical species dominate the flora of the Nanshan Section . The coexistence of Pheobe zhennan and Cinnamomum cassia indicates that the landscape described in the Nanshan Section is most likely a southern subtropical region in Southern China.

The Bryaceae is a large,cosmopolitan,taxonomically difficult moss family. Recent studies based on molecular data alone or in combination with morphological data have greatly changed the understanding of phylogenetic relationships in the Bryaceae s.l. and indicate that the Bryaceae is not monophyletic. Based on phylogenetic analyses of sequence data for four cpDNA regions and morphological data,we revise the traditional Bryaceae in China and transfer six genera to other families. The Mielichhoferiaceae was redefined previously by Hill et al. based on the presence of much-branched stems,apparently lateral gametangia,Pohlia-like leaves,and a more-or-less reduced peristome. Five genera of Mielichhoferiaceae are present in China: Mielichhoferia(four species),Pohlia(27 species,two varieties),Pseudopohlia(one species),Epipterygium(two species),and Synthetodontium(one species). The genera Orthodontium and Leptobryum are transferred from the Bryaceae s.l. to Orthodontiaceae and Meesiaceae,respectively. Members of the recircumscribed Bryaceae belong to five genera: Anomobryum(five species),Brachymenium(14 species),Bryum(54 species,two varieties),Plagiobryum(three species),and Rhodobryum(four species). Bryaceae diversity is high in China. The species have potential uses in medicine,landscaping,environmental protection,and other fields. Rhodobryum roseum(Hedw.) Limpr.,Bryum argenteum Hedw.,and Rhodobryum giganteum(Schw gr.) Paris have long been used to cure cardiovascular disease in China. Some bioactive compounds will be leading compounds for the future design of novel drugs. In recent years,many species of Bryaceae have been used for landscaping. Bryum spp. are the dominant biotic species in biological soil crusts,which serve important ecological protective functions.