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Palaearctic Erica sect. Chlorocodon, known as the wind‐pollinated besom heaths (WPBH), includes the Macaronesian E. azorica, E. platycodon subsp. platycodon and E. platycodon subsp. maderincola together with the Mediterranean and North African E. scoparia. Despite the broad extant distribution, the mainland fossil record of this section is scarce and poorly preserved and dated, and Macaronesian fossils were so far unknown. Here we discuss the systematic affinities of the first fossils of a WPBH found in Macaronesia, within a 1.3 Ma (Pleistocene, Calabrian stage) Madeira Island fossiliferous deposit. One flower and dissociated seed fossils were found in the same sediment layer, being preserved as coalified compressions with cuticular preservation. Both the flower and seed fossils present unique WPBH characters. The flower fossil is characterised by an exserted, peltate and discoid stigma – an unequivocal adaptation to anemophily, unique within Palaearctic Erica taxa. The seed fossils are of small size, presenting a testa with channelled anticlinal cell‐walls, a characteristic only found in the extant Macaronesian WPBH. Morphological, anatomical, and biometric comparisons of the fossils to extant flowers and seeds suggest that the fossils are related to the Palaearctic E. sect. Chlorocodon, being morphologically close to E. azorica. Here we assign them to E. aff. azorica. These findings suggest a colonisation to Madeira Island prior to 1.3 Ma, corresponding to the oldest and unambiguous WPBH fossils, at least 0.90–1.2 Ma older than the oldest known record. The fossil flower also indicates the presence of anemophilous traits since at least the early Pleistocene. Finally, the presence of a WPBH could suggest the same ecological role in seral communities, important to the establishment of the Madeiran temperate stink‐laurel forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eremophila is a significant component of the Australian arid zone flora, but its generic limits and relationships to the other six genera of tribe Myoporeae remain largely untested. In this study, we assembled a dataset of the nuclear ribosomal cistron (ca. 6000 bases including ITS1+2, ETS regions, non‐transcribed spacer and associated genes) for all genera in tribe Myoporeae with a particular focus on Eremophila (205 of total 233 formally described species of Eremophila, and 28 species of related genera sampled). Phylogenetic analyses were performed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. These resolved four major clades that were well supported. Eremophila was paraphyletic, with all other genera of tribe Myoporeae nested in it. We discuss two taxonomic options for addressing the paraphyly of Eremophila. As an immediate step, we propose that the small genera, Calamphoreus and Diocirea, should be placed in synonymy under Eremophila, and herein make the necessary new nomenclatural combinations. Additional phylogenetic data are needed, ideally in the form of multiple independent nuclear loci, to clarify the positions of Bontia, Glycocystis and Myoporum relative to Eremophila before further taxonomic changes are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has 31,362 species of vascular plants, more than any country on the planet except Brazil and Colombia, and this number represents 8%–12% of the world diversity of vascular plants. With the two largest completed floristic projects in the world, a full documentation of the vascular plants of China has been published twice over the past 54 years: the Chinese‐language Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae (FRPS), 1959–2004, and the English‐language Flora of China (FOC), 1994–2013. With the advent of molecular phylogenetics the past half century has witnessed dramatical changes of classifications of vascular plants. In this paper, we compare the circumscriptions of all families of vascular plants occurring within China in FRPS, FOC, and the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) III system when applicable, and summarize familial assignments of all controversial genera in the different classifications. Such comparison to some extent reflects the history of classification of vascular plants and differences between classical morphology‐based classifications and modern DNA (mainly chloroplast) sequence data‐based classifications of vascular plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has 31,362 species of vascular plants, more than any country on the planet except Brazil and Colombia, and this number represents 8%-12% of the world diversity of vascular plants. With the two largest completed floristic projects in the world, a full documentation of the vascular plants of China has been published twice over the past 54 years: the Chineselanguage Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae (FRPS), 1959-2004, and the English-language Flora of China (FOC), 1994-2013. With the advent of molecular phylogenetics the past half century has witnessed dramatical changes of classifications of vascular plants. In this paper, we compare the circumscriptions of all families of vascular plants occurring within China in FRPS, FOC, and the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) III system when applicable, and summarize familial assignments of all controversial genera in the different classifications. Such comparison to some extent reflects the history of classification of vascular plants and differences between classical morphology-based classifications and modern DNA (mainly chloroplast) sequence data-based classifications of vascular plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tropical dade of Orobanchaceae contains approximately forty genera, typically with fewer than ten species each, and contributes significantly to the variation in floral morphology found within the family. Despite the economic importance of this dade, which contains three of four most important genera of crop parasites within the family, it has been under-sampled in previous phylogenies. We tested the monophyly of the tropical dade and its major genera using DNA sequences from the nuclear (internal transcribed spacer) and plastid (rpll6, trnT-L) genomes. The tropical dade was strongly supported as mono-phyletic in all analyses, and four main clades were recovered. The earliest diverging lineage from the remainder of the tropical dade is comprised of the shrubby genera Asepalum and Cyclocheilon, previously placed within Cyclocheilaceae. The atypical holoparasitic Alectra alba was shown to belong within the primarily holoparasitic Harveya, and the hemiparasitic Harveya obtusifolia was shown to belong to an otherwise holoparasitic lineage within Harveya. Both New World Melasma species were included here for the first time, and these were shown to be more closely related to the Neotropical hem iparasitic Escobedia than the African Melasma lineage. These results support a previous study recognizing Nesogenes within the tropical dade of Orobanchaceae rather than the separate family Nesogenaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The African Plant Checklist and Database Project (APCD) provides botanists with the first angiosperm checklist and database for Sub-Saharan Africa. This was achieved by merging the existing datasets for Southern and Tropical Africa. The checklist is published as a one-off hardcopy publication. The database, with all attached additional information, is freely accessible via the internet and will be regularly updated. The APCD, for the first time, gives accurate statistics for the angiosperm flora of Sub-Saharan Africa. There are 50,136 current taxa (representing approximately 44,830 species) in the database, plus an additional 393 taxa where there are discrepancies in genus concept between the two original datasets. Taxa are classified into 274 families and 3,802 current genera. Several other important statistics can also be drawn from the database. Furthermore, by pointing out problems and discrepancies in taxonomic opinion, the APCD highlights taxa where further research is necessary. The APCD will be an invaluable tool to botanists working on the African flora. It also has an important role to play in greater projects such as the Global Plant Checklist Project and has already emerged as a nomenclatural standard for the African Plants Initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae (FRPS) is one of the largest floristic projects in the world. The final product, 80 volumes in 126 parts, represents work by four generations of Chinese plant taxonomists during 45 years (1959-2004) and treats 31,180 species (300 families, 3,434 genera) on over 40,000 pages. More than half of the species (54%) are endemic to China. This monumental flora has not yet been thoroughly reviewed. The history of the project is described with comments on outline, statistics, largest families and genera, names of authors and editors, quality, species concept, new taxa, specimens, and proofing and indexing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A phylogenetic study of plastid DNA sequences (ndhF, trnL/F, and rps16) in Lamiales is presented. In particular, the inclusiveness of Scrophulariaceae sensu APG II is elaborated. Scrophulariaceae in this sense are mainly a southern hemisphere group, which includes Hemimerideae (including Alonsoa, with a few South American species), Myoporeae, the Central American Leucophylleae (including Capraria), Androya, Aptosimeae, Buddlejeae, Teedieae (including Oftia, Dermatobotrys, and Freylinia), Manuleeae, and chiefly Northern temperate Scrophularieae (including Verbascum and Oreosolen). Camptoloma and Phygelius group with Buddlejeae and Teedieae, but without being well resolved to any of these two groups. Antherothamnus is strongly supported as sister taxon to Scrophularieae. African Stilbaceae are shown to include Bowkerieae and Charadrophila. There is moderate support for a clade of putative Asian origin and including Phrymaceae, Paulownia, Rehmannia, Mazus, Lancea, and chiefly parasitic Orobanchaceae, to which Brandisia is shown to belong. A novel, strongly supported, clade of taxa earlier assigned to Scrophulariaceae was found. The clade includes Sternodiopsis, Torenia, Micranthemum and probably Picria and has unclear relationships to the rest of Lamiales. This clade possibly represents the tribe Lindernieae, diagnosed by geniculate anterior filaments, usually with a basal swelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]