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Species limits in Piper spp. have been unstable, with specimens often assigned to different species by different botanists. Using a strongly supported clade of Asian Piper section Muldera, I investigated species boundaries in the eight Malay Peninsula species using morphological, anatomical and molecular approaches. I assessed morphological variation using principal component analysis (PCA) and a model-based clustering method. Herbarium specimens and samples collected in the field were examined, and the latter were also used to examine variation in vegetative anatomy. Potential evidence of reciprocal monophyly of species came from the molecular phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ITS and g3pdh and plastid trnL-F. Morphological analyses did not lend support for any of the hypothesized species from the Malay Peninsula. Nuclear phylogenetic trees supported a combination of Piper schizonephros, Piper polygynum and Piper maingayi as a single species that might also have a distinct distribution of calcium oxalate crystals in the mesophyll of the leaf and a prominently raised leaf midrib raise. Nevertheless, shared characters between this species and some, but not all, of the other morphogroups, and paraphyly of other morphogroups in the phylogenetic analyses, might suggest hybridization or lateral gene transfer among species of the section Muldera. In-depth population studies coupled with examination of morphological variation for all species of the section Muldera, including those from outside the Malay Peninsula, are necessary to disentangle the species limits and ultimately the evolutionary history in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four species are recognized in the understorey palm genus Johannesteijsmannia (Arecaceae), all of which occur in close geographical proximity in the Malay Peninsula. We hypothesize that overlapping distributions are maintained by a lack of gene flow among species and that segregation along morphological trait or environmental axes confers ecological divergence and, hence, defines species limits. Although some species have sympatric distributions, differentiation was detected among species in morphological and genetic data, corroborating current species delimitation. Differences in niche breadth were not found to explain the overlapping distribution and co-existence of Johannesteijsmannia spp. Four species formed over the last 3 Mya, showing that diversity accumulated within a short time frame and wide range expansion has not occurred, potentially due to a lack of time for dispersal or the evolution of traits to facilitate movement. An assessment of genetic diversity is presented and, as expected, the widest distribution in the genus harbours the highest genetic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australasian region contains a significant proportion of worldwide Poa diversity, but the evolutionary relationships of taxa from this region are incompletely understood. Most Australasian species have been placed in a monophyletic Poa subgenus, Poa supersection Homalopoa section Brizoides clade, but with limited resolution of relationships. In this study, phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed for Australasian Poa, using three plastid ( rbc L and mat K genes and the rpl32-trn L intergenic spacer) and two nuclear [internal/external transcribed spacer ( ITS/ ETS)] markers. Seventy-five Poa spp. were represented (including 42 Australian, nine New Guinean, nine New Zealand and three Australian/ New Zealand species). Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference criteria were applied for phylogenetic reconstruction. Divergence dates were estimated using Bayesian inference, with a relaxed clock applied and rates sampled from an uncorrelated log-normal distribution. Australasian Poa spp. are placed in three lineages (section Brizoides, section Parodiochloa and the ' X clade'), each of which is closely related to non- Australasian taxa or clades. Section Brizoides subsection Australopoa is polyphyletic as currently circumscribed. In Australasia, Poa has diversified within the last 4.3 Mya, with divergence dating results broadly congruent with fossil data that record the appearance of vegetation with a prominent grassland understorey or shrubland/grassland mosaic vegetation dating from the mid-Pliocene. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 175, 523-552. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight genera and approximately 55 species of Marantaceae occur in Asia. Until recently these were the most poorly understood members of the family, but over the last few years much progress have been made in understanding their alpha taxonomy and distribution. Generic delimitation and phylogenetic relationships between genera, however, remain unclear. We analysed phylogenetic relationships in Asian Marantaceae using maximum parsimony and Bayesian analysis of plastid ( rps16 intron) and nuclear [internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1 and 5S-non-transcribed spacer (NTS)] DNA sequence data. The results show that two Asian genera, Halopegia and Stachyphrynium, are well-defined monophyletic entities that should be maintained in their current form. Schumannianthus virgatus is sister to Halopegia and should be transferred to a genus of its own. Phacelophrynium, Monophrynium and Cominsia are nested within a paraphyletic Phrynium. Within this large clade, a number of geographically focused monophyletic species groups can be identified, in some cases corroborated by flower and fruit characters not previously emphasized in taxonomic studies, but these do not provide a useful framework for a revised generic classification. A revised generic classification of Asian Marantaceae is supplied, including the description of a new genus Indianthus Suksathan & Borchs. to which S. virgatus is transferred. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 159, 381–395. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Nepenthes L., N. attenboroughii (Nepenthaceae), from Palawan Island in the Philippines, is described and illustrated. It is restricted to rocky, ultramafic soils that comprise the summit region of Mount Victoria, Municipality of Narra, where it occurs in isolation from other members of the genus. On the basis of the morphological features, this new taxon appears to be related to both N. mira Jebb & Cheek of Palawan and N. rajah Hook.f. of Borneo. Its substantial size places it among the largest of known pitcher plants. The diagnostic morphological characters are discussed and an updated key is provided for a revised complex of Nepenthes species from the Palawan and North Borneo phytogeographical region. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 159, 195–202. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogenetic relationships of the SE Asiatic genus Christiopteris were explored by comparative analysis of sequence variation of four chloroplast genome regions that were successfully used in previous phylogenetic studies of Polypodiaceae. This small genus is nested within the drynarioid ferns, as recovered with good support by each of the methods applied to reconstruct the phylogeny, including maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood. The placement of Christiopteris within drynarioids enhances the need of a new generic classification for these ferns because Dynaria is paraphyletic in its current circumscription. Two alternative classifications are discussed. The results also support the hypotheses that leaf differentiation into litre collectors and trophosporophylls is an autapomorphy of drynarioid ferns and that SE Asia is the putative ancestral area for drynarioid and selligueoid ferns. Two clades of drynarioid ferns colonized Eastern Malesia independently, but only one of these colonization events created species endemic to New Guinea. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 157, 645–656. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A revised classification of the species of Cyathocalyx (Annonaceae) occurring in western Malesia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo) is presented, with distribution maps. Fifteen species are recognized, including two that are newly described from Borneo ( C. angustipetalus and C. magnifructus), which are illustrated. Several important nomenclatural changes are validated, including the elevation of Drepananthus carinatus var. deltoideus to specific rank as C. deltoideus, and the transfer of the name Parartabotrys hexagynus to Cyathocalyx as C. hexagynus. Other notable nomenclatural changes include the reduction of the name C. scortechinii to synonymy with C. pubescens. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 152, 513–532. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The species of Goniothalamus (Annonaceae) occurring in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore are revised, updating the previous taxonomic treatment by James Sinclair, published in 1955. A total of 18 species is recognized, including a new species, G. tomentosus. Collections referrable to G. tomentosus were previously determined as 'G. marcanii'; examination of the types of G. marcanii reveals that the two taxa are not conspecific, however, and a new name is accordingly validated here. Goniothalamus tomentosus has closest affinities with the Javan/Sumatran species G. costulatus. Other important nomenclatural changes include the reduction of G. umbrosus to synonymy with G. tapis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]