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Alphonsea glandulosa sp. nov. is described from Yunnan Province in south-west China. It is easily distinguished from all previously described Alphonsea species by the possession of glandular tissue at the base of the adaxial surface of the inner petals. Nectar was observed throughout the flowering period, including the pistillate phase and subsequent staminate phase. Small curculionid beetles were observed as floral visitors and are inferred to be effective pollinators since they carry pollen grains. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted to confirm the placement of this new species within Alphonsea and the evolution of the inner petal glands and specialized pollinator reward tissues throughout the family., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Trivalvaria tomentosa sp. nov. is herein described from Yunnan Province in China. It is easily distinguished from all previously described Trivalvaria species by having tomentose twigs, petioles, abaxial surface of the leaves, sepals and petals. A detailed description for the new species, along with line drawings, photographs, as well as morphological comparisons with similar species, are provided. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted to confirm the placement of this new species within Trivalvaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyalthia yingjiangensis sp. nov. is described from the China/Myanmar border. It is distinct in having outer petals that are much shorter than the inner petals and having a very long pedicel. It is most similar to P. miliusoides I.M. Turner, but differs in having perianth parts that are glabrous adaxially and pubescent abaxially, thicker and sparsely pubescent pedicels, as well as verrucose and darker monocarps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The systematic position of two enigmatic Annonaceae species from China, Desmos saccopetaloides (W. T. Wang) P. T. Li and Desmos yunnanensis (Hu) P. T. Li, has been controversial, with both species having been transferred between several different genera within subfamilies Annonoideae and Malmeoideae. Phylogenetic analyses of eight chloroplast regions ( matK, ndhF, ndhF-rpl32, psbA-trnH, rbcL, rpl32-trnL, trnL-F, and ycf1; ca. 9.2 kb, 66 taxa) unambiguously placed D. saccopetaloides in a subclade of tribe Miliuseae, nested among the genera Monoon, Neo-uvaria, Phaeanthus, Sageraea, and Stelechocarpus. This relationship was also supported by endosperm rumination patterns in the seed; other morphological characters furthermore indicated that D. saccopetaloides has closer affinities with Monoon, Neo-uvaria, and Phaeanthus rather than either Sageraea or Stelechocarpus. Desmos saccopetaloides is distinguished from these genera by its leaf-opposed inflorescences, sepaloid outer petals, saccate inner petals with basal glandular tissue, moniliform monocarps with uniseriate seeds, and rectangular disulculate pollen with two 'cryptoapertures.' On the basis of the combined molecular phylogenetic and morphological data, we propose a new genus, Wangia, to accommodate D. saccopetaloides. The molecular phylogenetic analyses furthermore indicated that D. yunnanensis belongs to the genus Dasymaschalon: examination of the type collections revealed that it is conspecific with Dasymaschalon obtusipetalum, although the combination Dasymaschalon yunnanense has nomenclatural priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]