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Camellia luteocalpandria, a new species is described and illustrated from Yunnan, China. This is the first discovery of Camellia sect. Calpandria in China. It can be easily distinguished from the other two species in the section by its yellow flower, bracteoles and sepals glabrous adaxially, and the filament 1-whorled and all united without free or partly united filament inside the tube. The new species is assessed to be Critically Endangered (CR) according to IUCN categories and criteria.

Premise of research. Earlier molecular systematic studies revealed that the genus Ligusticum is polyphyletic, with its members allied with representatives of several other genera in five clades of ...

The monotypic genus Eremotropa Andres (Monotropoideae, Ericaceae) is endemic to central Yunnan. It was first described by Andres in 1953, and was subsequently treated as a synonym of Monotropastrum Andres (1987); however, the phylogenetic placement of this genus has not, to date, been investigated. In this study, phylogenetic analyses were undertaken using DNA sequences from the nuclear internal transcribed spacer from all species of Monotropoideae available in GenBank. Comparative morphological studies on Eremotropa, Monotropastrum, and Monotropa L. were also carried out. The molecular phylogenetic evidence suggests that Eremotropa is sister to a clade formed by Monotropa and the remaining species of Monotropastrum, thus rendering Monotropastrum not monophyletic. Morphologically, Eremotropa differs from Monotropastrum in plant color, inflorescence type, length of the style, and size of the baccate fruit. Consequently, molecular and morphological evidence supports the resurrection of Eremotropa, which contains only one species, E. sciaphila Andres, as distinct from Monotropastrum.

In this study we characterize the chloroplast genome of an non-photosynthetic species of the Ericaceae family, Monotropastrum sciaphilum, a mycoheterotrophic species which has been listed in ‘China Biodiversity Red List—Higher Plants’ as critically endangered species. As expected for non-photosynthetic plants, this species has a small plastid genomes of about 74 kb that lacks most of the genes related to photosynthesis. The small single-copy region and inverted repeat regions were contracted into about 4 and 9 kb respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of a data set of five cp genomes indicated that M. sciaphilum is closely related to other species in the family Ericaceae.

Background and Aims: Tertiary relict and Arctic/circumboreal distributions are two major patterns of Northern Hemisphere intercontinental disjunctions with very different histories. Each has been well researched, but members of one biome have generally not been incorporated the biogeographic analyses of the other, and links or transitions between these twoΞ biomes have rarely been addressed. Methods: Phylogenies were generated based on cpDNA and nuclear ITS, using Bayesian and ML methods. A time-calibrated phylogeny was generated using BEAST. Ancestral Area Reconstruction (AAR) was inferred using both Statistical Dispersal-Vicariance Analysis (S-DIVA) and dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis (DEC) model. Key Results: The Chimaphila crown group was estimated to have originated in the early Miocene. The lineages of C. umbellata diverged early, but its present circumboreal distribution was not achieved until around the middle Pliocene or later. Sister to this is a clade of four species with Tertiary relict distribution. Among these, two expansions occurred from North America to Asia, probably via the Bering Land Bridge generating its current disjunctions. Conclusions: Our data concurs with a few other studies, indicating that the circumboreal woodland biome has an older origin than most true arctic–alpine taxa, having gradually recruited taxa since the early Oligocene. For the origin of Asia – North America disjunctions in Chimaphila, an ‘out-of-America’ migration was supported. It is not clear in which direction Pyroloideae lineages moved between Tertiary relict disjunctions and Arctic/circumboreal distributions; each biome might have recruited species from the other.

Camellia mingii S.X.Yang is described and illustrated as a new species from southeast Yunnan Province, China. It is morphologically closest to C. pubipetala, but can be easily distinguished by its spiral arrangement of bracteoles and sepals; its bracteoles and sepals lunate, reniform or broadly ovate, glabrous inside and densely puberulent outside; its petals orbicular to short elliptic, puberulent on both sides; and its inner filaments puberulen to ca. 2/3 from base. Molecular analyses based on GBSSI sequences also support C. mingii as a distinct species of yellow camellia. It is ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.

Leaf epidermal characters of 21 species representing four sections of Peucedanum (Apiaceae) were investigated using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The stomata were anisocytic, anomocytic or staurocytic and existed on the abaxial epidermis in all the species examined, and on both surfaces in 12 species. The leaf epidermal cells were usually irregular or polygonal in shape, with anticlinal walls straight to arched, repand or sinuous. Under scanning electron microscopy, the inner margin of the outer stomatal rim was nearly smooth or sinuolate to erose, and the cuticular membrane of the leaf epidermis was striate, ridged, wrinkled or smooth. Few epidermal characters were relatively constant at section level, indicating that the traditional subdivision system for Peucedanum might be unnatural, and needs to be adjusted. Evidence from leaf epidermis, like that from molecular data, suggests that P. terebinthaceum should be separated from Peucedanum. Furthermore, results from epidermal analysis also suggest that P. wulongense should be treated in the same section with P. dissolutum, whereas P. violaceum should be transferred to section Elegantia.

DNA barcoding has been widely used as a tool for species discrimination in closely related plants and at more coarse taxonomic levels, but there have been few reports of such a tool being applied to taxa in "morphological stasis". In this study, we test the performance of core barcodes (rbcL and matK) and two additional candidate barcodes [psbA-trnH and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS)] for the widely distributed, northern temperate monophyletic genus Chimaphila, which exhibits morphological conservatism. In addition to ITS, slowly evolving rbcL and matK independently demonstrate a high resolving ability among Chimaphila species, indicative of the old age of disjunction. We tentatively attribute morphological stasis in Chimaphila to convergence under similar habitat conditions and complex, stable relationships with surrounding autotrophic trees via common mycorrhizal symbioses.

The perennial evergreen herb, Chimaphila japonica is found exclusively in East Asian temperate coniferous or sometimes in deciduous forests. By using the Fast Isolation by Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) of Sequences Containing repeats (FIASCO) protocol, 20 microsatellite primer sets were identified in two wild populations. Of these primers, 16 displayed polymorphisms and 4 were monomorphic. The number of alleles per locus ranged from one to six among populations, values for expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.848 and from 0.000 to 1.000, respectively. The new SSR markers will be useful in obtaining estimates of population-level genetic diversity and in phylogeographic studies of C. japonica.

The members of the Morelloid clade of Solanum (the black nightshades sensu Särkinen & al. in Taxon 64: 945?958. 2015) have long been considered difficult, and with many European taxa at many ranks, are nomenclaturally complex (e.g., Edmonds in Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 89: 165?170. 1984). As part of a revision of the Old World taxa in this group, we have encountered two names that have priorityover names in current use, and whose uptake would cause considerable confusion in an already complex group. The actions proposed here will stabilise nomenclature for species of the Morelloid clade of Solanum, and prevent use of these destabilising names in the future. Fil: Knapp, Sandra. Natural History Museum; Reino Unido Fil: Barboza, Gloria Estela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Sarkinen, Tiina. University Of Edinburgh; Reino Unido

The northern temperate genus Pyrola L. is the largest and arguably the most taxonomically complex element in the tribe Pyroleae (Ericaceae). Here we present a molecular phylogenetic study with extensive sampling comprising 26 ingroup and 7 closely related taxa. The results, based on parsimony and Bayesian analyses of nuclear (ITS) and chloroplast (atpB-rbcL, trnS-trnG, trnL-trnF) DNA sequences, add substantially to our understanding of relationships within this diverse group and call for taxonomic changes. Pyrola is confirmed as a monophyletic group with two redefined sections and six series: P. sect. Pyrola (P. ser. Pyrola, ser. Ellipticae and ser. Rugosae) and P. sect. Scotophylla (P. ser. Japonicae, ser. Scotophyllae and ser. Chloranthae). Members of each respective section and series share similar morphological traits and/or geographical distributions. For the potential hybrids P. media and P. faurieana, the maternal donor was identified by their close affinity to P. minor in the chloroplast trees whereas the paternal donor remained unclear.

Pyroleae (Ericaceae) consist of four genera, all of which are distributed widely in temperate coniferous or sometimes deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere. To investigate the phylogenetic relationships among these genera and to explore the evolution of the characteristics of the subfamily, we conducted maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses with nrDNA ITS and three cpDNA intergenic spacers (atpB-rbcL, trnS-trnG and trnL-trnF). The results from cpDNA and combined cpDNA + ITS data sets strongly support the monophyly of Pyroleae as well as a sister relationship between Pyrola and Moneses-Chimaphila, with Orthilia as the basal lineage. The sister-group relationship between Moneses and Chimaphila is supported by a set of synapomorphies, e.g., single flower, colpate pollen, five bundles in the style, straight fruiting pedicel orientation, complete capsule dehiscence, and the basic chromosome number, x = 13. The Moneses-Chimaphila-Pyrola clade is supported by at least one homologous character of pollen in tetrads. Conflicts associated with the phylogenetic position of Orthilia may imply a hybrid origin for it, and therefore further study is needed.

The micromorphology of trichomes of the leaves of 17 taxa (including two varieties) of the genus Chelonopsis Miq. and of six species representing four additional genera (Bostrychanthera deflexa Benth., Colquhounia coccinea Wall. var. coccinea. Co. seguinii Vaniot. var. seguinii, Gomphostemma chinense Oliv. var. chinense, G. crinitum Wall. ex Benth. and Physostegia virginiana (L.) Benth.) was surveyed by light and scanning electron microscopy. Two basic types of trichomes can be identified: non-glandular and glandular trichomes. The non-glandular trichomes can be subdivided into two subtypes: simple unbranched and branched trichomes. Based on the cell number, simple unbranched trichomes are further divided into four shapes (unicellular, two-celled, three-celled, and more than three cells), whilst branched trichomes are separated into three shapes (biramous, stellate, and dendroid trichomes). The glandular trichomes can in turn be subdivided into four subtypes: subsessile, capitate, clavate, and sunken. Non-glandular trichomes with two cells (NGTW) and subsessile glandular trichomes (GSU) are most widespread in all taxa examined. The indumentum shows considerable variation among different sections or species. Consequently, trichome micromorphology and distribution have high taxonomic value for Chelonopsis at both infrageneric and interspecific levels. The presence of capitate glandular trichomes (GCA) provides an additional morphological character to clarify the boundaries between subgenus Chelonopsis and Aequidens Wu and Li. Within subgenus Aequidens, non-glandular trichomes with more than three cells (NGMT) and clavate glandular trichomes (GCL) are important characters for sectional division between sect. Aequidens Wu and Li and sect. Microphyllum Wu and Li. Again, three forms of three-celled trichomes can be used as a distinctive taxonomic character at specific level between C. albiflora Pax et K. Hoffm. ex Limpr., C. forrestii J. Anthony, and C. souliei (Bonati) Merr. in sect. Aequidens. This study supports Wu's delimitation of subgenus and sections and the subsequent review work by Xiang et al. Additionally, distribution of trichome types is correlated with the altitudinal distribution and habitats of some species in Chelonopsis. (C) 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

In the Northern Hemisphere, Tertiary relict disjunctions involve older groups of warm affinity and wide disjunctions, whereas circumboreal distributions in Arctic-Alpine taxa tend to be younger. Arctic-Alpine species are occasionally derived from Tertiary relict groups, but Pyrola species, in particular, are exceptional and they might have occurred multiple times. The aim of this study was to reconstruct the biogeographic history of Pyrola based on a clear phylogenetic analysis and to explore how the genus attained its circumboreal distribution.Estimates of divergence times and ancestral geographical distributions based on neutrally evolving DNA sequence variation were used to develop a spatio-temporal model of colonization patterns for Pyrola.Pyrola originated and most diversification occurred in Asia; North America was reached first by series Scotophyllae in the late Miocene, then by sub-clades of series Pyrola and Ellipticae around the Pliocene. The three circumboreal taxa, P. minor, P. chlorantha and the P. rotundifolia complex, originated independently of one another, with the last two originating in Asia.Three circumboreal Pyrola lineages have arisen independently and at least two of these appear to have originated in Asia. The cool, high-altitude habitats of many Pyrola species and the fact that diversification in the genus coincided with global cooling from the late Miocene onwards fits a hypothesis of pre-adaptation to become circumboreal within this group.

Isodon rubescens, a perennial herb indigenous to China, with medicinal application, potentially has economic value. The morphology of the glandular trichomes was investigated with light microscopy. At the same time the chemical content was analyzed by applying chemical reagents and fluorescence microscopy. This morphoanatomical and histochemical study revealed that leaves of I. rubescens possess one type of non-glandular and two types of glandular trichomes, with the latter differing both anatomically and in the composition of their secondary metabolites. Non-glandular trichomes were uniseriate with an ornamented surface. Peltate and capitate glandular trichomes comprised one basal cell, one stalk cell and one head. The head of mature peltate glandular trichomes consisted of four-twelve secretory cells while that of the capitate glandular hairs was comprised of two cells. Peltate glandular trichomes containing compounds of terpenoid nature are probably the main site of oridonin and ponicidin accumulation. The fluorescent stain of peltate and capitate glandular trichomes indicated the possible presence of phenolic compounds. Key words: Isodon rubescens, Lamiaceae, glandular trichomes, microscopy, histochemistry, terpenoids, phenolic.