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Anemone and Gladiolus are economically important geophyte genera due to their usage as ornamental plants. However, species identification is still under debate. Recently, DNA barcoding has become an efficient alternative tool for species identification. Here, candidate DNA barcode regions, rbcL, rpoB, and trnH-psbA were analyzed as potential DNA barcodes in 248 accessions of these geophyte genera using pair-wise distance-based, sequence similarity (best match and best close match) and tree-based (neighbor joining, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian tree) methods. Among all barcoding single or combination loci, trnH-psbA had the highest interspecific genetic variation in Anemone, and the region was the most promising candidate for barcoding gap analysis. However, none of the barcode regions showed a clear barcode gap for identification. The internal spacer, trnH-psbA, also showed the highest correct identification rate in Anemone, while rbcL showed the best performance in Gladiolus using the sequence similarity method. In the single barcode approach, rpoB had the best discrimination rate for both genera when using tree-based methods. Therefore, we recommend a tree-based method because it was clear that all tested loci had specific performance degrees depending on the methods. This is the first application of rpoB in terms of DNA barcoding criteria in geophyte taxa. Supplemental data for this article is available online at .

The pollen morphology of many collections of taxa of the tribe Nigelleae from the family Ranunculaceae which occur worldwide is presented in this study. A total of 88 specimens from 21 taxa, some of which were recently proposed, belonging to the genera Komarojjia, Garidella, and Nigella of Nigelleae were examined using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In the tribe, the pollen type is mostly trizonocolpate, but in many taxa and specimens, both trizonocolpate and non-trizonocolpate types occur together. The pollen grains are small to medium (25-53.75 mu m x 20-55 mu m) in size and oblate to prolate in shape. The exine pattern at the mesocolpium in all the taxa investigated is similar: micro-echinate in LM and micro-echinate-punctate in SEM. The colpus membrane in Komaroffia and Ntgella is micro-echinate in both LM and SEM. In Garidella, it is micro-echinate in LM but echinate (spinulose) in SEM.

Astragalus ihsancalisii Donmez & Ugurlu (Fabaceae) is described as a new species from Erzurum province in E Turkey. The new species belongs to A. sect. Incani DC. and is similar and possibly related to A. glaucophyllus Bunge and A. guzelsuensis F. Ghahrem. & al. from Turkey and A. siahcheshmehensis Maassoumi & Podlech from Iran. Astragalus ihsancalisii is clearly distinguished from those three species by flower number per raceme, bract size, pedicel length, standard length and legume beak length, among other characters. Diagnostic characters are given and their taxonomic importance is discussed. Photographs of A. ihsancalisii in the field are presented. In addition, SEM micrographs of leaf and legume surfaces of the new species and A. glaucophyllus and A. guzelsuensis are provided for comparison. The conservation status of A. ihsancalisii is also assessed according to field observations.

The Caucasian species, Pyrus demetrii Kuth. has been reported from Turkey for the first time. The species was collected by the authors from both Georgia and Turkey. Leaf epidermis characters were studied by scanning electron microscopy to evaluate cuticle ornamentation, waxes and other relevant features of micromorphology.

Understanding how plants cope with changing habitats is a timely and important topic in plant research. Phenotypic plasticity describes the capability of a genotype to produce different phenotypes when exposed to different environmental conditions. In contrast, the constant production of a set of distinct phenotypes by one genotype mediates bet hedging, a strategy that reduces the temporal variance in fitness at the expense of a lowered arithmetic mean fitness. Both phenomena are thought to represent important adaptation strategies to unstable environments. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of these phenomena, partly due to the lack of suitable model systems. We used phylogenetic and comparative analyses of fruit and seed anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, and environmental responses to study fruit and seed heteromorphism, a typical morphological basis of a bet-hedging strategy of plants, in the annual Brassicaceae species Aethionema arabicum. Our results indicate that heteromorphism evolved twice within the Aethionemeae, including once for themonophyletic annual Aethionema clade. The dimorphism of Ae. arabicum is associated with several anatomic, biomechanical, gene expression, and physiological differences between the fruit and seed morphs. However, fruit ratios and numbers change in response to different environmental conditions. Therefore, the life-history strategy of Ae. arabicum appears to be a blend of bet hedging and plasticity. Together with the available genomic resources, our results pave the way to use this species in future studies intended to unravel the molecular control of heteromorphism and plasticity.

This paper clarifies the typification of three Caucasian species of Pyrus. Lectotypes are designated here for Pyrus georgica, P. demetrii and P. fedorovii described by Schuschana Kuthatheladze from Georgia. A brief explanation of the reasoning behind the choice of specimen is given for each typification.

Understanding how plants cope with changing habitats is a timely and important topic in plant research. Phenotypic plasticity describes the capability of a genotype to produce different phenotypes when exposed to different environmental conditions. In contrast, the constant production of a set of distinct phenotypes by one genotype mediates bet hedging, a strategy that reduces the temporal variance in fitness at the expense of a lowered arithmetic mean fitness. Both phenomena are thought to represent important adaptation strategies to unstable environments. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of these phenomena, partly due to the lack of suitable model systems. We used phylogenetic and comparative analyses of fruit and seed anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, and environmental responses to study fruit and seed heteromorphism, a typical morphological basis of a bet-hedging strategy of plants, in the annual Brassicaceae species Aethionema arabicum. Our results indicate that heteromorphism evolved twice within the Aethionemeae, including once for themonophyletic annual Aethionema clade. The dimorphism of Ae. arabicum is associated with several anatomic, biomechanical, gene expression, and physiological differences between the fruit and seed morphs. However, fruit ratios and numbers change in response to different environmental conditions. Therefore, the life-history strategy of Ae. arabicum appears to be a blend of bet hedging and plasticity. Together with the available genomic resources, our results pave the way to use this species in future studies intended to unravel the molecular control of heteromorphism and plasticity.

The Melbourne Congress of 2011 authorized a Special Committeeon Registration of Algal and Plant Names (including fossils), whichwas established the following year (Wilson in Taxon 61: 878–879.2012). Its explicit mandate was “to consider what would be involved inregistering algal and plant names (including fossils), using a procedureanalogous to that for fungal names agreed upon in Melbourne andincluded in the Code as Art. 42”, but expectations at the NomenclatureSection in Melbourne went farther than that. There was the hope thatregistration systems for at least some of the main groups would soonbe set up, to be used and tested on a voluntary basis and, if found tobe generally accepted, would persuade the subsequent Congress inShenzhen, in 2017, to declare registration of new names an additionalrequirement for valid publication.

Polygala turcica Donmez & Ugurlu (Polygalaceae) is described and illustrated as a new species from Kars province in E Turkey. It is similar to P. peshmenii Eren & al., but is clearly isolated from the other species of Polygala sect. Polygala with respect to habit and morphological characters. Morphology, including that of pollen, is discussed with respect to taxonomic value. The conservation status of the new species is assessed. A new identification key is provided for all Polygala species known from Turkey.

Crataegus davisii Browicz is a later homonym of C. davisii Sarg., and the species has been renamed as Crataegus petrodavisii Donmez, nom. nov., following its acceptance as a valid species. Crataegus x yosgatica K.I.Christ. is reduced to a synonym of C. meyeri Pojark., and an emended description of the species is given here. Crataegus pseudoazarolus Popov, C. pseudoheterophylla Pojark. subsp. turcomanica (Pojark.) K.I.Christ. and Crataegus x lavallei Herincq ex Lavallee are new records for the Turkish flora. New descriptions of the taxa concerned are provided.

Orobanche turcica (Orobanchaceae) is described as a new species from Turkey. The new species is a close relative of O. anatolica. Morphological differences of the new taxon from closely related species are discussed. A distribution map, illustration, as well as pollen and seed microphotographs of the species are provided.