Viola pendulipedunculata (Violaceae), a new species from Baiwan Nature Reserve of Guangdong Province in China, is described and illustrated. The new species is most similar to V. nanlingensis morphologically, but it can be easily distinguished by its narrowly oblong anterior petals (vs. spatulate anterior petals), curved and drooping peduncles (vs. erect peduncles), and seed with obvious elaiosome (vs. inconspicuous elaiosomes) and the whole plant. Our phylogenetic analysis, based on ITS sequences, confirms that the new species belongs to V. sect. Diffusae, and mostly related to V. yunnanensis in the phylogeny.

Collecting expeditions carried out in the Zamboanga Peninsula of western Mindanao led to the rediscovery of Thottea philippinensis, previously known only by a single collection made 93 years ago in the Philippines. Thus, in this paper, we provide descriptions, comments on the affinities among closely related species, an updated geographical distribution, habitat information, conservation assessment, and the first-ever published photos of living T. philippinensis in the wild. Additionally, we include notes on confirming the occurrence of T. tomentosa in the Philippine archipelago.

Gynodioecy has been identified to occur in the herbaceous polycarpic Origanum vulgare ssp. gracile growing in Tajikistan and is here described in detail for the first time. The investigated populations of O. vulgare ssp. gracile form two types of flowers, perfect and pistillate, on different individuals. In pistillate flowers, stamens are represented by staminodes. The size of many parts of the corolla and androecium of perfect flowers is significantly larger than in pistillate flowers. Four criteria have been identified that make it possible to reliably distinguish flowers of different sexual forms: the size of the corolla and its parts, the difference between calyx tube length versus corolla tube length, the position of the anthers, and the rate of development of stamens. Perfect flowers are characterized by strictly pronounced protandry. According to the pollen/ovule ratio (from 825 to 953), O. vulgare ssp. gracile is facultatively xenogamous. Hermaphrodites predominated (from 58.9% to 76.2%) in five of the investigated populations. The frequency of females in O. vulgare ssp. gracile was shown to be most dependent on annual precipitation (Bio12). Finally, we discuss the presence and distribution of gynodioecy within the genus Origanum and its adaptive significance for the existence of populations of O. vulgare ssp. gracile.

Psammogeton hirsuta sp. nov. (Apiaceae), a novel species collected from specifically the lowlands of Jammu and Kashmir, north-west India’s subtropical region, is described and illustrated. Psammogeton hirsuta resembles one of its close relatives, P. canescens, and P. shivalikense; however, it differs significantly in terms of the plant being hirsute, sheaths of leaf bases, ciliate peduncle degree of pubescence, bracts and bracteoles, and fruit shape. Additionally, we provide phenology, a distribution map, a comparison of species with comparable morphologies, and a key to closely related species.

Crotalaria nicobarica F. Saleem, L.J. Singh, S. Subramaniam & A. K. Pandey is described and illustrated from tropical evergreen forest of Great Nicobar Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. This new species closely resembles Crotalaria lunulata Heyne ex Wight &Arn., Crotalaria paniculata Willd. and Crotalaria ramosissima Roxb. which occurs in the Western and Eastern peninsular India and occupies forest edges and cut-slopes of hillocks. The new species is distinguishable from the latter two based on morphological characters. An analysis shows that the new species differs from closely related species with respect to vegetative and reproductive characters. Based on the hairy surface of plants, persistent bracts and bracteoles, silky pubescence of vexillum and style, oblong stalked pods the species is hypothesized to be a new member of the Crotalaria section Crotalaria.

A new species of Cylindrolobus (Orchidaceae), C. gaoligongensis J. D. Ya & H. Jiang from Gongshan county, northwestern Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to C. arunachalensis (A. N. Rao) A. N. Rao, but can be distinguished from it by having 5 veined lateral sepals, orange to pink and triangular-ovate lip mid-lobe and apex mucronate, yellow to white long hairs on the lip, 2 central calli and connected to a keel toward mid-lobe in the disk, 3 rows of white long hairs in the base of the disk. Additionally, a detailed description and illustration of its close species, C. arunachalensis, is also provided.

Indigofera jodhpurense sp. nov. (Fabaceae), which grows in arid places and wasteland near to the edge of Jodhpur in the direction of Pali, Rajasthan, India, is described. Although the species is similar to Indigofera cordifolia and I. jaisalmerica, it differs from these in having profusely hairy juvenile twigs, various types of trichomes on leaf surfaces, and sub-sessile flowers, straightened mucro at the tips of the leaves, and pods that are often single-seeded but can also be bi-seeded. The current communication includes a key to species, a comparative morphological analysis, and some photographs.

Jurinea stenocarpa is described as a new species based on morphological characters. The new species is morphologically close to J. monocephala and J. sintenisii mainly by having semiglobose involucre and scapose stems but differs in plant indumentum, shape of phyllaries and features of achene and size of pappus rays. This species is a mountainous Irano-Turanian element distributed in north-west of Iran, Azarbaijan region. The specimens of this species were collected from Aqdagh Mountain in Ardabil Province (type locality) and Pir-Saqqa Mountain in Eastern Azarbaijan Province. Description, photos, distribution map and a diagnostic key to the new species and its close species are presented.

Moorlands dominated by Calluna vulgaris (hereafter Calluna) are globally rare and under increasing threat of wildfires due to climate change. The soil seed bank is important for community resilience, but research on its contribution to regenerating vegetation after moorland fires has to date focused on prescribed fire or on the short-term (≤ 2 year) impacts of wildfire. To address the role of the seed bank in long-term vegetation regeneration, we studied a chronosequence of six wildfire sites within a Scottish moorland catchment, ranging from 2 to 64 years since burning. We recorded vegetation composition and sampled the seed bank. Calluna and Erica spp. comprised 66 % and 27 % of germinated seeds, respectively, and the majority of vegetation species were not represented in the seed bank. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed that time since fire was a strong predictor of vegetation species composition, but it had no effect on seed bank composition, suggesting that the same species dominate the seed bank regardless of burning. Whilst total seed density was marginally reduced after wildfire and slightly increased with time, the non-Calluna seed bank was more notably affected. The proportion of non-Calluna species decreased with time in both vegetation and seed bank as Calluna cover was re-established and the seed bank of other species became gradually depleted. Whilst relative non-Calluna cover in the vegetation was at a maximum at the start of the chronosequence and then declined, the proportion of non-Calluna in the seed bank followed a unimodal pattern after fire and reached a peak after around 35 years. Our results contribute to the knowledge of how moorland ecosystems regenerate after severe disturbances, which are likely to become more common as the climate changes.

Saxifraga cataphracta, a new species of Saxifragaceae from Southwest China, is described and illustrated. Morphological and molecular evidence (matK, psbA-trnH, psaJ-rpl33) indicate that S. cataphracta belongs to S. sect. Irregulares, and closely related to S. geifolia and S. mengtzeana. The new species can be diagnosed by its leaf blade abaxially with white or virescent interveinal streaks, involucre and bracts conspicuous, capsule beaks winged when mature.

Two new species from Iran was described in this study. Fritillaria shehbazii from Western Azerbaijan province in northwest Iran and F. selenica from Kurdistan province in western Iran. F. shehbazii is similar to F. chlororhabdota, F. pinardii, F. kordestanica and F. assyriaca in the F. caucasica group in general facies but differs mainly by the color and size of its lowest leaves, shape and colour of perianth segments. F. selenica is similar to F. avromanica and F. assyriaca in general facies but differs mainly by narrower leaves and color of perianth segments. Detailed taxonomic descriptions, diagnostic characteristics, illustrations, original photographs, geographical distributions, habitat, phenology and ecology, etymology, conservation status, and identification key of the new and the related species are presented in this study.

Geodorum laxiflorum Griff. (Orchidaceae) is relectotypified here by superseding Bhatt & al. (2015) and by designating a CAL-specimen as lectotype of G. laxiflorum, as the lectotype designated by Bhatt & al. (2015) for the name is found erroneous. Morphological variations along with an overlooked character of the labellum of this Indian endemic and vulnerable species of orchid are presented based on study of livespecimens collected in the wild for the first time from two Indian states. Further, the name Eulophia diffusiflora M.W. Chase, Kumar & Schuit. is synonymised under G. laxiflorum until Eulophia R. Br. is conserved against Geodorum Andrews.