Zingiber zhuxiense G.X. Hu & S. Huang, a new species from central China, is described and illustrated. It is most similar to Z. atrorubens, but can easily be distinguished from the latter by its shorter leafy shoot, lanceolate bracteole, elliptic dorsal lobe of corolla, obovate and longer labellum, incompletely fused lateral staminodes, longer connective appendage, and glabrous or sparsely puberulent ovary. Known geographical distribution and notes on the ecology of Z. zhuxiense are given and a key to the species of Zingiber in Hubei Province, China is provided.

The alpine gentian, Gentiana nivalis, is an obligate annual. Because of its complete population turnover every year, it is likely to be more responsive to environmental shifts than are perennials, and also likely to undergo more rapid genetic change in response to selection pressure. The detected morphological differentiation between habitats was related to different proportions of spring- and autumn-germinating individuals with a larger proportion of winter annuals in the subalpine habitats. The spring-germinating annuals that have shorter time for development and have a shorter stature can still develop at the alpine sites where competition is weaker. The subalpine habitats are all semi-natural, shaped by livestock grazing and human activities related to summer farming. Declining human impact is leading to successional changes in the mountain landscape. The future of G. nivalis in the light of current trends in landscape development and climate change is discussed.

A new, relatively widespread species of Taraxacum from the Balkans, intermediate between sect. Erythrosperma and sect. Erythrocarpa, T. umbrosum Sonck, Kirschner & Štěpánek, is described and illustrated. It occurs in Greece, Bulgaria and F.Y.R. Macedonia, and is characterized by numerous, narrowly-triangular leaf lateral segments, numerous, imbricate, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, dark, distinctly narrowly bordered and conspicuously corniculate outer phyllaries, and brown or castaneous-brown, initially also red-brown achenes usually 4–5 mm long. Taraxacum umbrosum, an agamospermous taxon, is compared with morphologically similar species in sect. Erythrosperma (T. fragosum and T. taraxacoides) and with those in sect. Erythrocarpa (T. olymophilum, T. pindicola, T. dorchocarpum, T. panhellenicum, T. voricola and T. gratum).

Two names proposed as replacements for illegitimate names in a paper on homonymy between extant and fossil angiosperm species were actually themselves illegitimate later homonyms. Aristolochia nardiana I.M. Turner is therefore proposed to supercede A. duchartrei I.M. Turner as a new name for A. elongata (Duch.) E. Nardi. Diospyros pegophila I.M. Turner is similarly presented as an avowed substitute for Diospyros ebenoides Kosterm. because D. kostermansii I.M. Turner is illegitimate.

Eurya pilosa C.X. Ye & X.G. Shi sp. nova (Theaceae) from Yunnan Province, China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically most similar to E. loquaiana, from which it differs by having inconspicuously 2-ribbed branches; densely pubescent branchlets, bracteoles and sepals; sparsely pubescent petals, ovaries and fruits; and leaves that do not turn purplish when dry.

This paper reports on the performance of the red-listed Primula scandinavica, endemic to Scandinavia. The study took place in Jotunheimen, Norway. We evaluated occurrence, density and sexual reproduction variables (number of fertile individuals and number of seed capsules). Habitats were registered as land-cover categories (historical and current; broad habitat types) and habitat patch classes (semi-natural and natural; fine-grained habitat types). Spatial overlay analyses and maximum likelihood tests of generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were performed to assess the habitat quality of the land-cover categories and the habitat patch classes. In most (96%) of the observed occurrences the species was located at a site that had open vegetation 40 years ago but is now becoming forested or covered by shrubs. The highest densities of P. scandinavica were found in “heathland” and “grassland in transition into woodland”, while the potential for sexual reproduction was highest in “grassland” and lowest in “grassland in transition into woodland”. The results indicate that many of the populations in the study area are remnants and that the habitats of highest quality are semi-natural habitat patches. The changed land use practices in mountain areas have resulted and will result in fewer and smaller populations. However, as also climatic conditions will change it is not straightforward to predict the future performance of P. scandinavica.

Vegetation gaps are considered to be important for germination and establishment of species, which are weak competitors but have long-lived seeds in the soil. Vegetative growth is a colonization strategy especially important in regularly disturbed grasslands. In a salt marsh on the Baltic coast of Germany, we studied (i) the role of seedling recruitment and vegetative growth in recolonization of gaps, (ii) if gaps are necessary for seedling recruitment and (iii) whether gaps contribute to species diversity and composition of the salt marsh. We carried out a two-factorial field experiment during two years. We created 48 gaps of 0.04 m² in size in autumn 2006. We eliminated the seed bank by sterilization and prevented vegetative growth into these gaps with dense meshes. We used a full-factorial design with four treatments: (1) seed bank and vegetative growth eliminated, (2) seed bank eliminated and vegetative growth intact, (3) seed bank intact and vegetative growth eliminated, (4) both intact. Seedlings and ramets were counted in these gaps in summers 2007 and 2008. In the established vegetation we counted the dicot seedlings in 12 control plots without manipulation. Both seed bank and vegetative growth contributed to the recolonization of the gaps. Nevertheless, seedling establishment was limited due to flooding of the site for six weeks in summer 2007. Vegetative growth was more successful in recolonizing the gaps. No increase in species richness occurred due to gaps in this salt marsh. Interestingly, more dicot seedlings emerged in the undisturbed control plots than in the gaps with intact seed bank. Vegetation gaps, thus, do not appear to be necessary for establishment of dicots in Baltic salt marshes. Nevertheless, some dicot species profit from gaps. We assume that the erect structure of the vegetation dominated by the evergreen plants Juncus gerardii, Triglochin maritimum and Plantago maritima facilitates germination in the undisturbed vegetation.

Onobrychis tabrizensis Negaresh, nom. nov., replaces O. aurea Ranjbar, Amirab. & Ghahrem. 2004, which is an illegitimate name as a younger homonym of O. aurea Boiss. ex Tchich. 1860.

In the Western Carpathians, we identified a strongly isolated stand of a species belonging in the fern genus Woodsia. Based on morphological characters, nuclear DNA content analysis and chromosome counts, we determined that the species occurring in the Polish Tatra Mts. is W. pulchella and not W. alpina, as was supposed before. The population is situated 365 km from the nearest one in the eastern Alps in Austria. Woodsia pulchella grows on northern slopes of the Giewont massif in the Western Tatra, on dolomite rocks between 1100–1480 m a.s.l. at two closely-situated localities. The current distribution of W. pulchella in Europe is detailed and the evolutionary origin of this very rare and relict species is discussed.

Typification of the name Hieracium pilosella L. (homotypic synonym: Pilosella officinarum F.W. Schultz & Sch. Bip.) (Asteraceae) is discussed. Designation of the type is based on consultation of Linnaeus's original material and the literature cited in the respective protologue. Original material conserved in the Linnaean Herbarium at LINN is designated as the lectotype.

Sarcocapnos crassifolia subsp. simplicifolia Chambouleyron, Bidat & Léger subsp. nova (Papaveraceae, Fumarioideae) was discovered in 2011 in northeastern Morocco (Debdou mountains). Unlike the two other subspecies of S. crassifolia, it has simple leaves. Its taxonomic position is discussed.

Boreal Lilium distichum and temperate L. tsingtauense are morphologically very similar, thus they have been placed in the section Martagon. Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that L. distichum and L. tsingtauense are indeed the most closely related species within that section. Lilium distichum has a wider geographic range and a broader niche than L. tsingtauense. We hypothesized that L. distichum— L. tsingtauense might be a classical “progenitor—derivative” (P–D) species pair and examined the levels of allozyme diversity in the two species in South Korea. Whereas the allelic composition of L. tsingtauense represented a subset of L. distichum, the former had significantly lower allozyme variability at both the population and the species levels than the latter. Except for the locus Fe (fluorescent esterase), allele frequencies of L. distichum were very similar to those of L. tsingtauense. Accordingly, pairwise genetic identities between populations of L. distichum and L. tsingtauense were very high, with a mean of 0.919. Our allozyme results support the hypothesis that L. tsingtauense is a derivative species of the progenitor L. distichum.

Capparis gialaiensis Sy, a new species of Capparaceae from Vietnam is described and illustrated. It is morphologically closest to C. longistipitata, but differs in length of thorns, filaments and gynophore, shape of the leaf and shape and size of petals. Color photographs, a table comparing the new species with closely allied species and a key are provided to facilitate species identification.

Seven species of Fimbristylis (Cyperaceae) described by Boeckeler based on collections from India are lectotypified: F. arnottiana, F. disticha, F. filifolia, F. hookeriana, F. paupercula, F. tenuicula and F. thomsonii.

The present study is a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the genus Bromus (Poaceae) in Iran. Based on the examination of 1500 herbarium specimens from Iran, 285 from neighboring countries and 30 type specimens, some nomenclatural modifications and classification changes are made. The tribe Bromeae for Iran was previously recognized as including the genera Bromus (29 species) and Boissiera (one species). Here, the number Bromus species in Iran is increased to 45. The Iranian taxa of the tribe Bromeae comprise the genus Bromus with 6 sections, 39 species and 40 taxa (two subspecies), including the cultivated B. catharticus, B. inermis and B. pumilio (synonym Boissiera squarrosa). Bromus rechingeri, B. pseudojaponicus and Bromopsis gabrielianae are reduced to synonymy. An identification key and detailed information of the geographical distribution of all treated species is provided.

A taxonomic synopsis of the genus Hirtzia (Orchidaceae) is presented. An identification key to the species is provided and their morphology described, supported by illustrations of plant habit and perianth segments. A new species from Peru, H. dodsoniana Szlach. & Kolan., is described based on material collected in the department of Pasco.

A new species, Spiradiclis pauciflora L. Wu & Q.R. Liu, from Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. It resembles S. guangdongensis, but can be distinguished from the latter by several distinct characters in stipules, bracts, calyx, and corolla.

Dendrocalamus yingjiangensis D.Z. Li & H.Q. Yang (Poaceae), a new species of bamboo from western Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by light-brown culm sheaths, branching from the eighth or ninth node, equal branchlets, glabrous leaf blade, 15–25 pseudospikelets at each node of flowering branches, 4–6 bracts, 3–4 glumes, and four florets per pseudospikelet.

The name Typha elephantina Roxb. (Typhaceae) is lectotypified based on an icon present in CAL.

Aristolochia cochinchinensis Do (Aristolochiaceae), a new species from southern Vietnam, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by a 6–8 cm long petiole with visible, cylindrical leaf scars, 5–9-flowered cymose inflorescences in clusters of two to four cymes, and a sessile utricle. Information about the distribution, habitat, and phenology as well as a comparison with four morphologically similar species (A. longeracemosa, A. poomae, A. pothieri and A. yalaensis) is provided. Synapomorphic characters such as an abaxially concave perianth and a completely monosymmetric floral limb with a complete fusion of the three sepals into one or two lobes places A. cochinchinensis in subgenus Aristolochia.

The original taxonomic circumscription of Sorbus pannonica was uncovered in an inventory of historical herbarium collections. The presumed original material of the name included several taxa. The selected lectotype belongs to a species with elongate leaves, which are slightly obovate and minutely lobed apically, typically with a narrowly cuneate base and a short triangular apex. This triploid, presumably apomictic species seems to be endemic to the Transdanubian Mts. (Vértes, eastern Bakony Mts., eastern Balaton Uplands) within western Hungary. A new description and a revised distribution map of S. pannonica are provided, and the species is compared with the most similar taxa from Hungary. The provisional IUCN conservation assessment of S. pannonica is Vulnerable (VU).