Estuaries form a series of unique wetland habitats isolated from each other, often facilitating genetic divergence among populations. The estuarine seablite Suaeda esteroa Ferren & S.A.Whitmore (Suaedoideae; Chenopodiaceae) is common in northwestern Mexican estuaries, where the spatial isolation from one another may promote diversification within this plant species. In this study, we created a novel nuclear ribosomal DNA genome skim dataset from 30 S. esteroa herbarium specimens collected from estuaries along the northwestern Mexican coast to assess genetic patterns within and among localities. We constructed maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic trees, and conducted individual- and estuary-level landscape genetics analyses. While our landscape genetics analyses provide evidence that more geographically distant individuals are more genetically distant, our phylogenetic tree and estuary-level analyses demonstrate surprising groupings of geographically distant estuaries. We hope our findings will encourage further investigation of gene flow among northwestern Mexican estuaries and promote conservation action within the region.

Spatial and temporal variation in water availability is known to play a large role in shaping plant phenotypes within species. For ecologically and phenotypically diverse species complexes such as seep monkeyflowers (Erythranthe guttata (DC.) G.L.Nesom complex, Phrymaceae), it is not always clear how acclimation to local soil moisture environments contributes to morphological, physiological and phenological variation. Here we investigate phenotypic variation and plasticity in annual and perennial seep monkeyflowers where they co-occur within meters of each other on the Central Coast of California. Although the annual form tends to occur in drier rock outcrops and the perennial form occurs in adjacent perennial seeps, there appears to be a gradient of indistinguishable phenotypes between these microhabitats. We first tested and confirmed that key morphological, physiological, and phenological life history traits varied with soil moisture along the natural gradient from rock outcrops to seeps and with experimental water additions in the rock outcrops. To determine the role of plasticity in maintaining trait differences in the field, we collected seeds from individuals at the extremes of the soil moisture gradient to grow under common conditions. In the common garden, petal size and flowering time differences were partially maintained, while vegetative and physiological trait differences were not maintained. This indicates that much of the phenotypic variation between microhabitats is environmentally induced, although other factors may be at play. These results improve our understanding of how plants respond to fine-scale variability in soil moisture and suggest that plasticity plays a key role in the phenotypic diversity observed in seep monkeyflowers.

Dudleya chasmophyta S.McCabe sp. nov. is endemic to a small portion of Santiago Canyon, Orange County, CA. It is similar to the rare D. cymosa subsp. ovatifolia (Britton) Moran of western Los Angeles County, with which the new species has been confused. Dudleya chasmophyta differs from D. cymosa subsp. ovatifolia by having peduncle bracts not strongly reflexed, abaxial leaf surfaces green to green-brown, corolla lobes spreading distally, flower throats not constricted or only slightly so, and flower buds broader in the middle. Unlike D. cymosa subsp. marcescens Moran, D. chasmophyta is evergreen, has yellow, rather than yellow-to-orange corollas, and compared to D. cymosa subsp. marcescens has narrower leaves in relation to the width. Relationships to other geographically proximal taxa were also considered.

Dudleya chasmophyta S.McCabe sp. nov. es endémica de una pequeña porción del Cañón Santiago, en Orange County, California. Esta especie es similar a la también rara D. cymosa subsp. ovatifolia (Britton) Moran, con la que se ha confundido. Dudleya chasmophyta difiere de D. cymosa subsp. ovatifolia por tener brácteas inferiores no muy recurvadas, superficies abaxiales de las hojas de verde a marrón-verdoso, con pétalos que se extienden distalmente, la garganta de las flores no está constreñida o solo un poco, y los botones florales son más anchos en la parte media. A diferencia de D. cymosa subsp. marcescens Moran, D. chasmophyta es perenne, tiene flores amarillas en lugar de amarillas a naranjas, y en comparación con D. cymosa subsp. marcescens tiene hojas más angostas en relación con el ancho. También se consideraron las relaciones con otros taxones geográficamente cercanos.

Trillium ovatum Pursh is a widespread species of the Pacific Northwest, northern California, and Rocky Mountain region that has been noted for its morphological variability. Here we present data from analysis of DNA sequence variation to show that this taxon includes four distinct species as currently circumscribed. The focus of this study was the comparison of the narrowly distributed T. ovatum subsp. oettingeri Munz & Thorne and the widespread T. ovatum s. s. Analyses of DNA sequence data for the nuclear ribosomal ITS and partial sequences of the plastid ycf1 and ycf2 genes from multiple samples of each were coupled with observations from morphology and floral scent to document that these are distinct species. The two species differ in proportional size of flower parts (larger in T. ovatum) and floral scent (more intense in T. ovatum). To update the taxonomy, T. oettingeri (Munz & Thorne) Renner comb. nov. is proposed. With a restricted range in the Klamath Mountains and part of the Cascade Range in northern California, T. oettingeri is a species of potential conservation concern. DNA sequence analyses also indicated that samples currently considered to be T. ovatum from the Rocky Mountain region represent a distinct species, for which T. stenosepalum (R.R.Gates) A.J.Wright comb. nov. is proposed. This taxon was somewhat surprisingly placed as a close sister group to T. oettingeri. Phylogenetic estimations further placed the overlooked T. crassifolium Piper as sister to T. nivale Riddell of the eastern U.S., a result supported by aspects of morphology and habitat. Trillium crassifolium from Washington, Idaho, and Oregon is not closely related to the sympatric Trillium ovatum, with which it has been placed in synonymy.

The occurrence of non-binary strobili (N-BS) in gymnosperms is of interest to understanding the origins of flowering in angiosperms. One case of non-binary strobili with distal ovulate bracts was discovered during ∼50,000 field observations of P. ponderosa Douglas ex Loudon. and P. jeffreyi A.Murray on 1100 trees over a 1500-km transect and a period of 20 years in western North America. The N-BS was observed once in mature P. jeffreyi during a year of above-average precipitation, with low tree-to-tree competition, moderate nitrogen deposition, and moderately high ozone exposure in Sequoia National Park, California. An updated, verified compendium of non-binary strobili is reported for the subfamily Pinoideae of Pinaceae.

The merger of Gelidium undulatum N.H.Loomis with G. coulteri Harvey, proposed in 1976 without comment, was confirmed by rbcL sequences from holo- and isotype specimens. The rbcL sequence from the paratype specimen of C. polysticha E.Y.Dawson from Mexico and California was identical to that of the lectotype specimen of C. berteroi Montagne ex Kützing, a cosmopolitan species whose name has priority.

A non-native Dasya sp. is reported for the first time from Coos Bay, Oregon based on rbcL DNA sequence data. Further analysis shows that collections from Washington, California, and Oosterschelde, Netherlands, are the same species.