Polyporus juniperinus is reinstated as a good species to encompass the North American collections labelled as P. demidoffii, and a new combination, Pyrofomes juniperinus (H. Schrenk) Vlasák & Spirin, is proposed. Identity of P. juniperinus and P. juniperinus ssp. earlei is discussed based on morphological and DNA evidence.

Mechanisms by which invasive species affect native communities have been intensively studied. Invasive plants may influence other species through competition, altered ecosystem processes, or other pathways. It has been suggested that allelochemical interference is the key mechanism explaining a lower species richness of herbaceous plants below non-native than native shrubs. We studied plant recruitment from seeds sown inside and outside patches formed by Sorbaria sorbifolia, a shrub non-native to Finland, and a native shrub Rubus idaeus. Recruitment of seedlings was lower below non-native than native shrubs, in contrast to recruitment outside the shrub patches. Biotic filtering of subdominant plants was a stepwise process affected by the difference between nonnative and native shrubs. Our results suggest that allelochemicals released by non-native species may be responsible for this difference. They thus give support to the hypothesis emphasizing the importance of allelopathy in the invasion of non-native plants. The slow and stepwise action of biotic filtering cautions against defining plant community membership merely based on the presence of seedlings.

Phelipanche zangezuri Piwow., Ó. Sánchez & Moreno Mor. sp. nova (Orobanchaceae) is described from the Lesser Caucasus in Armenia. The species grows on a rocky slope near roadside in the Zangezur mountain range, 2300 m a.s.l., and parasitises Tragopogon pterocarpus. We present detailed description and illustrations, and also a comparison with the morphologically closest P. pulchella, P. hajastanica and P. caesia.

Ebenus zekiyeae Aytaç & Yıldırım sp. nova (Fabaceae) is described and illustrated from Erzurum, eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It grows on dry, stony slopes and morphologically resembles E. reesei. Its diagnostic characters are discussed. The leaflet and pollen surface of E. zekiyeae were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Distributions of E. zekiyeae and E. reesei and an identification key to Turkish taxa of Ebenus are provided.

Capparis bachii Sy, R.K. Choudhary & Joongku Lee (Capparaceae) is described and illustrated based on a collection from Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam. It is morphologically similar to C. diffusa but differs from it by having numerous flowers per umbel, numerous stamens per flower, larger gynophore, cordate leaf base, and presence of hairs on leaves.

Primulina cangwuensis X. Hong & F. Wen (Gesneriaceae), a new species growing in rocky crevices on a limestone hill in Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to P. repanda, P. subulata, P. jianghuaensis and P. lobulata, but can be distinguished from its congeners by the different shape of leaves, bracts and calyx, as well as by the different indumentum of pedicels and stamens.

Historical (mainly 1930s) and contemporary records of 482 vascular plant species or genera of non-littoral areas of 464 islands in the archipelago of SW Finland are compared, to visualise changes in distribution patterns, and to identify environmental variables that exert an influence on the distribution of the species. The environmental variables were measured in a GIS. Logistic regression analysis was used to find variables that affect the probability of species occurrences. Results, including distribution maps, are presented for each species. The families Clusiaceae, Violaceae, Cistaceae, Brassicaceae, Salicaceae, Ericaceae, Pyrolaceae, Monotropaceae, Empetraceae, Primulaceae, Tiliaceae, Malvaceae, Thymelaeaceae, Saxifragaceae, Crassulaceae, Grossulariaceae, Parnassiaceae, and Droseraceae are presented in this part of the series. A synthesis of the study will be presented in the last part of this article series.

Species of Astragalus section Ammodendron (Fabaceae) are restricted to desert areas in central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran. In the present study, the variable plastid gene ycf1 was used to reconstruct its phylogeny using parsimony, Bayesian and likelihood methods as well as network analysis. Phylogenetic analyses of ycf1 sequences strongly supported monophyly of the section Ammodendron. The ycf1 phylogeny was congruent with the combined nrDNA ITS, trnH-psbA, trnT-Y and ycf1 data sets. The group assembly in neighbor-net splits graph corresponded to the clades retrieved in the phylogenetic analyses and offered a graphical visualization of relationships between species. Poor phylogenetic resolution within the sect. Ammodendron s. str. may be due to rapid speciation and lower rates of nucleotide evolution. In conclusion, the close relationships among several species can provide pieces of evidence for further investigations on the molecular and morphological delimitation of this section.

Lasianthus purpureocalyx Napiroon, Chamchumroon, Balslev & Chayamarit sp. nova (Rubiaceae) from the Khao Ngon Nak hill (Aaonang sub-district, Krabi province, Thailand) is described and illustrated. It is similar to L. subcalvus but differs from it in having narrowly lanceolate, 2–3.5 × 12–16 cm leaves, 6–7 corolla lobes, and globose fruits (versus leaves oblong-elliptic 5–7 × 16–23 cm, corolla 4-lobed, fruit fusiform). It also resembles L. purpureus in leaf morphology, but differs from it in having flowers in sessile cymes instead of fascicular pedicels. Its leaf morphology also bears resemblance to that of L. foxworthyanus, but differs from it in having a purple tubular calyx with 6–7 lobes and calyx limb that are shallowly curved or nearly entire (versus a pale green campanulate calyx with 4–5 lobes and 5 calyx limb lobes that are lanceolate).

Lasianthus agasthyamalayanus R. Jagad., S.P. Mathew, Gangapr. & E.S.S. Kumar (Rubiaceae) from the southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India is described as a new species. It resembles especially L. obliquus, but differs from it by having glabrous mature branches; smaller leaves with apiculate apex; triangular, broadly ovate stipules; larger flowers; elliptic-lanceolate calyx lobes, and a black mature fruit. A key to the species of Lasianthus from the southern Western Ghats is provided.

The new generic name Diplosophyllum Doweld is proposed to replace a later homonym, Diplophyllum Velenovský & Viniklář (non Dumortier nec Lehmann). The generic names Cussoniophyllum Doweld gen. nov., Hederago Doweld gen. nov., and Priscophyllum Doweld gen. nov. are validated replacing the invalidly published Cussoniphyllum, Hederophyllum and Grevilleophyllum, respectively. The new combinations Cussoniophyllum partitum (Velen.) Doweld, Diplosophyllum cottae (Ettingsh.) Doweld, D. cretaceum (Velen. & Viniklář) Doweld, D. elongatum (Velen.) Doweld, D. inaequale (Velen.) Doweld, D. primigenium (Saporta) Doweld, Hederago credneriifolia (Velen.) Doweld, H. primordialis (Saporta) Doweld, and Priscophyllum constans (Velen.) Doweld are proposed. The names Diplophyllum cretaceum Velen. & Viniklář, Hymenaea elongata Velen., H. inaequalis Velen., H. primigenia Saporta, Hedera credneriifolia Velen, and Grevillea constans Velen. are lectotypified and Hedera primordialis (Saporta) is neotypified.

Pilea weimingii Huan C. Wang, a new species in Urticaceae, is described and illustrated. It was found in central areas of Yunnan Province, southwest China. It morphologically resembles P. elegantissima, but clearly differs from it by its lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 2–7 cm long and 0.4–1 cm wide leaves (L/W ratio 5–10) with a long acuminate apex.

We used classic sample plot data of Rauno Ruuhijärvi and Seppo Eurola from the early 1960s to compare Cajanderian site types of boreal Picea abies mires in Finland with a classification made with a multivariate method. Classic site types explained the compositional variation in the NMDS ordination better than the analysis, based on numerically derived clusters. Distinct compositional gradients were the poor—rich gradient and the peat thickness (paludification). Additionally, one could interpret a microtopographic gradient in the results. Our results, as well as some other studies support a view that climatic factors affect more than the bedrock the species richness in boreonemoral—boreal Picea abies mires of northern Europe. Soil chemical features (poor—rich gradient) and the microtopography modify the species richness at a site scale. Geographic speciesrichness centre of boreal-temperate Picea abies mires of Europe is unknown, but it is in relation at least to climate, to bedrock and to historical aspects.

The identity of an enigmatic species Huberantha floribunda (Annonaceae) is reassessed using molecular phylogenetic analyses of up to seven combined plastid markers (matK, ndhF, rbcL, ycf1 exons; trnL intron; trnL-trnF, psbA-trnH intergenic spacers), constituting up to ca. 7 kbp. Huberantha floribunda does not fall into Huberantha clade, but is retrieved as the sister group of Miliusa with no support, necessitating the recognition of a new genus, to accommodate this species. Polyalthiopsis Chaowasku gen. nov. along with Huberantha and Miliusa form an unsupported to weakly supported clade within the tribe Miliuseae. Morphology of Polyalthiopsis is somewhat intermediate between morphologies of Huberantha and Miliusa. It primarily differs from Huberantha by often possessing unequal petal whorls and a seed raphe that is broadly grooved and partially slightly raised in the middle. Polyalthiopsis differs from Miliusa mainly by having a dilated truncate connective apex of the stamens and outer petals that are much larger than the sepals. In addition, Huberantha luensis (Pierre) Chaowasku, a new combination for Polyalthia luensis is made based on an integrative approach of morphological examination coupled with molecular phylogenetic inferences.

Cryptocarya vanderwerffii Kottaim. is proposed as a replacement name for Ravensara macrophylla Kosterm. (Cryptocarya oreophila van der Werff, nom. illeg.).

Lagenandra cherupuzhica P. Biju, Josekutty & Augustine (Araceae), collected from a stream in lateritic hillocks at Cherupuzha, Kerala, India is described as a new species and illustrated. It morphologically resembles L. meeboldii and L. nairii, and its distinctive characters and possible relationships are discussed based on its vegetative and floral morphology.

Trichosalpinx carinatus Rykaczewski, Szlach. & Kolan. (Orchidaceae) of the T. dependens complex is described and illustrated as a new species from Colombia. It is easily distinguishable from similar species by its unique, glabrous sheaths of the ramicaul as well as by the presence of a six-veined synsepal and an entire callus on the lip. Keys to identification of representatives of T. dependens complex and to Colombian Trichosalpinx are provided.

The nomenclatural status of the names Memecylon deccanense C.B. Clarke, M. heyneanum Benth. ex Wight & Arn., M. jambosioides Wight and M. wightianum Triana is discussed here. The name M. jambosioides, earlier considered a synonym of M. heyneanum, is here reinstated and treated as an accepted name. The binomial M. wightianum is rejected as superfluous and illegitimate, and M. deccanense is reduced to a synonym of M. heyneanum.

Discospermum reyesii Arriola, Valdez & Alejandro (Coffeeae, Rubiaceae) is described and illustrated from Mt. Lantoy in the forested regions of Cebu, Philippines. It closely resembles D. whitfordii by having similar leaf blades, leaf apices and non-ribbed fruits, but differs from it by having smaller fruits (1.0–1.2 cm vs. 2.0–2.7 cm), smaller seeds 1–1.4 × 1.5–2.5 mm (vs. 5–6.5 × 5–6.5(7) mm) and fewer seeds per locule 4–6 (vs. 5–12).

Exalaria glabriflora Szlach. & Kolan. sp. nova (Orchidaceae, Cranichidinae) discovered in Peruvian herbarium material deposited in Harvard University Herbaria is described and illustrated. It can be distinguished from E. parviflora by its glabrous floral bracts and sepals, oblong petals, 2-veined lateral sepals, a 3-veined lip with larger middle lobe constituting about 1/4 of the total lip length, and a gynostemium lacking a rostellum.

Jasminanthes tuyetanhiae T.B. Tran & Rodda (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) is described as a new species from Vietnam. It differs from the morphologically similar J. chunii by its shorter peduncles and by the triangular-ovate calyx lobes. Jasminanthes pilosa, earlier known from China and Thailand, is lectotypified and newly recorded for the flora of Vietnam, fully described and for the first time colour photographs are provided. An appendix with key characters for the separation of all seven Jasminanthes species as well as the key to the species of Jasminanthes are included.

The species within Orobanchaceae cover all forms of parasitism from full autotrophy to holoparasitism. Although parasitic species have gone through dramatic genome changes, the plastomes of land plants generally contain highly conserved structures. We investigated the complete plastome sequence of hemiparasitic Pedicularis ishidoyana, belonging to the largest genus in Orobanchaceae, and compared it with the highly rearranged genomes of other taxa in that family. This plastome comprises a total of 152 571 bp, with two inverted repeats (IRs) of 35 281 bp, a large single-copy region (LSC) of 81 982 bp, and an extremely reduced small single-copy (SSC) region of 27 bp. Although IR expansion and SSC contraction have been reported in the plastomes of other hemiparasitic species in Orobanchaceae, the IR region of P. ishidoyana is extremely expanded, resulting in a very small SSC region. This genome contains 101 genes that encode 67 proteins, four rRNAs, 30 tRNAs, and 22 duplicated genes in the IR region. In contrast to other hemi- or holoparasitic members of Orobanchaceae, genes in the ndh family in P. ishidoyana (except ndhE) have lost their function through pseudogenization (six genes) or deletion (four genes). Therefore, it seems that the degradation of this gene family in P. ishidoyana has occurred independently. Phylogenetic analysis, including all parasitic types, strongly supports the conclusion that P. ishidoyana diverged early from autotrophs and is sister to holoparasitic taxa. Our results suggest that these hemiparasitic Pedicularis plants might represent an early stage of parasitism that has developed stepwise in this family from non-parasites to holoparasites.

Based on my experience and analyses of citation frequencies of papers published in various biological journals, I discuss the use of citation counts and journal Impact Factors as measures of scientific quality. I conclude that citation frequency differs not only among biological sub-disciplines such as ecology and taxonomy, but also among taxonomic papers on highly similar topics, and that these latter differences largely depend on the organismal group (cryptogams vs. vascular plants and species-rich vs small genera and families) and the geographic region concerned. As a result, journals with a broad biological scope face difficulties in competing in terms of Impact Factors, and thus in competing for the best manuscripts, with journals specialized on particular sub-disciplines that attract many citations. However, since papers on “hot” topics also tend to be short-lived, these differences, at least in part, would be much reduced if citations were counted for longer periods of time or were compensated based on the average age of cited papers in the particular field. In particular in taxonomy, factors such as originality and innovativeness, generally regarded as measures of scientific quality, appear to be inversely correlated with citation frequency. I, therefore, conclude that scientific editors would be able to significantly increase the Impact Factors of taxonomic journals, not by choosing for publication the most scientifically valuable and supreme articles, but by picking manuscripts based the taxonomic position and geographic distribution of the organisms concerned. Still, the author sincerely hopes that no editor will ever take such measures!