The polyphyly of the pantropical genus Schefflera J. R. Forst. & G. Forst. (Araliaceae) is now well established, and consequently the genus has had to be restricted to its type (S. digitata J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) and seven closely related Pacific Island species. Taxonomic transfers of the members of four other, unrelated clades have mostly been completed, including those from Africa and Madagascar, the Neotropics, and Oceania. Here we treat the final and largest group, from Asia, reinstating the genus Heptapleurum Gaertn. for the 317 species that belong to the Asian clade of Schefflera. This synopsis provides 256 new combinations for 246 species and 10 varieties, along with one replacement name, and types are designated for five generic and infrageneric names. With the completion of these transfers, Heptapleurum is now the largest genus in Araliaceae.

Agrostis laegaardii A. M. Molina & Rúgolo (Poaceae), a new species restricted to the high páramos from Colombia and Ecuador, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically most similar to A. breviculmis Hitchc. but differs in spikelet length, pedicel apex, glume texture, relative distance between upper glume and floret, lemma and palea length, and the presence of an awn on the lemma. Micromorphology of the spikelet is discussed, and a Trichodium net is reported on the epidermis of the lemma. A distribution map and a key to the Colombian and Ecuadorean species of Agrostis L. with contracted inflorescences are provided.

A new name, Berberis yingjunshengii Harber, is proposed to replace B. yingii Harber (Berberidaceae), which was discovered to be an illegitimate later homonym of B. yingii Doweld.

This paper deals with 20 names of species and infraspecific taxa of Salix L. that Fang and Skvortsov validated or intended to validate in 1998 following their original publication by Hao in 1936 without Latin diagnoses. The names are listed and issues of typification, attribution, and synonymy are discussed. New lectotypes are designated for eight names whose holotypes have been lost or destroyed or for which a choice between syntypes was necessary: Salix acuminatomicrophylla K. S. Hao ex C. F. Fang & A. K. Skvortsov, S. atopantha C. K. Schneid. var. glabra K. S. Hao ex C. F. Fang & A. K. Skvortsov, S. calyculata Hook. f. ex Andersson var. glabrifolia Hand.-Mazz. [≡ S. crenata K. S. Hao], S. forrestii K. S. Hao ex C. F. Fang & A. K. Skvortsov, S. kansuensis K. S. Hao ex C. F. Fang & A. K. Skvortsov, S. ovatomicrophylla K. S. Hao ex C. F. Fang & A. K. Skvortsov, S. pseudowolohoensis K. S. Hao ex C. F. Fang & A. K. Skvortsov, and S. schneideriana K. S. Hao ex C. F. Fang & A. K. Skvortsov. The type citation of S. shansiensis K. S. Hao ex C. F. Fang & A. K. Skvortsov is corrected.

Senecio helianthemoides Wedd. is transferred to the genus Chersodoma Phil. on the basis of its functionally dioecious breeding system and rounded, papillose-style branches. The new combination C. helianthemoides (Wedd.) J. Calvo & M. Zárate is published, and the recently published name C. tarijensis M. Zárate is synonymized with it.

Tarenaya minutiflora Iltis & Cochrane is described from Guyana. The new species, distinguished from its congeners by the very small size of the flowers, is illustrated and compared to its probable nearest relatives T. parviflora (Kunth) Iltis, T. psoraleifolia (DC.) Soares Neto & Roalson, and T. brasiliensis Weinm.

This is the fifth installment of a treatment of Ocotea Aubl. occurring above 1000-m altitude in the Andean countries of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. This part covers species with unisexual flowers lacking distinctive characters such as presence of domatia or erect or dense pubescence on leaves. Twenty-six species are treated, of which 12 are new to science. These are O. nidiae van der Werff from Venezuela; O. erugata van der Werff, O. gymnantha van der Werff, and O. lorda van der Werff from Colombia; O. ceronii van der Werff, O. depilis van der Werff, O. homeieri van der Werff, and O. pilosa van der Werff from Ecuador; and O. calcicola van der Werff, O. fulgida van der Werff, O. nana van der Werff, and O. tunquiensis van der Werff from Peru. Ocotea cernua (Nees) Mez is synonymized with O. leptobotra (Ruiz & Pav.) Mez and O. longifolia Kunth is synonymized with O. aurantiodora (Ruiz & Pav.) Mez.