The genus Scouleria has three to five traditionally recognized species from Northeast Asia, western North America, and southern South America. While the genus is well defined by several morphological synapomorphies, species circumscriptions have varied, especially with respect to narrow versus broad concepts of S. aquatica. We used Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of ITS and the chloroplast loci ndhA, trnS-trnG, and rpL32-trnL to test species circumscriptions and to re-evaluate an earlier hypothesis of evolutionary relationships within the genus. Our results strongly support the recognition of S. marginata and S. patagonica as currently recognized based on geography and morphology. Phylogenetic patterns within S. aquatica sensu lato support the resurrection of two northeast Asian species, S. rschewinii and S. pulcherrima as distinct from North American S. aquatica sensu stricto. In addition, the recognition of the North American S. “species A” sensu Norris and Shevock (2004) as distinct from S. aquatica sensu stricto is supported. In all analyses, Drummondia prorepens (Drummondiaceae), rather than Tridontium tasmanicum (Scouleriaceae), was resolved as sister to Scouleria, thus providing support for the placement of Tridontium outside of Scouleriaceae.

Two new Antillean endemic species, Piper abajoense from Puerto Rico, and Piper claseanum from the Dominican Republic, are described and illustrated. The former species resembles the widely distributed Piper hispidum, including the somewhat scabrous leaf surfaces, typically asymmetric leaf bases, and the bracts, flowers, and fruits forming distinct bands around the spike, but is distinguished by the combination of glabrous and stylose fruits (vs. densely puberulent and estylose), laterally (vs. apically) dehiscent anthers, and shorter spikes. The latter species resembles Piper samanense, another endemic species from the Dominican Republic, in vegetative morphology, including the leathery leaves with pellucid dots visible below when dry, but differs in its long-pedicellate flowers and fruits (vs. sessile or pseudopedicellate), puberulent rachis and pedicels (vs. densely white-pubescent), and puberulent vs. pubescent fruits. A phylogeny based on the nuclear ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and chloroplast intron psbJ-petA indicates proper placement of these two new species within clades Radula and Enckea, respectively. Two keys are provided, one to all species of Piper from Puerto Rico, the other to the palmate-veined species from the Dominican Republic.

Neostenanthera (Annonaceae) is a genus of five species of trees, shrubs, and under-shrubs spread throughout west and central tropical Africa and endemic to the Guineo-Congolian region. It occurs in a wide range of habitats from swampy areas to high rainforests and from almost sea level to 900 m. Neostenanthera can be distinguished from other related genera (e.g. Boutiquea) by its stipitate fruits with ellipsoid or fusiform monocarps, the stipes articulated under the monocarps. In the present revision, five species are accepted (N. gabonensis, N. hamata, N. myristicifolia, N. neurosericea, and N. robsonii). A dichotomous key is provided, as well as detailed descriptions of the genus and for each species, discussions on morphology and taxonomy. Distribution maps and drawings of the species are also provided.

Anthurium angustifolium Theófilo & Sakur., a new species of Anthurium (Araceae) sect. Urospadix subsect. Obscureviridia from Espírito Santo (Eastern Brazil) is described and illustrated. Anthurium angustifolium is closely related to A. viridispathum and A. gladiifolium. It differs from A. viridispathum by its deflexed leaves, purplish peduncle and spadix, and reddish berries, and from A. gladiifolium by its narrowly elliptic blades, with obscure secondary veins, and by a smaller number of flowers on the principal and alternate spirals. A key for Eastern Brazilian species of subsect. Obscureviridia is given and a comparison of the characters that separate A. angustifolium from related taxa is provided.

Hirtzia barrerana , a new species from Colombia, is described and illustrated. The Andean genus Hirtzia included only two species to date, H. benzingii and H. escobarii. The newly described species is distinguished from both of these taxa by the non-articulate leaves, the shape of the synsepal and the shape of the lip. We provide information about its habitat, ecology and distribution, as well as a brief discussion on closely related taxa.

Sertifera is a small orchid genus consisting of nine species distributed in Andean regions of Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. Representatives of the genus are erect, slender plants growing terrestrially, rarely as epiphytes or lithophytes. In habit, the plants resemble Sobralia and Elleanthus species. However, flowers, especially the lip, of Sertifera are unique and make the genus different from all others. No previous comprehensive treatment of the genus exists, and the only key for determining Sertifera species was published by Garay in 1978, involving Ecuadorean taxa exclusively. Here we present the first key including all species of the genus, along with available details concerning morphology, distribution, and ecology. Based on differences in lip morphology and flower arrangement, the genus is divided into three sections; Sertifera, Aurantiacae, and Racemosae. Sertifera gracilis, discovered by Reichenbach, is validated. Sertifera risaraldana is described as a new species.

Phylogenetic analysis of plastid (rbcLa, matK, trnH-psbA and the trnL intron) and nuclear (ITS1) sequence datasets in a wide sampling of species of Asphodelaceae: Alooideae provides a generally well-resolved phylogeny. Among traditionally accepted genera only Astroloba and Gasteria are supported as monophyletic. Species of Haworthia are distributed among three clades corresponding to the current subgenera. Aloe s. l. (including Chortolirion) segregates into six, well-supported clades corresponding respectively to sections Dracoaloe (= Aloidendron), Kumara Haemanthifoliae, Macrifoliae, Aristatae, Serrulatae, and the remainder of the genus. The first three clades are retrieved as early branching lineages, whereas A. sects. Aristatae and Serrulatae are strongly supported as members of a clade including Astroloba Haworthia subg. Robustipedunculatae. We examine possible options for recircumscribing the genera of Alooideae as reciprocally monophyletic entities. Although morphological and molecular data are consistent with expansion of Aloe to include all members of Alooideae, we accept and implement an alternative option maintaining historical usage in the group as far as possible. Astroloba and Gasteria are retained as currently circumscribed; Haworthia is restricted to H. subg. Haworthia; the genus Tulista is accepted for members of H. subg. Robustipedunculatae, with the new combination T. minima; and H. subg. Hexangulares is treated as the genus Haworthiopsis with the new combinations H. koelmaniorum, H. pungens, and H. tessellata. The genus Aloe is restricted to the clade comprising the ‘true aloes’, with Aloidendron, Aloiampelos, and Kumara accepted as segregates, the latter broadened to include A. haemanthifolia as K. haemanthifolia. Aloe aristata is segregated in the monotypic genus Aristaloe as A. aristata and Aloe sect. Serrulatae is treated as the new genus Gonialoe with the species G. dinteri, G. sladeniana, and G. variegata.

The phylogeny of Amaryllidaceae tribe Hippeastreae was inferred using chloroplast (3′ ycf1, ndhF, trnL^(UAA)-F^(GAA)) and nuclear (ITS rDNA) sequence data under maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood frameworks. Network analyses were applied to resolve conflicting signals among data sets and putative scenarios of reticulate evolution. All analyses of all regions consistently revealed two major clades, which are formalized as subtribes: A) Traubiinae, formed by Traubia, Placea, Phycella, Rhodolirium, and Famatina maulensis, characterized by x = 8, rare polyploidy, and a capitate stigma, and B) Hippeastrinae, including Eithea, Habranthus, Haylockia, Hippeastrum, Rhodophiala, Sprekelia, Zephyranthes, and Famatina pro parte, characterized by a range of basic chromosome numbers (x = 6-11) and frequent polyploidy and aneuploidy. No clear morphological features diagnose the latter clade, which contains ca. 90% of the tribe's species diversity. Our phylogenetic results question the monophyly of all genera in the tribe and show widespread cytonuclear discordance within the mainly Neotropical Hippeastrinae, further supporting putative ancient hybridization(s) preceding the radiation of this major clade. In contrast, the Traubiinae, endemic to Chile and Argentina, show a tree-like pattern of evolution, consistent with the apparent absence of allopolyploidy in this clade. A brief description, circumscription, and geographic distribution are provided for each subtribe.

The global evolutionary pattern among the dracaenoid plant genera Dracaena, Pleomele, and Sansevieria has remained ambiguous. Their classification has been disputed due to different taxonomic interpretation and the difficulty in morphological characterization of the species and genera. This study explores the phylogenetic analysis of 95 species representing all three genera using four combined chloroplast intergenic spacer DNA regions (trnL-trnF, ndhF-rpl32, trnQ-rps16, and rpl32-trnL). The combined dataset was analyzed using parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analysis. Results show that 1) dracaenoids are monophyletic; 2) the Hawaiian Pleomele species are the sister group to the remainder of the dracaenoid clade; 3) species of Dracaena and the remaining Pleomele are intermixed; 4) Sansevieria is monophyletic, but nested within Dracaena; 5) the Central American species D. americana and D. cubensis are the sister group to the remainder of the non-Hawaiian dracaenoid species. The Hawaiian Pleomele are morphologically and phylogenetically distinct from the remaining dracaenoids and are recognized as a distinct genus, Chrysodracon, and new species combinations are made. Dracaena is paraphyletic in regards to Sansevieria and those species should be recognized as species of Dracaena. The polyphyletic status of Pleomele species nested within Dracaena confirms previous morphology based studies that combined these genera.

The Tradescantia alliance (subtribes Tradescantiinae and Thyrsantheminae of tribe Tradescantieae, family Commelinaceae) comprises a group of closely related New World genera exhibiting considerable variation in morphological, life history, and genomic traits. Despite ecological and cytogenetic significance of the Tradescantia alliance, phylogenetic relationships among genera and species remain uncertain. In particular, variation in inflorescence morphology has confounded classification and taxonomy. We inferred phylogenetic relationships using two plastid loci (rpL16, trnL-trnF) for 85 taxa in Commelinaceae, with sampling focused in the Tradescantia alliance. Constraint tests supported only subtribe Tradescantiinae, Tripogandra and Tinantia as monophyletic, with Tripogandra nested within Callisia. We estimated ancestral states for both breeding system and inflorescence condensation and tested for a correlation. Inflorescence morphology, an important character for generic identification, is more labile than previously expected, with condensed inflorescences evolving twice with three subsequent reversals. Breeding system evolution is more complex, with many more switches between self compatibility and self incompatibility and more uncertainty in ancestral state estimates. The presence of self compatible and incompatible species allowed us to test the hypothesis that self compatible species will have condensed inflorescences, as less allocation to floral display is necessary. While we did not find a correlation between self compatibility and inflorescence condensation, we propose additional floral and inflorescence characteristics that may have contributed to variation in breeding system.

Carex flava is a species complex with frequent hybridization. Within its Old World distribution, the group reaches the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa and Macaronesia, where the taxonomy of the group is particularly controversial. We performed a biometric study using quantitative characters and statistical multivariate and univariate techniques to test taxonomic relationships within previously defined genetic lineages, and to study the clinal morphological variation between those lineages. Our analytical approach allowed us to clearly discriminate between five well-defined morphogroups (C. demissa s. s., C. flava, C. lepidocarpa, C. viridula and a fifth group composed of C. nevadensis and populations from the Atlas region) and to establish morphological relationships for problematic morphotypes. The Pyrenean-Cantabrian populations predominantly displayed intermediate morphologies between C. demissa and C. lepidocarpa. Conversely, the Atlantic-Iberian morphotype, considered a hybrid between C. demissa and C. viridula, displayed a morphology that was often similar to C. lepidocarpa. The analytical approach adopted here may be relevant for the study of morphological intermediates in other plant species complexes with similar taxonomic problems.

Relationships within Schoenoplectus and Schoenoplectiella are largely unknown and the phylogenetic positions of these genera relative to the other four genera in Fuireneae and clade of Cypereae are unclear. A few studies with sparse or localized sampling have added valuable insights, but a North American sampling and a broad global perspective are needed. To generate a more robust phylogenetic hypothesis, we increased the number and breadth of taxon sampling in Schoenoplectus and Schoenoplectiella, including all constituent species in North America, all genera in Fuireneae, and strategically sampled genera in Cypereae. Phylogenetic relationships were estimated using DNA sequences from the nuclear ribosomal ITS region, chloroplast DNA trnL intron and trnL-trnF intergenic spacer region, and partial chloroplast DNA ndhF coding region and parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian analyses. The proposed phylogeny reveals Pseudoschoenus, Schoenoplectiella, and Cypereae are supported as a clade, and Schoenoplectiella is paraphyletic and sister to Pseudoschoenus. Schoenoplectus is monophyletic, sister to Actinoscirpus. Schoenoplectus sections Schoenoplectus and Malacogeton were resolved; comprehensive sampling in Schoenoplectus section Schoenoplectus and unclear placement of S. californicus suggests the need to examine formerly recognized section Pterolepis. The proposed phylogeny supports the erection of sections in Schoenoplectiella, but indicates further morphological and molecular data is needed for section diagnoses. Two Cypereae taxa previously resolved in a Schoenoplectiella clade were included in this analysis: Scirpoides varia resolved in a clade with Cypereae taxa, and Isolepis humillima resolved within Schoenoplectiella. Results from the phylogenetic hypotheses support a need to revisit the generic placement of Isolepis humillima and revise Fuireneae to resolve tribal paraphyly.

Machaerium is a predominantly Neotropical genus with around 130 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas occurring from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. In Brazil there are about 80 species, with the highest diversity occurring in the Atlantic and Amazonian forests. Our taxonomic revision of Machaerium in the Atlantic Forest included field studies in the northeast, southeast, and south of Brazil as well as the analysis of collections that belong to 40 herbaria, which has allowed the study of about 10,300 specimens. For the recognition of taxa, the material studied was compared with the original descriptions of the species and its nomenclatural types. As a result we recognize 41 species of Machaerium in the Atlantic Forest, including the three new species described here: M. androvillosum, M. aureum, and M. robsonnianum. We also designate two neotypes, 20 lectotypes, seven epitypes, and 23 new synonyms for 20 species of Machaerium. In addition to the descriptions and illustrations of the new species and nomenclatural updates, a revised key for all species of the Atlantic Forest with their geographical distributions is presented.

Gilbertiodendron (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) is a genus of ca. 30 species of medium to large trees from tropical and subtropical Africa. The genus is represented in Western Africa (from south Senegal to east Ghana) by 11 species, including Gilbertiodendron diphyllum and G. preussii, which are the most widespread species within the genus, with a range that extends to Central Africa. We describe a new species, Gilbertiodendron jongkindii, an endemic tree from the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Gilbertiodendron obliquum is redefined following the study of collections made 106 yr after the original type material was collected in Liberia. The nomenclature was reviewed for each taxon, and full synonymies are provided. Two dichotomous keys based on fertile and vegetative characters and a table of key characters are provided, as well as detailed descriptions, distribution maps, and illustrations for each species.

Asexual reproduction, polyploidy and hybridization are well-known sources of taxonomic complexity in angiosperms. All these processes are believed to occur in Potentilla sect. Niveae (Rosaceae). Although it has been assumed that hybridization is common in section Niveae, this hypothesis has not been tested and recent studies suggest that phenotypic plasticity may sometimes better explain morphological intermediates in nature. To clarify the role of hybridization in the evolution of section Niveae, we tested two hybridization hypotheses for its eastern American Arctic species. The first is a potential hybrid between Potentilla nivea and Potentilla arenosa, and the second between Potentilla arenosa and Potentilla vahliana sensu lato. Twenty-four quantitative and 12 qualitative morphological characters were scored on specimens sampled from a representative range of the parental species and putative hybrids in the American Arctic east of the 100th meridian. Multivariate analyses showed that these two classes of characters give a congruent signal and that species form separate groups. Morphological evidence appears to give support to the hybridization hypothesis both between Potentilla arenosa and Potentilla nivea and between Potentilla arenosa and Potentilla vahliana sensu lato, although other explanations may also be conceivable. We discuss potential implications for the taxonomy of Potentilla and the study of hybridization in apomictic groups.

The circumscription of the five to eight species of Luffa, as well as their correct names, have long been problematic. Experts on the genus, most recently C. Heiser and C. Jeffrey, have disagreed on the number of species in the New World and the application of the name L. operculata, which in turn affected the names L. quinquefida and L. sepium. Heiser used classic biosystematic methods, including experimental crossing, to infer species boundaries, but neither researcher had today's option of using DNA sequences for this purpose. We sequenced 51 accessions of Luffa, representing the geographic range of the genus and as much as possible topotypical or type material. Phylogenies from four non-coding plastid regions and the nuclear ribosomal DNA spacer region show that eight clades of specimens have geographic-morphological coherence. Heiser's view that Luffa has three species in the New World is supported, and there are four species in tropical and subtropical Asia. Australia has an endemic species, differing from the Indian species with which it had long been lumped. Our vouchered ITS and plastid sequences from throughout species' ranges are available in GenBank and can serve to identify Luffa material similar to standard DNA barcoding regions. We also provide new arguments for Heiser's application of the name L. operculata to a South American species, countering Jeffrey's arguments in favor of its use for a Central American species.

Croton planaltoanus, a new species from the Brazilian Cerrado, is described and illustrated here. The morphological relationships of this species are discussed in comparison with C. inaequilobus, an endemic species of the Chapada dos Veadeiros Region, which resembles the new species morphologically. The new species is apparently endemic to the Brazilian Cerrado region, where it grows in “cerrado rupestre” and montane grasslands on rocky soils. The systematic position of C. planaltoanus in relation to the sections of Croton is also discussed.

During the preparation of the Euphorbiaceae taxonomic treatment for the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, located in the state of Goiás, Brazil, we found a new species of Manihot. Manihot saxatilis is described and illustrated here. The morphological relationship of this species is discussed in comparison with M. stricta Baill., since we assume this species is the most morphologically similar to the new one. Based on morphological traits, the new species belongs to Manihot sect. Brevipetiolatae. The distribution, habitat, phenology, etymology, IUCN red list category, and a key to all species of Manihot sect. Brevipetiolatae are also provided.

Brasiliocroton muricatus is a new species from eastern Brazil that is described, illustrated, and placed in a phylogenetic context. It is only the second known species of Brasiliocroton. Its phylogenetic position was inferred based on sequences from the nrITS and plastid trnL-F markers, using a sampling of closely related genera in tribe Crotoneae. Brasiliocroton muricatus was recovered within tribe Crotoneae, forming a clade with B. mamoninha. This clade is in turn sister to the large genus Croton, giving additional support to previous phylogenetic studies including B. mamoninha. The most obvious morphological characters distinguishing the new species from B. mamoninha are the unisexual, axillary inflorescences and the smaller fruits with muricate surface and white, stellate trichomes, as opposed to bisexual, terminal inflorescences and bigger fruits with smooth surface and ochraceous to brown dendritic trichomes in B. mamoninha. Both species of Brasiliocroton have the filaments of the staminate flowers erect in bud, which is the main character state distinguishing them from the closely related Croton and Astraea. Additional morphological features distinguishing Brasiliocroton and Croton from the rest of tribe Crotoneae are also discussed.

Amanoa marapiensis, a new species endemic to Pará State, Brazil, is described, illustrated, and discussed. It is morphologically similar to A. steyermarkii from Venezuela, but it differs in its more congested inflorescence, chartaceous leaves with entire margins, slightly revolute near the base, and the network of shiny, translucent “islands” and isolated punctations that are visible with a loupe, especially on the abaxial surface, as well as the scarcely evident secondary veins. The species was collected in an area of difficult access, by helicopter, as part of the RADAMBRASIL Project, at an altitude of 350 m. A revised key to the Neotropical species of Amanoa is presented.

The Violaceae consist of 1,000–1,100 species of herbs, shrubs, lianas, and trees that are placed in 22 recognized genera. In this study we tested the monophyly of genera with a particular focus on the morphologically heterogeneous Rinorea and Hybanthus, the second and third most species-rich genera in the family, respectively. We also investigated intrafamilial relationships in the Violaceae with taxon sampling which included all described genera and several unnamed generic segregates. Phylogenetic inference was based on maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analyses of DNA sequences from the trnL/trnL-F and rbcL plastid regions for 102 ingroup accessions. Results from phylogenetic analyses showed Rinorea and Hybanthus to be polyphyletic, with each genus represented by three and nine clades, respectively. Results also showed that most intrafamilial taxa from previous classifications of the Violaceae were not supported. The phylogenetic inferences presented in this study illustrate the need to describe new generic segregates and to reinstate other genera, as well as to revise the traditionally accepted intrafamilial classification, which is artificial and principally based on the continuous and homoplasious character state of floral symmetry.

Miconia nordestina has been collected 80 times in four Brazilian states (Ceará , Pernambuco, Alagoas, and Bahia) since 1939, but remained undescribed. It shares its glabrescent leaves, lax inflorescences, and small flowers with white stamens with several species of Miconia that are difficult to distinguish from one another. It can be recognized by the decorticant branches covered with sessile-stellate trichomes, opposite leaves with basal nerves, entire margins, and glabrous or glabrescent abaxial surface, panicles without additional lateral branches and without accessory branches at the nodes, 5-merous flowers with regular, well-defined calyx lobes, the calyx tube glabrous inside, rounded to emarginate petals, weakly dimorphic stamens with appendaged connectives, and large and ventral inclined anther pores that are equal to or broader than the anther thecae, glabrous ovary and style. It always occurs in montane habitats between 250 and 1,100 m where it usually grows in riparian forests associated with rocky outcrops and on sandy or clay soil. This new species is described, illustrated, and compared with similar species occurring in Brazil and neighboring countries.

Pachira (Malvaceae: Bombacoideae) is distributed predominantly in northern South America and is the largest genus in the subfamily, including about 50 species. Ongoing studies of the systematics of neotropical Bombacoideae and field work in northeastern Brazil led to the discovery of a new species, herein described and illustrated. Pachira moreirae is known from a single population that is endemic to caatinga vegetation (a type of seasonally dry tropical forest) in the state of Bahia. The new species is leafless during its flowering period, a condition commonly seen in some genera of Bombacoideae but rare in Pachira, a genus that mostly comprises evergreen species. We provide a description of the morphology of this new species and notes on its distribution, phenology, and conservation status. A phylogenetic analysis using ITS data shows that P. moreirae is a member of a Brazilian extra-Amazonian clade of Pachira that also includes P. glabra and P. retusa.

The diversity of Mertensia (Boraginaceae), a monophyletic group that is widely distributed in Asia, Beringia, North America, and circumboreal locales, has presented considerable taxonomic difficulties. Phylogeny reconstructions based on DNA sequence data from eleven chloroplast (cp) regions were used to infer evolutionary lineages, address problematic taxonomic circumscriptions, test hypotheses of relationships, and discuss variation of morphological characters in Mertensia (Boraginaceae). Phylogenetic analyses using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference consistently recovered three clades that largely correspond to geography. One clade consisted of a grade of Asian taxa, a Beringian subclade, and a circumboreal subclade. A second clade consisted of the Beringian M. rivularis and was weakly to moderately supported as sister to a third clade, which consisted only of North American taxa. Although we recovered weak support for many of the deeper nodes in the North American clade, our results provided moderate to strong support for 13 subclades. Hypothesis testing using the Shimodaira-Hasegawa (SH) and Approximately Unbiased (AU) tests rejected several earlier hypotheses of relationships except for three models of relationships suggested by Williams: (1) section Mertensia sensu Williams; (2) M. oreophila and M. oblongifolia var. nevadensis sensu Williams; and (3) M. arizonica var. arizonica, M. arizonica var. subnuda, M. grahamii, and M. toyabensis sensu Williams. In the latter three cases, alternative phylogenetic hypotheses were rejected by the AU test but not by the SH test. The North American clade includes M. ciliata, M. lanceolata, M. oblongifolia, and M. viridis, for which broad circumscriptions by some authors have been especially problematic. Our phylogenetic results recovered these taxa as polyphyletic and hypothesis tests rejected the monophyly of each of these species when treated broadly. We recommend narrow circumscriptions for each of these taxa and suggest further studies of the oblongifolia complex. Our results represent the first and most comprehensive molecular phylogeny to date for Mertensia. We propose to emend the section Stenhammaria to include Asian, Beringian, and circumboreal taxa. New combinations include: Mertensia grahamii, Mertensia longipedunculata, Mertensia ovata var. caelestina, and Mertensia parvifolia.

The Hymenodicteae-Naucleeae clade is a predominantly Paleotropical group with 220 species in 28 genera. The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits within Naucleeae have previously been assessed using combined molecular-morphological data, however the status of some genera remains questionable. The evolutionary relationships within Hymenodictyeae have never been investigated before. We performed phylogenetic analyses of the Hymenodictyeae-Naucleeae clade using nuclear [nrETS; nrITS] and chloroplast [[ndhF; rbcL; rps16; trnT-F] data and a large sampling of both tribes. Our study supports the monophyly of the tribes, all subtribes of Naucleeae (Adininae, Breoniinae, Cephalanthinae, Corynantheinae, Mitragyninae, Naucleinae, and Uncariinae), and the Hymenodictyeae genera Hymenodictyon and Paracorynanthe. In Naucleeae, the monotypic genera Adinauclea, Metadina, and Pertusadina are nested within Adina, Mitragyna within Fleroya, Ludekia, Myrmeconauclea, and Ochreinauclea within Neonauclea, and Burttdavya and Sarcocephalus within Nauclea. Corynanthe and Pausinystalia are mutually paraphyletic. We provisionally maintain the current generic status of Neonauclea and its allied genera, pending further study. In sum, we recognize 17 genera in Naucleeae: Adina s. l., Breonadia, Breonia, Cephalanthus, Corynanthe s. l., Diyaminauclea, Gyrostipula, Janotia, Khasiaclunea, Ludekia, Mitragyna s. l., Myrmeconauclea, Nauclea s. l., Neolamarckia, Neonauclea, Ochreinauclea, and Uncaria. Five new combinations were made: Adina euryncha, Adina malaccensis, Corynanthe lane-poolei subsp. iturense, Corynanthe talbotii, and Nauclea nyasica.

Three new species of Gesneriaceae, Petrocodon ainsliifolius, Petrocodon lithophilus, Petrocodon viridescens, from limestone areas of Yunnan, China are described and illustrated. Their independent species status is demonstrated in phylogenetic analyses using nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer and chloroplast trnLF intron-spacer sequences. The phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships with their congeners are discussed from a morphological point of view. Morphological convergences, particularly of the flower, appear to characterize this calciphilous genus. Preliminary results are based on the material included, phylogenetic relationships inferred, and geographic distributions. The limestone area in Southeast Yunnan and West Guangxi appears as the center of origin and diversification of Petrocodon, with separate range expansions to eastern karst regions.

Morphological variation among the five species of Nassauvia subgenus Strongyloma was assessed through statistical analyses of morphometric traits in populations throughout the southern Andean-Patagonian region. Uni- and multivariate analyses were used to identify patterns of morphological variation in relation to geography. Additionally, species distribution modeling was implemented to relate these patterns to climatic conditions. No well-defined groups could be recovered through multivariate analyses, although we observed some geographic structure. Latitudinal variation was found in leaves, phyllaries and cypselas, with a cline towards the south, where these structures become shorter and wider. Towards the east, the number of flowers per capitulum decreases, and abaxial corolla lips and cypselas become narrower and shorter. Distribution modeling showed several areas of contact and a large overlap of suitable conditions for more than one species, which is mainly related to the mean temperature of winter. Despite an association between morphological variation with geography and climate, actual geographic distributions of the putative species did not entirely match the clinal pattern of morphology, geography, and climate. Further genetic analyses are still needed to identify the probable processes that led to the complex patterns of observed variation.

Famatinanthus, a new genus of Asteraceae (Mutisioideae, Onoserideae), is described and illustrated to accommodate one species from the Andes of Argentina, that was previously placed in Aphyllocladus, A. decussatus, as Famatinanthus decussatus comb. nov. The new genus is tentatively assigned to the tribe Onoserideae based on its shrubby habit, solitary radiate capitula, style rounded at the apex and dorsally papillose, and 2–3-seriate heteromorphic pappus. Famatinanthus is similar to Aphyllocladus but it is easily distinguished by the leafy, decussate branches with opposite leaves, multistoried T-trichomes, cream corollas, apiculate apical anther appendages, setuliferous achenes, terete stems, lack of secretory cavities, and pollen with a conspicuous mesoaperture and microechinate-rugulate exine. A key to the genera of the Onoserideae is presented. Affinities of the new genus with other genera of the tribes Gochnatieae, Hyalideae, and Stifftieae are also discussed.