A new hybrid microsoroid fern, Microsorum × tohieaense (Microsorum commutatum × Microsorum membranifolium) from Moorea, French Polynesia is described based on morphology and molecular phylogenetic analysis. Microsorum × tohieaense can be distinguished from other French Polynesian Microsorum by the combination of sori that are distributed more or less in a single line between the costae and margins, apical pinna wider than lateral pinnae, and round rhizome scales with entire margins. Genetic evidence is also presented for the first time supporting the hybrid origin of Microsorum × maximum (Microsorum grossum × Microsorum punctatum), and possibly indicating a hybrid origin for the Hawaiian endemic Microsorum spectrum. The implications of hybridization for the taxonomy of microsoroid ferns are discussed, and a key to the microsoroid ferns of the Society Islands is provided.

The pantropical genus Sesbania (Leguminosae) comprises approximately 85 species and 34 infraspecific taxa. This genus is unusual ecologically in its predilection for wetlands, and morphologically distinctive among legumes, yet has never been comprehensively investigated for the phylogenetic integrity of its subgeneric classification. We subjected a broad sampling of Sesbania species to phylogenetic analysis using both nuclear and plastid DNA sequence data. The resulting phylogenies support the monophyly of Sesbania and two constituent subclades, one represented by the New World endemic Sesbania sections Daubentonia, Daubentoniopsis and Glottidium, and the second comprising the pantropically distributed S. section Sesbania and former S. subgenera Pterosesbania and Agati. The species-rich S. section Sesbania is paraphyletic with respect to S. subg. Agati and Pterosesbania, while S. sect. Daubentonia is paraphyletic with respect to S. sect. Daubentoniopsis. Based on these results we revise the sectional classification of Sesbania. The genus is consistently thoughweakly supported as sister to tribe Loteae. Rate and age estimates suggest that the Sesbania crown clade has an estimated mean age of approximately 18.9 Ma. This implicates long-distance dispersal as causing the pantropical distribution of the genus. Regardless, the New World is optimized as the ancestral area for Sesbania. The prevalence of Sesbania in riparian, wetland, and coastal systems combined with low levels of geographic phylogenetic structure suggested that hydrochory and local extinction potentially explain present-day distributions.

Recent collections in the Sierra de Bahoruco represent a previously undescribed species of Miconia sect. Calycodomatia from the Greater Antillean Sandpaper clade. We herein describe the new species as Miconia clasei, provide a phylogenetic analysis to determine close relatives, and compare it morphologically with its closest relatives and phenetically similar taxa. We also expand on previous analyses of the Sandpaper clade, including more individuals per species than previously analyzed, and two taxa never before analyzed phylogenetically. We show that several species within the Sandpaper clade are indeed cladospecies, while others appear to be non-monophyletic.

The genus Amaranthus (pigweeds) is a group of ∼74 monoecious or dioecious annual species native to every continent but Antarctica, frequently associated with natural and human disturbance, with several economically important domesticated and weedy species. We set out to reconstruct the phylogeny of Amaranthus, with broad geographic sampling, in order to answer questions about biogeographic relationships in the genus and the monophyly of the subgenera. Fifty-eight species were included inmaximum parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses based on ITS and three low-copy nuclear genes (A36, G3PDH, and Waxy), as well as two chloroplast regions (trnL5′-trnL3′ and matK/trnK). Topology tests were also employed to test taxonomic hypotheses about incongruence between trees and the monophyly of clades containing Galápagos species. Our analyses support the origin of the genus in the Americas, with a single long-distance dispersal event to the Old World, and both nuclear and chloroplast trees recover three to fourmajor clades, roughly corresponding to three subgenera recognized based on morphology. However, there are species in all of these clades that were not predicted based on morphology, and we discover previously unsuspected relationships between Galápagos species and species from the North American Southwest, which comprise small monophyletic groups outside of the three recognized subgenera. Additionally, an important herbicide resistant weed species (A. palmeri) and its sister species are placed into different large clades based on nuclear or chloroplast data, suggesting a chloroplast capture event. These results will provide a basis for further exploration of the evolution of weedy ecological strategies in the group.

The New World ‘justicioid’ lineage (Acanthaceae: Acanthoideae: Justicieae) includes about 500 species and encompasses extensive variation in flower shape, size, and color along with remarkable diversity in anther, seed, and pollen mophology. Species richness of this lineage is due to the inclusion of the New World members of the polyphyletic genus Justicia in addition to five smaller Neotropical genera: Cephalacanthus, Clistax, Harpochilus, Megaskepasma, and Poikilacanthus. Although previous studies have shown that the New World ‘justicioid’ lineage is monophyletic, none have focused specifically on relationships among these plants nor has the current infrageneric classification of Justicia for the New World been tested. This is the first phylogenetic study to include a dense sample of taxa from the New World ‘justicioid’ lineage. We use DNA sequence data for five plastid, nuclear ribosomal ITS, and one low copy nuclear region (8315 bp) for 134 in-group taxa to estimate the phylogenetic framework for the group, and test the current infrageneric classification of New World Justicia. Most of the currently recognized sections of New World ‘justicioids’ are not monophyletic. On the other hand, our phylogenetic results identify nine major clades, many of which are supported by a combination of structural traits. The results of this study provide a foundation for the placement of other species of New World Justicia that have yet to be sampled for phylogenetic analysis, as well as for future comparative studies of evolutionary processes and revisionary work on this diverse and complex lineage.

A recent phylogenomic study has shown that Diplostephium in its broad sense is biphyletic. While one of the clades comprises 60 species distributed mainly in the Northern Andes, the clade that contains the generic type, Diplostephium ericoides, contains 48 species, and primarily inhabits the Central Andes. Here, I propose to reinstate the generic name Piofontia and transfer to it the species of Diplostephium in the Northern Andean clade. Piofontia consists, then, of 60 species of woody subshrubs, shrubs, and small trees inhabiting high Andean forests and páramos of Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. A morphological description is provided for the genus Piofontia along with a species list with 60 new combinations. Dysaster cajamarcensis is shown to be a synonym of Diplostephium serratifolium. Finally, a brief discussion about themorphological evolution of South American Astereae is provided.

Manfreda santana-michelii is described from ecotone areas between open pine-oak forest and savannoid vegetation in the northern range of the Sierra Madre del Sur, in western Mexico. Morphologically, the new species resembles M. involuta and M. singuliflora, but differs from both of these by the development of denticulate margins on the leaves, racemose inflorescences, two pedicellate, tubulate, ascending flowers per node, a straight perigone tube, and 0.3–0.5 cm long filaments that are inserted just at the base of the perigone lobes. Illustrations, photographs for the new species and similar taxa, and a key to identify Manfreda in western Mexico accompany the description.

Heteranthera longirachilla is a new species described from collections made since the 1960s that were mainly determined as H. reniformis. It is commonly found in streams and waterbodies in the Atlantic Forest and Recôncavo Basin of Bahia, Brazil, and can be distinguished by its long inflorescence rachis that surpasses the spathe apex, and glabrous (rarely with some sparse, short trichomes) filament of the longest stamen. The new species is described and illustrated. A distribution map of the Heteranthera reniformis complex in Brazil and an identification key to all Neotropical Heteranthera species are also provided.

For over 40 yr, Sumatroscirpus (Sumatroscirpeae, Cyperaceae) has been treated as a monospecific genus endemic to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This genus possesses sheathing fertile prophylls that have recently been shown to be homologous with the perigynia of Carex, its highly diverse sister-group (>2000 species, Cariceae). In this taxonomic revision, we recognize four species in Sumatroscirpus and extend its range into Vietnam, Myanmar, and Southwestern China.We divide the genus into two sections: 1) Sumatroscirpus sect. Sumatroscirpus, characterized by a cespitose habit, green leaf sheaths, large dense inflorescences, and long perianth bristles with dense antrorse barbs; and 2) Sumatroscirpus sect. Paniculatocorymbosi comb. nov., characterized by a rhizomatous habit, red leaf sheaths, small open inflorescences, and reduced perianth bristles with few to no barbs. Sumatroscirpus junghuhnii, Sumatroscirpus minor comb. nov., and Sumatroscirpus rupestris sp. nov., are placed in Sumatroscirpus sect. Sumatroscirpus. The distinctive Sumatroscirpus paniculatocorymbosus is placed in Sumatroscirpus sect. Paniculatocorymbosi. A lectotype is designated for Scirpus junghuhnii var. minor, the basionym of Sumatroscirpus minor. Identification keys to Cyperaceae tribes possessing fertile prophylls, and to Sumatroscirpus species, are provided,with descriptions, illustrations, distributionmaps, and conservation status assessments for each species. We make a detailed account of the inflorescence morphology of Sumatroscirpus, with special reference to the perigynium. In light of our results, we highlight the importance of herbaria and general collecting for species discovery and conservation. We also discuss the biogeography of Sumatroscirpus, which illustrates a well-known biogeographic link between the Sino-Himalayan and Sundaland mountain floras.

Mimosa is a megadiverse genus of pantropical and subpantropical distribution. High morphological variability at infraspecific levels has often led to problems in the delimitation of taxa and the formation of taxonomic complexes. Here, on cleared leaflets of 20 taxa of the Dolentes-Brevipedes taxonomic complex, we describe three major venation types: acrodromous, parallelodromous, and brochidodromous. We provide a detailed description of variability among each one, leading to the establishment of two and five subtypes within the acrodromous and brochidodromous taxa, respectively. Venation architecture clearly differentiates three species within Mimosa subseries Brevipedes: M. brevipes with acrodromous, M. fernandez-casasii with parallelodromous venation, and M. diversipila by its brochidodromous weak pattern. Three varieties are also recognizable in brochidodromous subseries Dolentes: M. dolens var. anisitsii with round pattern, M. dolens var. eriophylla and M. dolens var. rudis with ample pattern.

Bredia repens (Melastomataceae; Sonerileae), a species occurring in central and western Hunan, China and previously identified as B. longiloba in Chinese herbaria, is described as new based on morphological andmolecular data. Stamen morphology and molecular phylogenetic data strongly support the generic placement of B. repens within Bredia. Gross morphology and sequence divergence of the nrITS and chloroplast trnVtrnM regions indicate that B. repens is well differentiated from its close relatives, and thus should be treated as a distinct species. The new species is easily distinguished from B. longiloba by its prostrate lower stem with adventitious roots, the uppermost part erect to 13 cm tall, and cymeswith only one to four flowers. It resembles B. changii and B. microphylla in the prostrate habit, small leaf bladewith the abaxial surface usually purplish-red, and few-flowered cymes, but markedly differs from the former in that its uppermost stem part is erect, and from the latter in its denticulate leaf margin.

Trembleya warmingii is transferred to Poteranthera based on its herbaceous habit, elongate internodes, spreading gland-tipped trichomes on foliar margins, and floral morphology. A revised description of P. warmingii is provided along with an illustration based on the type, a diagnostic key, a distribution map of the five currently recognized species in Poteranthera, an updated circumscription of Poteranthera, and comments on its generic delimitation.

As recognized traditionally and until recently, Simaba ferruginea A.St.-Hil. sensu Engler was a polymorphic taxon with a disjunct distribution on dry formations of central and northeastern Brazil, and the northernmost region of Colombia and adjacent Venezuela. A detailed morphological survey of this complex based on fieldwork and herbarium specimens recovered three closely related but clearly distinct groups of plants, including a new species endemic to La Guajira, Colombia. A recentmolecular phylogenetic study strongly corroborates the relatedness of the three groups and places them in the genus Homalolepis. Each group, herein treated as a distinct species, has distinctive morphological features, specific habitat preferences, and is allopatric from the other groups. Homalolepis ferruginea sensu strictu is endemic to the cerrado formation on the Brazilian Central Plateau. Homalolepis bahiensis, reinstated here as a distinct species, occurs along the sandy coastal plains in northeastern Brazil. Homalolepis guajirensis is described as a new species, and it is endemic to La Guajira peninsula in Colombia. We present a table and a key to distinguish the three species, full descriptions, geographical and ecological data, and assess the conservation status for each, following IUCN criteria.

Four new species of Marsdenia (M. avacanoeira, M. minutiflora, M. rupestris, and M. serpentina) endemic to the Cerrado domain are described and illustrated here. We also provide a geographical distribution map and notes about the species, as well as an identification key for the species of Marsdenia that occur in the Cerrado.

Two new species of Psyllocarpus sect. Psyllocarpus are here described and illustrated. Psyllocarpus bahiensis and Psyllocarpus scatignae, from the campo rupestre s. l. of Bahia and Minas Gerais states, respectively. We provide comments on their distribution, habitat, conservation status, and taxonomy. In addition, we analysed floral, fruit, and seed micromorphology, aswell as pollen grains of the new species. We also provide an updated identification key to the species of P. sect. Psyllocarpus.

During the study of Brazilian genera of the Inuleae-Plucheinae (Asteraceae), we have encountered a specimen representing an undescribed species, here described as Tessaria andina. The new species is characterized by having puberulous, tomentose, lanate, or glabrescent indumentum on its branches, a tomentose abaxial leaf surface, leaves with an apically serrate margin, corymbiform inflorescences, a cream to yellowish involucre, erect inner involucral bracts, and the corolla of male flowers with short-stalked glands and trichomes. So far, only one collection of this new species has been made, and that was more than forty years ago. The new species is described, illustrated, and its affinities are discussed. Furthermore, during this investigation we found out that the name Tessaria boliviensis is a nomen nudum, applied to material here shown to belong to Tessaria fastigiata. An identification key to the species of Tessaria is also presented.

Stephanomeria occultata , a new diploid (2n = 16) species of wirelettuce endemic to the Weber River drainage of northern Utah, is herein described, and a key to all perennial members of the genus is provided. The populations of S. occultata occur in unstable gravelly slopes in close proximity to the Weber River between 590–1650min elevation. Stephanomeria occultata is characterized from other species in the region by its large growth habit, which is up to 1mtall, numerous stems, well-developed tomentose leaves, and large number of ray florets (8–14). Information on habitat, ecology, distribution, taxonomic relationships, conservation, as well as maps, photographs, and illustrations are provided. The two populations of S. occultata may contain as few as 200 genets with up to 500 ramets and these small populations are vulnerable to encroaching weeds and anthropogenic disturbance.

The genus Campuloclinium belongs to the tribe Eupatorieae, one of the largest and most complex tribes of the Compositae family in the Neotropical Region. This genus encompasses suffruticose perennial plants and one annual herbaceous species. They are mainly distributed in southeastern South America, the Brazilian cerrado and campos rupestres being the center of diversity. It is characterized by displaying highly hemispherical or conical, glabrous, and scrobiculate receptacles, and elongate achenes with a narrowly stipitate base, five pale prominent ribs, and carpopodium expanded in a narrow basal ring. The first worldwide revision of this genus recognizing 12 species is presented here. In this new taxonomic treatment C. eiteniorum has been synonymized to C. chlorolepis, C. hatschbachii to C. irwinii, and C. hickenii to C. macrocephalum. Twenty names are lectotypified, seven new synonyms are proposed, and the required combination C. scabrum is made. Descriptions and distribution maps are provided for all the accepted species, as well as an identification key and pictures for some of them.

This study reports a new species of Eryngium (Apiaceae, Saniculoideae) from the desert scrubs, in the south of the III Atacama Region, Chile. This new species is singular within the genus by its succulency in vegetative and reproductive leaves.Weprovide a morphological description, the geographical distribution, habitat, informal IUCN conservation status assessment, and illustrations of this new species. We also describe the anatomical and morphological differences between Eryngium crassifolium and E. macracanthum, its most similar species.

Here we describe Pittosporum roimata, the only vascular plant endemic to the Poor Knights Islands, Northland, Aotearoa/New Zealand. This new species has previously been referred to as a distinct yellow-flowered variant of Pittosporum cornifolium (tāwhiri karo, wharewhareatua), a morphologically similar epiphytic shrub known from both main islands of New Zealand as well as other offshore islands. We have segregated this new species from P. cornifolium based on morphology, DNA sequence variation, as well as distribution. Pittosporum roimata is distinguished from P. cornifolium by flowers with yellow petals, larger inflorescences, and producing several terminal fruits per stem. Herbarium specimens of P. roimata statistically have larger leaves and shorter petioles than specimens of P. cornifolium. Pittosporum roimata is locally common on the islands of Tawhiti Rahi, Aorangi, and Aorangaia, growing on rocky substrates associated with Xeronema callistemon (raupo taranga) and Metrosideros excelsa (pōhutukawa). Using the current New Zealand Threat Classification System, we suggest a preliminary classification of this new species as ‘at risk/naturally uncommon’ qualified data poor [DP], one location [OL].