A phylogenetic analysis of nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (nrDNA ITS) sequences of the species of Carum (Umbelliferae, Apioideae) in its traditional circumscription is provided. The sampling includes also a wide spectrum of taxa across subfamily Apioideae, to identify the relationships of the various disparate elements so far united in Carum. The molecular analysis has been supplemented by an analysis of fruit and petal morphology of several critical species of Carum and beyond. Carum in its traditional interpretation is confirmed to be polyphyletic; it includes at least seven independent evolutionary lines. C. carvi, which provides the type of the generic name, and only four Caucasian and Near Eastern species, C. caucasicum, C. meifolium, C. grossheimii, C. porphyrocoleon, make up Carum s.str., while their relationship to Grammosciadium, Chamaesciadium and Fuernrohria in the same clade needs further studies. The rare Caucasian Carum komarovii as well as the W Asian Pimpinella anthriscoides and the Japanese Chamaele decumbens are closely related to and united here with Aegopodium. Carum verticillatum, for which a sister group relationship to the Oenantheae clade is revealed, is restored as the monotypic genus Trocdaris. The previous transfer of the S Siberian and Middle Asian Carum atrosanguineum to Vicatia is confirmed. Pimpinella cruciata clusters with and is included in the genus Tamamschjanella. Three new nomenclatural combinations, Aegopodium decumbens, A. komarovii and Tamamschjanella cruciata, are published.

Some taxonomic amendments for the genera Dysphania and Atriplex are given. Three species of Dysphania are recognised in the central and eastern Himalaya and on the southern Tibetan plateau: two native species, D. nepalensis and D. bhutanica, the latter here described as new to science, and one introduced species, D. ambroisioides, whereas the presence of D. botrys and D. schraderiana, formerly reported from the area, is not confirmed. Features relevant for the delimitation of these taxa are discussed. The combination D. bonariensis is published. A new species, Atriplex brenanii, formerly misidentified with A. halimus var. granulata, is described from East Tropical Africa, while the occurrence of A. halimus in this region is not confirmed. A. asphaltitis, an enigmatic taxon described from the Dead Sea area, is synonymised with the Australian A. nummularia, which is spreading as an alien in the S Mediterranean.

Pilosella lactocantabrica of P. sect. Auriculina, found in the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain, is described as a species new to science and its affinities are discussed. Two intermediate species related to P. lactocantabrica, viz. P. pseudopanticosae and P. adenocantabrica, are also described as new to science and their origins are discussed. Images of the holotypes of the names of the three new species and an identification key to these three and seven similar species discussed are provided.

Two species of Taraxacum sect. Palustria from the regions of Campania (southern Italy) and Tuscany (central Italy), respectively, are described as new to science: T. annalisae (2n = 32) and T. mannoccii (2n = 24). Morphological, cytotaxonomic and distributional data are illustrated and discussed.

Recent research has identified a new species of the genus Scaligeria, the rhizomatous perennial S. alziarii, endemic to Cyprus. Prior to the discovery of this species, the biennial S. napiformis was the only identified taxon of the genus in Cyprus. Molecular studies corroborate the placement of the new taxon in Scaligeria and its rank as a separate species.

A new aroid species endemic to northern Madagascar, Carlephyton darainense, is described and illustrated. The new species differs from the similar C. madagascariense by the male flowers with laxly arranged synandria, each consisting of two stamens with the filaments basally connate but apically free and turned horizontally, and a long cylindric style in the female flowers, whereas in C. madagascariense the male flowers have densely arranged synandria, each consisting of two to six completely connate stamens, and a short conical style in female flowers. The distribution and ecology of C. darainense are briefly discussed, a comparison with the three other species of the genus and a key to all four species are included.

Willdenow published the name Glycine floribunda, but it was not based on any dried or living specimen. This has led to problems concerning the identity of the plant that is native in Japan and Korea and is also cultivated as an ornamental vine in temperate zones world-wide. The discovery of this species by Europeans, placed in Wisteria by A. P. Candolle, its naming, nomenclature and typification are discussed. The identity of two later synonyms, W. macrobotrys and W. multijuga, is clarified. Lectotypes are chosen for them and for the distinctly different species W. brachybotrys as well as its widely used synonym W. venusta. In addition, a new combination is made for the associated taxon W. brachybotrys f. albiflora.

Homalomena tirtae from Mount Sidi, Kalimantan Timur, is described as a species new to science and illustrated from living plants. It is the fourth described species of the Borneensis Complex and the first recorded for eastern Borneo. A key to and a comparison plate with the spadices of the four species of the Borneensis Complex is provided.

Piptospatha pileata, a new species of the Araceae tribe Schismatoglottideae from Kalimantan Timur province, Indonesian Borneo, is described, comparatively illustrated and delimited from P. burbidgei and P. elongata, and included in a revised key to the species of the genus.

Two new species of the Schismatoglottis Calyptrata Group are described from Malaysian Borneo. One, S. heterodoxa, is the second rheophytic species ever recorded for the Calyptrata Group. The other, S. ranchanensis, is lithophytic, a rather rare life form for that group. A key to the Bornean rheophytic and lithophytic species of the Calyptrata Group is given and both novelties are illustrated.

Two taxonomically novel Aridarum species, A. kazuyae and A. orientale, are described from Kalimantan Timur, Indonesian Borneo. They are most similar to A. burttii from Sarawak, and together with A. minimum from Kalimantan Barat represent a morphotaxon, here called the Burttii Complex, defined by staminate flowers comprised of one stamen with an obliquely excavated expanded connective, hemispherical interstice staminodes, a spathe limb deliquescing acroscopically from its junction with the lower persistent portion and leaf blades with adaxially prominently raised primary lateral veins. Recognition of the new species proposed here takes the genus Aridarum to 12 accepted species. A key to all Aridarum species is provided, the two new species are illustrated and a comparison plate of the spadices of the four species assigned to the Burttii Complex as well as notes on the defining morphological features of this species group and some brief observations on pollination are given.

Philodendron geniculatum is described as a species new to science and illustrated. This species has been in cultivation for decades in the USA, Europe and Asia (Taiwan), but has not flowered until recently. It is characterised by a conspicuous geniculum on the apex of the subterete petiole, by an elliptic leaf blade with a thick, whitish midrib, many parallel primary lateral veins on each side, an auriculate base and a cuspidate apex, as well as by persistent red cataphylls drying brown soon and becoming fibrous later. P. geniculatum has a single inflorescence with a striking spathe, outside burgundy-red in the lower part and intensively red in the upper part. The species is morphologically closest and probably related to P. scherberichii, from which we delimit it.

A recent study of about 2500 specimens from 23 herbaria globally complemented a taxonomic study of Cuban species of the genus Polystichum that has been carried out since 2000. Three new taxa of Cuban Polystichum are described: P. decoratum subsp. habanense, P. guajaibonense and P. sanchezii. The differences to allied species are discussed for each taxon. P. decoratum subsp. habanense, endemic to western Cuba, can be distinguished from the nominal subspecies, endemic to eastern Cuba, by the leaf morphology, the presence of a basiscopic auricle on the basal pinnae, pinna margin and position of the sori. P. guajaibonense is endemic to western Cuba and, based on the proliferous flagelliform apex, can be confused with P. machaerophyllum and P. ilicifolium, two species from eastern Cuba, from which it can nevertheless easily be distinguished by the conduplicate petiole scales and the conspicuously serrate margin immediately above the auricles. P. sanchezii co-occurs in central Cuba with P. trapezoides and can be separated from it by the 1-pinnate frond, shorter leaf apices, crenate pinna margin, sharply triangular pinnae auricles and the irregular and bicolored indusium margin. Pictures of the type specimens of each taxon are also provided.

This is the sixth of a series of miscellaneous contributions, by various authors, where hitherto unpublished data relevant to the Euro Med (or Sisyphus) Project are presented. This instalment deals with the families Cyatheaceae, Pteridaceae and Gramineae, including new country and area records for taxa of Avena, Bromus, Chloris, Eleusine, Eragrostis, Nassella, Paspalum, Sphaeropteris, Sporobolus, and the validation of names in the genus Allosorus.

Continuing a series of miscellaneous contributions, by various authors, where hitherto unpublished data relevant to the Med-Checklist project are presented, this instalment deals with the families Cupressaceae; Amaranthaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Compositae, Crassulaceae, Labiatae, Leguminosae, Linaceae, Portulacaceae, Primulaceae, Rosaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Umbelliferae; Cyperaceae, Gramineae, Hydrocharitaceae, Iridaceae and Liliaceae. It includes new country and area records, taxonomic and distributional considerations. A new species is described in Poa; new combinations are proposed in Calamintha, Noaea, Oenanthe, Ornithogalum, Pilosella and Trifolium.

The floral development of Syngonium angustatum is analysed in the context of a recently published molecular phylogeny of the Araceae. The initiation of discoid floral primordia occurs acropetally on the surface of the inflorescence. Female flowers, atypical bisexual flowers, sterile male flowers and male flowers are inserted on the same phyllotactic spirals on the spadix. Stamen primordia are initiated simultaneously on the periphery of more or less circular floral primordia. There are four stamens per flower (rarely three). In a synandrium, the fusion of stamens occurs very early during their developmental cycle. In some flowers one or two stamens remain free. The staminodes are also initiated on the periphery of the discoid floral primordium and their number varies from four to six. The growth of the fused staminodes will eventually form a longitudinal cavity in the centre of the mature synandrode. On the synandrodes located near the female zone, one or two staminodes remain free during development. No atypical bisexual flowers were observed on the inflorescence of Syngonium. The presence of a few calcium oxalate crystals was observed on the surface of all types of flowers. All the atypical flowers located at the base of the sterile zone corresponded to sterile male flowers and resulted from a more or less random disorganisation of the typical structure of a synandrode. In the Aroideae, free stamens or staminodes represent a plesiomorphic condition. The association of synandria and synandrodes is present in all early diverging genera of the tribe Caladieae and could represent the ancestral state. It is not clear if free stamens have evolved once or twice in the tribe Caladieae, both scenarios are possible.

The reproductive mechanisms and chromosome numbers have been investigated of the Cyprian endemics Limonium cyprium and L. mucronulatum, as well as of L. aucheri, L. avei, L. meyeri and L. virgatum, which also occur on the island of Cyprus. Their taxonomy is considered and the correlation between their breeding systems and cytology is discussed. L. aucheri and L. cyprium are apomictic and their chromosome numbers, 2n = 5x = 43 and 2n = 3x = 27 respectively, are reported here for the first time. For L. mucronulatum no chromosome number could be established, but pollen and stigma features indicate that it is apomictic too. L. meyeri is sexual with 2n = 2x = 18 (first report), while L. avei and L. virgatum are apomictic with 2n = 3x = 27.