Primulina guangxiensis sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from a karst cave in Guangxi,China

Primulina guangxiensis Yan Liu & W. B. Xu, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is related to Primulina tabacum Hance, but differs in the leaf blade being obliquely ovate to obliquely oblong‐ovate, 2.5–6.0×1.3–4.3 cm, eith margin entire to repand and base inequilateral, petiole slimly terete, 1.5–6.0 cm long, ca 2–3 mm across, cymes 1–2‐branched, 1–5‐flowered and corolla tube hypocrateriform, 20–25 mm long, 2 mm across. The new species is rare, currently known only from one site in a karst cave in western Guangxi.     

Raphiocarpus tamdaoensis sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Vietnam

A new species of Gesneriaceae, Raphiocarpus tamdaoensis V. X. Phuong, D. T. Xuyen & Y. G. Wei, is described and illustrated from Vietnam. It is similar to R. asper (Drake) B. L. Burtt and R. evrardii (Pellegr.) B. L. Burtt, but is easily differentiated by leaf blades being ovate–elliptic or obovate, 4–10 × 1.5–3.5 cm, one cyme with only one flower, peduncle linear, 3.0–5.0 cm long, corolla light yellow, 3.0–4.5 cm long, and a pubescent ovary.     

Goniothalamus banii sp. nov. (Annonaceace) from Thanh Hoa,Vietnam

A new species of Goniothalamus (Blume) Hook.f. & Thomson (Annonaceae), G. banii B. H. Quang, R. K. Choudhary & V.T. Chinh, is described and illustrated from Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. This species shows morphological similarities with G. uvarioides King and G. donnaiensis Finet & Gagnep. but is differentiated by having 22–30 (or more) secondary veins in the leaf, a 1–3‐flowered cyme, a ca 2–3 cm long pedicel, lanceolate and tomentose outer petals, stipitate obovoid‐oblong monocarps, and a single‐seeded monocarp.     

Hemiboea sinovietnamica sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from a limestone area along the boundary of Sino‐Vietnam

Hemiboea sinovietnamica W. B. Xu & X. Y. Zhuang, a new species of Gesneriaceae from a limestone area along the boundary of Sino‐Vietnam, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to H. longgangensis Z. Y. Li with its yellowish corolla, but differs in having leaf blades glabrous on both sides, involucre trigonous, 2–3 cm in diameter, glabrous outside, glabrous cymes, a white calyx that is glabrous outside, and glabrous pistil and capsule.     

Onosma maculata sp. nov. (Boraginaceae) from Iran

Onosma maculata Ranjbar & Almasi, a new Boraginaceae species endemic to Iran, is described and illustrated. The new species belongs to Onosma sect. Onosma subsect. Onosma. It is closely related to O. nervosa Riedl, but is easily distinguished by its spotted stem and peduncle (vs no spots), leaves 14–23 cm long (vs leaves 4–12 cm long), pedicel 5–15 mm long (vs pedicel 3–5 mm long), higher density of hairs, and glabrous nutlet (vs villous). Moreover, meiotic chromosome number and behavior were studied in two populations of the new species and it was found to be diploid with 2n = 2x = 16.     

Lysionotus fengshanensis Yan Liu & D. X. Nong sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Guangxi,China

Lysionotus fengshanensis Yan Liu & D. X. Nong, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. Lysionotus fengshanensis is very similar to L. longipedunculatus (W. T. Wang) W. T. Wang, but differs by the peduncle being 2–4 cm long and purple, corolla campanulate, 2.5–3.0 cm long, 1.5–1.7 cm in diameter at the mouth, filaments slightly geniculate near the middle, apex of filaments with gland and staminodes 3.     

Aristolochia bidoupensis sp. nov. from southern Vietnam

Aristolochia bidoupensis Do sp. nov. is newly described. This new species, currently only known from southern Vietnam, is most similar to Aristolochia faviogonzalezii (northern Vietnam) and A. moupinensis (China), but can be distinguished from the latter two by the following characters: flowers terminal, axillary, solitary, peduncle 1.3–1.5 cm long, bracteole ovate, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, limb discoid‐shaped with three expanded lobes, not revolute, internal surface uniformly dark purple, smooth, throat uniformly golden without dots. Morphological characters such as a 3‐lobed gynostemium and a 3‐lobed limb place the new species in A. subgen. Siphisia.     

Saussurea xinjiangensis sp. nov. (Asteraceae,Cardueae), a new species from Xinjiang,China

Saussurea xinjiangensis Y. S. Chen, a new species from Xinjiang, China, is described and illustrated. It was first found during a field expedition by the author in 2014. It belongs to S. subgen. Saussurea sect. Laguranthera because its root and caudex split fibrously and it has numerous capitula in a corymbiform synflorescence. The new species is similar to S. mucronulata in its habit, strongly fibrous rootstock and caudex, sessile linear leaves and capitula shortly pedunculated in a corymbiform synflorescence. However, it differs from S. mucronulata by its usually branched stems (versus usually simple or apically few-branched), lower leaf blade 8–12 cm long and 0.5–1.8 cm wide (versus 3–5 cm long and 0.2–0.5 cm wide), leaves abaxially sparsely arachnoid tomentose (versus densely arachnoid tomentose), phyllary white arachnoid tomentose and green to brown (versus glabrous and blackish purple).     

Aristolochia bhamoensis sp. nov. (Aristolochiaceae) and a diagnostic key to all known A. subgen. Siphisia species from Myanmar

Aristolochia bhamoensis from Myanmar is here described and illustrated. This new species is morphologically similar to A. faviogonzalezii (confined to northern Vietnam) and A. cathcartii (growing in the Himalayan region) but is distinguished from the latter two species by having a cream‐white upper part of the perianth tube, with visible purple ridges, a trumpet‐shaped limb, 5.0–5.5 cm diameter, inner surface of limb lobes densely covered with dark‐purple bristles, a nearly circular mouth, 3.2–3.5 cm wide, upper half of throat being dark‐purple to blackish, without striations or dots, and lower half purple, with conspicuous white striation. Morphological characters such as a 3‐lobed gynostemium and a 3‐lobed limb support a placement of the new species in the subgenus Siphisia. A diagnostic key is provided to the seven Siphisia species known from Myanmar.     

Primulina minor sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from a limestone cave in Hunan,China

Primulina minor from the Daoxian county, Hunan province in China is described. This new species is similar to Primulina jingxiensis (Yan Liu, W. B. Xu & H. S. Gao) W. B. Xu & K. F. Chung and P. longzhouensis (B. Pan & W. H. Wu) W. B. Xu & K. F. Chung, but differs by its number of leaves (4–6), broadly ovate, orbicular‐ovate or orbicular leaf blade, 2–4 cymes, short peduncle (1.8–2.0 cm long), white (or white with light purple tinge) corolla, small corolla (8–10 mm long), 3 staminoides of which the lateral ones are short (0.75–0.90 mm long) and adnate to 1.6–1.7 mm above the corolla base.     

Bupleurum shanianum sp. nov. (Apiaceae) from China

Bupleurum shanianum X. G. Ma & X. J. He, previously recognized in China as B. gracillimum, is proposed here as a new species. This new species and B. gracillimum differ in many morphological characters (flowering stem position, bract size, number of flowers per umbellule) and have non‐overlapping distribution ranges. Bupleurum shanianum is most similar to B. yunnanense Franch., but the new species has shorter cauline leaves, and umbellules usually with 4 bracteoles and 3–6(–9) flowers. Bupleurum shanianum is known from eastern Himalayas to western Sichuan.     

Hemiboea lutea sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Guangxi,China

Hemiboea lutea F. Wen, G. Y. Liang & Y. G. Wei, a new species in Gesneriaceae is described and illustrated from Guangxi, China. It differs from the similar species H. cavaleriei by having sessile or subsessile leaves, longer peduncles (6–10 cm), spheroidal or triangular‐spheroidal subinvolucre, 5‐divided calyx with lobes fused for 1/3 of their length, revolute and uncinate apex of calyx lobes, larger bright yellow corolla (5–7 cm long), longer staminodes with indistinctively uncinate anther and longer pistil (3.5–3.7 cm).     

Saussurea pseudograminea sp. nov. (Asteraceae) from the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau,China

Morphological characteristics, as well as ultrastructure of pollen grains, chromosome numbers and karyotype analysis have been used to establish a new species of Saussurea from the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau. The new species, Saussurea pseudograminea Y. F. Wang, G. Z. Du et Y. S. Lian is easily distinguished from the similar S. graminea Dunn by having 2–3 capitula, involucre 0.7–1.2 cm in diameter, smaller pollen grains, pollen surface with larger and denser spines, achenes 4.0–5.5 mm long, 32 chromosomes, and a karyotype formula 2n = 2x = 32 = 18m + 10sm + 4st, whereas S. graminea has solitary capitula, involucre 1.2–2.0 cm in diameter, larger pollen grains, pollen surface with smaller and sparser spines, achenes 3–4 mm long, 28 chromosomes and a karyotype formula 2n = 2x = 28 = 6m + 20sm + 2st. The new species is distributed in Dianzhangou, Awanchang, and Gamaliang mountain regions of Maqu county in Gansu province.     

Primulina suichuanensis sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Danxia landform in Jiangxi,China

Primulina suichuanensis X. L. Yu & J. J. Zhou, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Jiangxi, China, is described and illustrated. Morphologically, the new species is most similar to P. roseoalba, but differs by entire leaf blade margin, narrowly ovate bracts, reddish–purple or bluish–purple corolla, 3.0–3.4 cm long corolla tube, white filaments, and 3.6 cm long pistil. It flowers from September to November.     

Murdannia nampyana (Commelinaceae) sp. nov. from Kerala,India

Murdannia nampyana sp. nov. (Commelinaceae), collected from a marshy riparian area by the Kadambrayar River, near Bhramapuram Diesel Power Project, Kakkanad, Ernakulam district, Kerala is described. The new species can be distinguished from the similar species M. spirata G.Brückn. by its creeping habit, up to 1.5 m long with no definite base (vs erect, ascending, decumbent habit, with or without definite base), 1.1–2.2 cm wide flower diameter (vs 0.65–0.80 cm), petals 1.1 × 0.5–0.7 cm (vs 0.35–0.40 × 0.25–0.35 cm), 0.6–0.5–0.9 cm long stamen filaments (vs 0.06–0.15 cm), 0.20–0.25 cm long staminode filaments, (vs 0.06–0.15 cm), 2–3 smooth seeds per locule, with ridges and furrows and 1–2 small ventral depression on both side of the linear hilum and dorsal embryotega (vs 3–4 verrucose seeds per locule, with ridges and warts, 1–3 deep ventral pits on both side of elliptic hilum, edges of pits surrounded by warts, brownish powdery material in the testa and semidorsal embryotega).     

Pterygiella trichosepala (Orobanchaceae), sp. nov. from Yunnan,southwest China

Pterygiella trichosepala (Orobanchaceae) is described and illustrated as a new species endemic to Yunnan, southwest China. It grows in calcareous grasslands or scrubs at elevations of 2000–2600 m a.s.l. This new species is closely related to P. nigrescens Oliv., but clearly differs from the latter by being pilose–hirsute throughout, with stems simple or rarely branched, 10–30 cm tall, and leaves 10–20 mm long and 3–6 mm wide (with L/W ratio 3.5–5.0), racemose inflorescences, and calyx 13–20 mm long and 8–13 mm in diameter; moreover its seed micromorphological features are significantly different from those of P. nigrescens.     

Pterygiella luzhijiangensis sp. nov. (Orobanchaceae), a new procumbent species from Yunnan,southwest China

Pterygiella luzhijiangensis Huan C. Wang, is described and illustrated as a new species endemic to Yunnan, southwest China. It occurs in thickets of the Luzhijiang hot‐dry valley at elevations of 1000–1300 m a.s.l. This new species is closely related to P. duclouxii Franch., but clearly differs from the latter by its procumbent stems, much branched at the base, 7–20 cm long, the leaves 1.0–2.2 cm long, 0.1–0.2 (0.25) cm wide, the corolla 2.0–2.2 cm long, obviously longer than the calyx, with the lower lip of the corolla much longer than the upper one.     

DUDRESNAYA PATULA SP. NOV., AN UNUSUAL DEEP-WATER RED ALGA FROM FLORIDA1

Dudresnaya patula sp. nov. is described from 30–60 m depth on the east coast of Florida. The plant grows to a height of at least 10 cm, has flattened axes and main branches to 2 cm wide and 3 mm thick, and has unusually long female reproductive branches. The new species is compared to other Dudresnaya species in habitat, vegetative structure, and reproductive morphology.     

Machilus parapauhoi sp. nov. and a new synonym of Machilus (Lauraceae) from east Asia

A new species of the genus Machilus Nees (Lauraceae) from China, M. parapauhoi F. N. Wei, S. C. Tang & W. B. Xu is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to M. pauhoi Kanehira, but differs in its densely appressed pubescent branchlets and petioles, shorter petiole, 0.8–1.2 cm long and an infructescence conspicuously shorter than the leaf. It is also similar to M. kwangtungensis Yang, but differs by its oblique leaves, with falcately curved apex and 14–18 lateral veins on both sides of the midrib. Based on a study of the type and isotype specimens of M. balansae (Airy Shaw) F. N. Wei & S. C. Tang and M. grandifolia S. Lee & F. N. Wei, M. grandifolia is regarded as a new synonym of M. balansae.