Taxonomic inventory and distributions of Chenopodiaceae (Amaranthaceae s.l.) in Orenburg Region, Russia.

Background: Orenburg Region is located in the South Urals, mostly in the steppe zone and is characterised by various landscapes suitable for many Chenopodiaceae. The species of Chenopodiaceae are present in all major plant communities (saline vegetation, steppes, on limestone, chalk and sand, and as degraded or ruderal communities). In the steppe zone, many native subshrubby species (Atriplexcana, Caroxylonlaricinum, Suaedaphysophora) playing a crucial role in semi-deserts (known as southern steppes in the recent Russian literature) located southwards of Orenburg Region are locally found, and several annuals (Salicorniaperennans, Suaeda spp.) are most common dominants in plant communities. Some typical semi-desert species (Kalidiumfoliatum, Bassiahyssopifolia, Sodafoliosa, Spirobassiahirsuta) are found in the easternmost part of the region. New information: We compiled a checklist of Chenopodiaceae in Orenburg Region, with two new records (Chenopodiumvirgatum, Corispermumlaxiflorum), based on our critical revision, comprehensive inventory of herbarium specimens and documented observations and field research. In total, we report 76 species in the Region, which is the third-highest number of the Chenopodiaceae species compared with other administrative territories of European Russia, North Caucasus and West Siberia. Alien and native taxa are distinguished. Zonal patterns of species distributions are confirmed. A preliminary conservation status is proposed for each native species. Three species are recommended for exclusion from the Red Data Book of Orenburg Region: Petrosimoniatriandra (because of its extensive distribution), Kalidiumfoliatum and Anabasissalsa (because of the lack of actual threat to their populations). Arthrophytumlehmannianum and Salsolarosacea are considered threatened (Vulnerable) because of their restricted occurrence and population size and because their localities are under anthropogenic pressure. Atriplexhortensis, Atriplexrosea, Chenopodiumacuminatum, C.karoi, C.praetericola, C.vulvaria, Climacopteraaffinis, C.crassa, Halimocnemiskarelinii, Salsolapaulsenii and Xylosalsolaarbuscula are excluded from the checklist, based on various reasons as discussed in the paper. Point distribution maps are provided for each species. Agriophyllumpungens (Vahl) Link is accepted as the correct authorship instead of "M.Bieb. ex C.A.Mey."

The Taxonomic Circumscription and Nomenclatural History of Pilosella suecica (Asteraceae): A Special Case of Grey Literature in Taxonomic Botany.

The taxonomic history, nomenclature and application of the oldest species names available for the common hybrids between Pilosella caespitosa and P. lactucella are reviewed. Elias Fries created a nomenclatural and bibliographical collision when he replaced a printed label of his exsiccata Herbarium normale with its second version, distributed at a later date, in which the protologue of Hieracium suecicum had appeared. In this protologue, the new species name was validly published with a mere reference to the original description of H. auricula var. majus, thus being based on the type of the latter. In a later fascicle of the same exsiccata, Fries excluded this synonym and distributed a different morphotype of H. suecicum, which caused taxonomic confusion and re-description of the same taxon under the name H. fennicum. The surviving original material of H. auricula var. majus is rejected, and its neotype is designated, making H. suecicum the correct name for the hybrids strictly intermediate between P. lactucella and P. caespitosa. Such hybrids constitute the most common hybridogenous taxon of Pilosella in Scandinavia, Finland and neighbouring Russia, with many synonyms described from this area and partly typified here. Another hybridogenous taxon of the same origin, more similar to P. lactucella and previously known as P. cochlearis, is correctly named P. stipitiflora comb. nov. The nomenclatural value and bibliographic complexity of exsiccata, a commonly underestimated kind of grey literature in taxonomic botany, are further highlighted.

Atlas Florae Europaeae notes, 35. Further critical notes on Cytisussect.Tubocytisus (Fabaceae) in Europe.

A few species names in Cytisussect.Tubocytisus are re-assessed and taxonomically evaluated. Diagnostic characters are discussed and the species status of C.absinthioides Janka, C.eriocarpus Boiss., C.frivaldszkyanus Degen, C.jankae Velen. and C.smyrnaeus Boiss. is confirmed. The holotype of Cytisustriflorus Lam. was found to belong to C.hirsutus L. rather than to the C.ratisbonensis group as currently treated. Cytisuslasiosemius Boiss. is not the correct name for C.frivaldszkyanus Degen, but another synonym of C.hirsutus. Cytisuslitwinowii V.I.Krecz., which was known solely from the holotype, is a synonym of C.austriacus L. s.str. Chamaecytisuspseudojankae Pifkó & Barina, reported from a small area shared between Albania, Greece and North Macedonia, is treated as a subalpine variant of C.austriacus. Cytisustmoleus Boiss. is removed from the synonymy of C.eriocarpus and added to the synonymy of C.pygmaeus Willd. Cytisusfalcatussubsp.albanicus Degen & Dörfl. and C.pubescens Gilib. are synonymised with C.hirsutus. Cytisusmicrophyllus Boiss. is moved from C.austriacus s.l. to the synonymy of C.frivaldszkyanus, and C.pindicola (Degen) Halácsy to the synonymy of C.jankae. Chamaecytisuscalcareus (Velen.) Kuzmanov is accepted as Cytisuscalcareus (Velen.) Sennikov & Val.N.Tikhom., comb. nov., and its distribution is circumscribed. Cytisushirsutusvar.ciliatus (Wahlenb.) Hazsl. and C.polytrichusvar.subglabratus Val.N.Tikhom. & Sennikov, var. nov. are recognised as glabrous variants of the corresponding species. Lectotypes of C.ciliatus, C.hirsutissimus K.Koch, C.jankae, C.lasiosemius, C.pubescens, C.rhodopeus J.Wagner ex Bornm. and C.thirkeanus K.Koch are designated. Cytisuspolytrichus is reported from the Western Caucasus in place of C.wulffii auct.

Atlas Florae Europaeae notes, 33. Taxonomic synopsis of East European species of the Cytisusratisbonensis group (Fabaceae).

A group of species of Cytisussect.Tubocytisus with strictly lateral inflorescences, commonly referred to as C.ratisbonensis s.l., is critically revised in Eastern Europe on the basis of morphology and comprehensive treatment of herbarium specimens and observations. Seven species and two presumed hybrids are recognised. Complete accounts are provided for each species, with synonyms, typifications, brief morphological descriptions, data on ecology and distributions, taxonomic and nomenclatural annotations. Cytisuspolonicus is described as new to science, separated from C.ratisbonensis on the basis of morphology and diploid (vs. tetraploid) chromosome count. The lectotype of C.elongatus is superseded and a new lectotype is designated; this name has priority for the species previously known as C.triflorus. Six species names are newly placed to the synonymy: Chamaecytisuspineticola under Cytisusruthenicus s. str., and Cytisusczerniaevii, C.leucotrichus, C.lindemannii, C.ponomarjovii and Chamaecytisuskorabensis under Cytisuselongatus. The presumed hybrid between C.ruthenicus and C.elongatus, which was incorrectly known as C.czerniaevii, is described here as C.semerenkoanus. Cytisuslithuanicus, which has been an obscure name since its original publication, is resurrected for a newly-recognised octoploid species, which is endemic to eastern Poland, western Belarus and north-western Ukraine. The name C.cinereus is re-instated for the species previously known as C.paczoskii, and C.horniflorus is added to its synonymy; its complete distribution area is circumscribed, and its occurrence in Austria, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia is documented. Cytisuskreczetoviczii and C.elongatus are reported for the first time from Belarus, and the latter species also from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Slovenia. Cytisusborysthenicus and C.elongatus are reported as new to some territories in European Russia. Cytisusratisbonensis s. str. is treated as absent from Eastern Europe. The neglected protologue of C.ruthenicus is discovered, and the nomenclature of all other names is verified and corrected when necessary. The original material of C.borysthenicus is re-discovered. Five further lectotypes and one neotype are designated. Distribution areas are circumscribed on the basis of numerous herbarium collections and documented observations, identified or verified by the authors. Chromosome counts published for nameless taxa from Belarus, Ukraine and Russia are assigned to the species according to their herbarium vouchers: C.borysthenicus, C.kreczetoviczii and C.lithuanicus are octoploid (2n = 100), C.ruthenicus is tetraploid (2n = 50) and octoploid (2n = 100), and C.semerenkoanus and C.elongatus are tetraploid (2n = 50).

Alien Plants of Kyrgyzstan: The First Complete Inventory, Distributions and Main Patterns.

The first inventory of casual and naturalised alien plants of Kyrgyzstan is based on an overview of published data, which were re-assessed and re-evaluated using modern standards. Altogether, 151 alien species were registered in the country, of which nearly 40% became naturalised. The total number of alien plant species and the proportion of casual aliens are relatively low due to the harsh climatic conditions (high aridity and continentality) and predominantly high elevations. The highest number of alien plant species in Kyrgyzstan originated from the Mediterranean, which can be explained by some common climatic features between this area and Central Asia, but half of the ten most harmful aliens originated from the Americas. The intensity of plant invasions was the greatest during the period of the Russian Empire and the USSR, and this rapid accumulation of alien plants continues in independent Kyrgyzstan. The uneven distribution of alien plants in Kyrgyzstan is explained by different elevations and climatic conditions across its regions, as well as by the concentration of agricultural activities and human population along warm lowland depressions. More research is required to uncover pathways and particular times of introduction and to produce detailed distribution maps.

Taxonomic revision of the Erigeronacris group (Asteraceae) in Murmansk Region, Russia, reveals a complex pattern of native and alien taxa.

Based on the evidence of morphology and a comprehensive revision of herbarium collections and field records, the taxonomy of the Erigeronacris group in Murmansk Region, European Russia, is completely revised. Its accepted diversity is increased from 2 to 8 taxa, including putative hybrids. The only native species, E.politus, is distributed in mountainous regions, along sea coasts and in the Kutsa River basin. Five species are alien: E.rigidus (previously confused with E.acris s.str.), E.acris s.str. (first recorded in the narrow taxonomic definition), E.brachycephalus (previously unrecorded), E.droebachiensis and E.uralensis (previously reported in error). Two major waves of the introduction of alien taxa are discovered, with different occurrences and species compositions. Regional and local dispersal by pomors (historical Russian settlers) occurred during their colonisation and traditional activities since the 12th century (archaeophytes or early neophytes); such alien taxa (E.rigidus, E.brachycephalus, and partly E.acris) are particularly common within the territory traditionally settled by Russian colonists but also found elsewhere along historical trade routes. Other alien species of the E.acris group (E.droebachiensis, E.uralensis, and partly E.acris and E.brachycephalus) colonised industrial areas in the 1960s-1990s as seed contaminants introduced during revegetation of slag dumps, stockyards, dams and channels. Putative hybrids between E.politus (native), E.rigidus and E.acris (aliens) are found in the places of co-occurrence. Updated nomenclature, synonymy and descriptions are provided for all accepted taxa.

Impact of the climatic changes in the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition on Irano-Turanian species. The radiation of genus Jurinea (Compositae).

The Irano-Turanian region is one of the world's richest floristic regions and the centre of diversity for numerous xerophytic plant lineages. However, we still have limited knowledge on the timing of evolution and biogeographic history of its flora, and potential drivers of diversification remain underexplored. To fill this knowledge gap, we focus on the Eurasian genus Jurinea (ca. 200 species), one of the largest plant radiations that diversified in the region. We applied a macroevolutionary integrative approach to explicitly test diversification hypotheses and investigate the relative roles of geography vs. ecology and niche conservatism vs. niche lability in speciation processes. To do so, we gathered a sample comprising 77% of total genus richness and obtained data about (1) its phylogenetic history, recovering 502 nuclear loci sequences; (2) growth forms; (3) ecological niche, compiling data of 21 variables for more than 2500 occurrences; and (4) paleoclimatic conditions, to estimate climatic stability. Our results revealed that climate was a key factor in the evolutionary dynamics of Jurinea. The main diversification and biogeographic events that occurred during past climate changes, which led to colder and drier conditions, are the following: (1) the origin of the genus (10.7 Ma); (2) long-distance dispersals from the Iranian Plateau to adjacent regions (∼7-4 Ma); and (3) the diversification shift during Pliocene-Pleistocene Transition (ca. 3 Ma), when net diversification rate almost doubled. Our results supported the pre-adaptation hypothesis, i.e., the evolutionary success of Jurinea was linked to the retention of the ancestral niche adapted to aridity. Interestingly, the paleoclimatic analyses revealed that in the Iranian Plateau long-term climatic stability favoured old-lineage persistence, resulting in current high species richness of semi-arid and cold adapted clades; whereas moderate climate oscillations stimulated allopatric diversification in the lineages distributed in the Circumboreal region. In contrast, growth form lability and high niche disparity among closely related species in the Central Asian clade suggest adaptive radiation to mountain habitats. In sum, the radiation of Jurinea is the result of both adaptive and non-adaptive processes influenced by climatic, orogenic and ecological factors.

Evolutionary imbalance, climate and human history jointly shape the global biogeography of alien plants.

Human activities are causing global biotic redistribution, translocating species and providing them with opportunities to establish populations beyond their native ranges. Species originating from certain global regions, however, are disproportionately represented among naturalized aliens. The evolutionary imbalance hypothesis posits that differences in absolute fitness among biogeographic divisions determine outcomes when biotas mix. Here, we compile data from native and alien distributions for nearly the entire global seed plant flora and find that biogeographic conditions predicted to drive evolutionary imbalance act alongside climate and anthropogenic factors to shape flows of successful aliens among regional biotas. Successful aliens tend to originate from large, biodiverse regions that support abundant populations and where species evolve against a diverse backdrop of competitors and enemies. We also reveal that these same native distribution characteristics are shared among the plants that humans select for cultivation and economic use. In addition to influencing species' innate potentials as invaders, we therefore suggest that evolutionary imbalance shapes plants' relationships with humans, impacting which species are translocated beyond their native distributions.

A new species of Atriplex (Amaranthaceae) from the Indian subcontinent.

A new subshrubby C4-species from the lowlands and foothills of India, Pakistan and SE Afghanistan, Atriplexpseudotatarica, is described and illustrated. Previously, it was incorrectly identified as A.crassifolia auct. non C.A.Mey. belonging to a distant C3-group of the genus. A phylogenetic analysis based on nrITS and nrETS revealed its position as sister to A.schugnanica (sect. Obionopsis). Both species share aphyllous inflorescence and smooth bract-like cover, but differ in life form, leaves, seed colour, and geographical distribution. We revised native Indian Atriplex species and excluded some of them from the flora of the country. An improved checklist of the native Atriplex species in India with their corrected synonymy and nomenclature is given, and a new diagnostic key is provided.

Taxonomy and nomenclature of Abutilonalbidum (Malvaceae, Malvoideae), a cryptic Saharo-Canarian species recently rediscovered in Tenerife.

Abutilonalbidum, a cryptic Saharo-Canarian species, was thought to have been last collected in 1945 in Tenerife by E.R. Sventenius. In 2019, it was rediscovered in the same area. The characteristic features of the Canarian plants are discussed, especially in relation to the morphologically similar-looking and probably closely-related species Abutilonindicum and A.bidentatum. It is concluded that the plants from Tenerife and north-western Africa indeed represent a distinct species. The species is illustrated and a key for the identification of this and related species is presented.

A new classification of C4- Atriplex species in Russia, with the first alien record of Atriplexflabellum (Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae) from North Siberia.

For a long time, the systematics of Atriplex was based solely on morphological characters and leaf anatomy. The latest worldwide phylogenetic study of Atriplex significantly improved our knowledge about the relationships within the genus, but a new classification has not been put forward thus far. Here we re-evaluate the taxonomy of C4-species of Atriplex that are native to Russia. Seven species are classified into two sections, A.sect.Obione (incl. A.sect.Sclerocalymma, syn. nov.) (A.altaica, A.centralasiatica, A.rosea, A.sibirica, and A.sphaeromorpha), and A.sect.Obionopsis (incl. A.sect.Psammophila, syn. nov.) (A.fominii and A.tatarica). Although the majority of Eurasian C4-species have similar morphology, leafy inflorescence is a typical character for A.sect.Obione. The members of A.sect.Obionopsis are characterised mostly by aphyllous inflorescences, but some species (A.laciniata, A.pratovii, and A.tornabenei) have leafy inflorescences. Geographically, almost all members of A.sect.Obione are confined to Central Asia, although A.rosea is a typical Mediterranean element and A.argentea occurs in North America. The representatives of A.sect.Obionopsis are distributed mostly in the Mediterranean and the Irano-Turanian floristic region. The alien status of A.rosea, A.sibirica and A.tatarica is discussed. Atriplexflabellum, a desert species from the Irano-Turanian region, is reported for the first time from Russia (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, North Siberia) as a casual alien. This species occupies a phylogenetic position distant from both aforementioned sections. An identification key to all C4-species of the genus growing in Russia is given, and a sectional checklist with updated nomenclature and revised synonymy is provided.

The first checklist of alien vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan, with new records and critical evaluation of earlier data. Contribution 1.

BACKGROUND: National checklists of alien plants and detailed databases of non-native plant occurrences are required to study and control regional and global plant invasions. No country in Central Asia has a national checklist of alien plants. A recent inventory counted 183 alien plant species in Kyrgyzstan, including archaeophytes and neophytes, established and casual. This preliminary checklist, which was developed for the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species in 2018, served as a starting point for the present study. NEW INFORMATION: A complete inventory of Xanthium in Kyrgyzstan has revealed that three alien species are resident in the country. Their correct nomenclature is X.orientale (syn. X.albinum, X.californicum, X.sibiricum auct.; invasive neophyle of the period of extensive grain import to the USSR after the Second World War), X.spinosum (invasive neophyte of the period of the Second World War, which arrived as a contaminant on the relocated livestock) and X.strumarium (syn. X.chinense, X.sibiricum; archaeophyte of the Neolithic period, introduced with wheat cultivation, which had lost its invasive status and appeared on the verge of extinction when its pool was no longer renewed by contaminated grain). A history of introduction to Central Asia is uncovered for all the species of Xanthium. A further spread is documented for Buniasorientalis, with a new record extending its distribution to the Eastern Tian-Shan; a complex history of its introduction to Europe and Central Asia is inferred from the archaeological data and its recent dispersal, and the pathways of its introduction to Kyrgyzstan are established. Erigeronannuus s.str. is reported as new to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and E.lilacinus as new to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Nepal and Tajikistan (it was previously recorded as E.annuus s.l. from the three latter countries, in which the presence of E.annuus s.str. is not confirmed). These closely related species differ in their pathways of introduction and invasion status: E.annuus s.str. is an invasive established alien which was imported as a contaminant of forage, whereas E.lilacinus is mostly a casual (locally persisting) alien introduced with contaminated seed of ornamental plants or nursery material, and also intentionally introduced and locally established in the Botanical Garden in Bishkek. Bidenstinctoria (syn. Coreopsistinctoria) is newly recorded as a casual alien from a single locality in Kyrgyzstan; this species name is validly published here in conformity with the phylogeny of Coreopsideae.Point maps of species distributions in Kyrgyzstan are provided on the basis of a complete inventory of the literature data, herbarium specimens and documented observations, and our recent fieldwork. The maps are documented with a dataset of herbarium specimens and observations. Period and pathways of introduction, vectors of dispersal, current and historical invasion status, evidence of impact and distributional trend are established or inferred for each species. Each species is discussed in the context of plant invasions in Central Asia as a whole.These species accounts are part of the national database of alien plants which aims at producing a comprehensive overview and analysis of plant invasions in Kyrgyzstan.

Species conservation profile and amended distribution of Cousinia knorringiae (Asteraceae), a narrow endemic of the Western Tian-Shan.

BACKGROUND: Cousinia knorringiae Bornm. (Asteraceae) belongs to C. sect. Subappendiculatae Tscherneva, a group of the species-rich and taxonomically difficult genus Cousinia Cass. This species is narrowly distributed in the Western Tian-Shan and has been known as endemic to Kyrgyzstan. It inhabits bare rocks and screes at elevations of 1200-1500 m above sea level. This species is of conservation interest because of its small population size and limited distribution. NEW INFORMATION: Cousinia knorringiae is reported for the first time from eastern Uzbekistan on the basis of specimens collected on Ungur-Tepa Mt., a south-western outlier of the Bozbu-Too Mts. (Western Tian-Shan). The conservation status of the species is assessed as Endangered (EN), based on criterion D (estimated population size 200-250 mature individuals), according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (version 3.1). A new distribution map and a line drawing for C. knorringiae are provided and its type locality is clarified. The new knowledge suggests that the species is endemic to the East Fergana botanical hotspot, which includes a transborder territory shared between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and should, therefore, be subjected to international conservation measures. The southern extension of Ungur-Tepa Mt. harbours important plant species, which cannot be found elsewhere in Uzbekistan and may, therefore, be proposed for legal protection.

Vascular Plant Herbarium at the Kandalaksha Strict Nature Reserve (KAND), Russia.

BACKGROUND: The present-day demand for digital availability of distributional data in biodiversity studies requires a special effort in assembling and editing the data otherwise scattered in paper literature and herbarium collections, which can be poorly accessible or little understood to present-day users and especially automatic data processors. Our project on developing the information resource for the vascular plant flora of Murmansk Region, Russia, includes processing and making digitally available all the data on the taxonomy and distribution of this flora. So far, published distribution maps are limited to the old set in the Flora of Murmansk Region (published in 1953-1966) and the Red Data Book of Murmansk Region (ed. 2, published in 2014). These publications did not take into account the main part of the herbarium collections kept at the Kandalaksha Strict Nature Reserve, which are the basis for numerous local publications that appear scattered and, therefore, little accessible nowadays. NEW INFORMATION: We present a complete dataset of all holdings of vascular plants in the Herbarium of the Kandalaksha Strict Nature Reserve, totalling 10,218 specimens collected during 1947-2019, which are referable to 764 species and 19 subspecies. All specimens were georeferenced with the utmost precision available. This dataset offers a complete and dense coverage of the Nature Reserve's territory (islands and adjacent mainland coastal areas of the Barents and White Seas, Murmansk Region and Republic of Karelia, Russia); these data are little represented in herbarium collections elsewhere.

Mobilisation of distributional data for vascular plants of Murmansk Region, Russia: Digital representation of the Flora of Murmansk Region.

BACKGROUND: The present-day demand for digital availability of distributional data in biodiversity studies requires a special effort in assembling and editing the data otherwise scattered in paper literature and herbarium collections, which can be poorly accessible or little understood to present-day users and especially automatic data processors. Although the vascular plants of Murmansk Region (northern part of European Russia) are well studied and represented in publications, the accessibility of this knowledge is highly insufficient. The most widely known source is the Flora of Murmansk Region (published in 1953-1966), which remains in use because of its high original quality, detailed elaboration and completeness. We consider digitising this source to be of primary importance in biodiversity studies in the Arctic Region because of its point occurrence maps, which were based on the comprehensive inventory of contemporary herbarium collections. NEW INFORMATION: We have compiled a dataset based on 554 printed point occurrence maps of species distributions published in the Flora of Murmansk Region, which includes 25,555 records of georeferenced plant occurrences that belong to 1,073 species and 5 hybrids. The occurrences are ultimately based on herbarium specimens kept at KPABG and LE, which were collected during 1837-1965. We estimate that these specimens represent ca. 60% of the current global herbarium holdings originated from Murmansk Region; this means that the dataset gives a fair representation of the regional flora.

Non-native vascular flora of the Arctic: Taxonomic richness, distribution and pathways.

We present a comprehensive list of non-native vascular plants known from the Arctic, explore their geographic distribution, analyze the extent of naturalization and invasion among 23 subregions of the Arctic, and examine pathways of introductions. The presence of 341 non-native taxa in the Arctic was confirmed, of which 188 are naturalized in at least one of the 23 regions. A small number of taxa (11) are considered invasive; these plants are known from just three regions. In several Arctic regions there are no naturalized non-native taxa recorded and the majority of Arctic regions have a low number of naturalized taxa. Analyses of the non-native vascular plant flora identified two main biogeographic clusters within the Arctic: American and Asiatic. Among all pathways, seed contamination and transport by vehicles have contributed the most to non-native plant introduction in the Arctic.

Evolutionary relationships and taxonomy of Microtea (Microteaceae), a basal lineage in the core Caryophyllales.

The basal position of the small American genus Microtea within the core Caryophyllales was suggested only recently in accordance with molecular phylogeny. However, the specific relationships within the genus were not traced. The results of our phylogenetic analysis based on the matK chloroplast gene suggest the monophyly of Microtea, and Ancistrocarpus and other related genera should be included in it. Microtea is divided into two major sister clades: clade A consisting of M.glochidiata, M.maypurensis and M.tenuifolia, and clade B comprising M.debilis, M.sulcicaulis, M.scabrida, M.celosioides, and M.papillosa. The nrDNA dataset (ITS), although containing only a limited number of accessions, shows the same species number in clade A, and the remaining species studied (M.debilis, M.scabrida and M.celosioides) form clade B. Subgeneric status is assigned to clades A and B corresponding with the names Microteasubgen.Ancistrocarpus subgen. nov. and Microteasubgen.Microtea, respectively. The diagnostic characters at the subgeneric level are as follows: length of pedicels, number of flowers at each node, number of stamens and styles. A multivariate analysis of 13 distinguishing morphological characters supports the results of phylogenetic analysis. All species have similar pericarp and seed ultrasculpture and anatomy, and they share the reticulate pericarp surface (independent of presence or absence of finger-shaped outgrowths on its surface) and rugose or slightly alveolate seed ultrasculpture. On the basis of morphological characters, we accept 10 Microtea species. A checklist includes a new diagnostic key, morphological descriptions and distribution patterns of each species. Galeniacelosioides is the oldest legitimate name available for the plants previously known as Microteapaniculata, for which the combination Microteacelosioides is validated here. The neotypes of Galeniacelosioides and Microteasprengelii were designated from the collections of Prinz Wied at BR. The name M.foliosa is discussed and finally synonymized with M.scabrida. The lectotypes of Ancistrocarpusmaypurensis (≡Microteamaypurensis), Microteadebilisvar.ovata (=M.debilis), M.glochidiata, M.maypurensisvar.angustifolia (=M.tenuifolia), M.glochidiataf.lanceolata (=M.maypurensis), M.longebracteata (=M.celosioides), M.paniculatavar.latifolia (=M.scabrida), M.portoricensis, M.scabrida, M.sulcicaulis, and Potamophilaparviflora (=M.maypurensis) are designated. Microteasulcicaulis is reported for the first time as native to Bolivia, and M.maypurensis is reported from Indonesia (Java), where it is found as an alien plant with an unclear invasion status.

Hieracium sinoaestivum (Asteraceae), a new species from North China.

Hieracium sinoaestivum Sennikov sp. nov. is described as new to science and illustrated. This presumably apomictic species is solely known from two old collections made in a single locality in the Shanxi Province of China. It belongs to the hybridogenous group Hieracium sect. Aestiva (Hieracium sect. Prenanthoidea × Hieracium sect. Umbellata) and is most similar to Hieracium veresczaginii from southern Siberia. The new species occurs at low altitudes in the forest belt of Lülian Mts. and belongs to taiga forest elements.

Allium formosum Sennikov & Lazkov (Amaryllidaceae), a new species from Kyrgyzstan.

Allium formosum Sennikov & Lazkov sp. nov. is described as new to science and illustrated. This species is the second member of Allium sect. Spathulata F.O.Khass. & R.M.Fritsch, being different from Allium spathulatum F.O.Khass. & R.M.Fritsch in larger, broader, obtuse and more intensely purple-coloured tepals, and in a more robust habit. It is a local endemic of Babash-Ata Mt. Range situated east of Fergana Valley in Kyrgyzstan, recommended for legal protection as Endangered because of the very small population size in its only locality.