A new species of Swertia (Gentianaceae) from Thailand is described and illustrated.

The Aralia–Panax complex consists of three closely related genera of Araliaceae (Aralia L., Panax L. and Sciadodendron Griseb.), widely distributed in temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions of Asia and the Americas. Three major lineages (Panax, Aralia sect. Aralia, and Aralia sect. Dimorphanthus Miq.) are disjunctly distributed in eastern Asia and North America. Comparative sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA was carried out in order to examine the phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships of this complex. Results suggest Aralia is paraphyletic, with Panax and the Central American monotypic Sciadodendron nested within. The monophyly of Panax (P. trifolius L. maybe excepted), Aralia sect. Aralia (except A. henryi Harms), and Aralia sect. Humiles Harms is supported. The morphologically isolated A. hispida Vent. is embedded within Aralia sect. Dimorphanthus. The phylogenetic data suggest the need to re-examine the generic delimitation of Aralia. None of the presumed intercontinental species pairs between eastern Asia and eastern North America (e.g. Aralia cordata Thunb. and A. racemosa L., A. spinosa L. and A. stipulata Franch., and Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. and P. quinquefolius L.) have been supported as sister species, and the floristic similarity between eastern Asia and eastern North America seems to have been exaggerated by previous workers. Within Aralia sect. Dimorphanthus, the north temperate series Dimorphanthus was paraphyletic, with the subtropical and tropical series Chinensis J. Wen and series Foliolosae J. Wen nested within. This pattern of differentiation is consistent with the hypothesis of morphological stasis among the closely related disjunct taxa between eastern Asia and eastern North America in series Dimorphanthus. Subtropical/tropical Sciadodendron, and Aralia sect. Pentapanax (Seem.) J. Wen are suggested to have derived from temperate elements, although Araliaceae have a generally subtropical and tropical distribution.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether variations in tree community structure and soil properties were interrelated in a fragment of semideciduous forest in Martinho Campos, south-eastern Brazil. The forest was sampled by ten plots, each of which was made up of four contiguous 15×15m quadrats (total 0.9ha). Plots were randomly distributed in the fragment with the help of grid-line coordinates. Soil samples were collected from each quadrat for chemical and textural analyses, and the soil of each quadrat was classified in conformity with the US Soil Taxonomy System. All trees with diameter at the base of the stem ≥5cm were identified and measured (circumference and height). Three soil groups were recognized: Ustifluvent, Ustropept, and Dystropept. A principal component analysis independently discriminated the soil groups in terms of their chemical and textural properties, indicating the consistency of the soil classification. Significant differences among the soil groups were also found for most soil properties. Tree community physiognomy was significantly different in Ustropept soil habitat, where trees showed more pronounced slenderness. A detrended correspondence analysis indicated that tree community structure also responded to the three soil habitats. A canonical correspondence analysis, together with Spearman's rank correlations, demonstrated that species' abundance distributions were significantly correlated with the soil properties. Differences in soil nutrient content (particularly Ca2+ and K+) and in ground water regime are apparently the leading factors determining tree species distributions within the fragment.

Two new species of Aeschynanthus and one new Henckelia are described and illustrated. Trichosporum grandiflorum Elmer (non D. Don) is transferred to Aeschynanthus and renamed A. elmeri Mendum.

Collections of Cyrtandra from the island of Palawan in the Philippines are reviewed. Twelve species are present, of which only five species are already described. A further three species and one variety are described here: C. cleopatrae H.J. Atkins & Cronk sp. nov., C. pulgarensis [Elmer ex] H.J. Atkins & Cronk sp. nov., C. hirtigera H.J. Atkins & Cronk sp. nov., and C. hirtigera var. chlorina H.J. Atkins & Cronk var. nov. Further material of the remaining four taxa (spp. B, C, D, E) will be needed before these can be formally named, although descriptions are provided here. All species are endemic except C. elatostemoides Elmer and C. hypochrysoides Kränzl., which also occur in Borneo and Luzon respectively. The pattern of narrow endemism shown by the cyrtandras of Palawan is commented on briefly.

In the species-rich tropics, rapid assessment surveys have become a widely employed method for acquiring bioestimates of site value. Some of Papua New Guinea's most pristine habitats are currently being explored with such surveys. Five new species collected during these investigations are described here. The novelties are Psychotria kamialii sp. nov. (Rubiaceae), P. muellerdomboisii sp. nov., P. pseudomaschalodesme sp. nov., P. wiakabui sp. nov., and Solanum symonianum sp. nov. (Solanaceae). Taxonomic notes are also provided for Aglaia puberulanthera (Meliaceae), and Palmeria gracilis (Monimiaceae).

Trichomes of Hedera L. taxa have long been used as an important character in delimiting species. Hedera exhibits two distinct trichome types: scale-like and stellate. This study examined the trichome variation in sixteen currently recognized Hedera taxa using scanning electron microscopy. Measurements of trichome morphology were taken, and variation among taxa compared. Of the taxa with scale-like trichomes, H. maderensis Rutherford subsp. maderensis has the largest overall length, longest rays, and largest fusion of rays. Of the species with stellate trichomes, H. helix has the largest overall, and also has the longest rays and widest rays.

Australian Apiaceae, dominated by Hydrocotyloideae Link, are characterized by a number of enigmatic genera, the phylogenetic relationships of which are obscure. A cladistic analysis using morphological and anatomical data indicated that Apiaceae are monophyletic and Hydrocotyloideae form a grade between a paraphyletic Araliaceae and a monophyletic Apioideae Drude+Saniculoideae Burnett. Beyond this, there was no support for past suprageneric arrangements within the order. Hydrocotyleae Spreng. and their constituent subtribes were polyphyletic, as were the subtribes of Mulineae DC. The relationships between Australian genera were not well resolved although the analysis did provide a good indication of broad generic affinities.

The threatened Chilean conifer Podocarpus salignus D. Don is currently the focus of ex situ conservation eorts being undertaken by the Conifer Conservation Programme of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. To assess variation within in and ex situ populations of the species, leaf material collected from four wild populations was analysed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Amova of RAPD profiles indicated that 93% of the variation occurred within, rather than between, populations. Intraspecific genetic diversity, estimated using percentage polymorphic loci, Shannon's diversity index, and Nei's gene diversity, was relatively high (47%, 0.692 and 0.314, respectively). To assess genetic diversity in ex situ populations within the UK, RAPD analysis of parents and progeny at two Cornish arboreta was undertaken. The results provided evidence of novel hybridization with suspected paternal trees (P. hallii Kirk and P. totara G. Benn. ex D. Don) endemic to New Zealand. RAPD was found to be an effective tool for assessing the genetic structure of P. salignus, for providing a guide to future germplasm-sampling strategies, and for hybrid identification. Implications for genetic conservation of the species and the role of ex situ approaches are discussed.

Somatic chromosomes at mitotic metaphase of two species and two undescribed populations of Bowenia, and Stangeria eriopus, which were classified in Stangeriaceae, Cycadales, were compared using the standard aceto-orcein staining method. All Bowenia taxa showed a chromosome number of 2n = 18, while S. eriopus showed a chromosome number of 2n = 16. The chromosome number of 2n = 18 in B. ‘Kuranda’ is reported for the first time. The present karyotype analysis indicates that B. ‘Kuranda’ and another undescribed taxon, B. ‘Tinaroo’, are cytotaxonomically closer to B. spectabilis than B. serrulata, and that the karyotype of Stangeria is unlikely to have been derived from that of Bowenia by a simple chromosomal change such as centromeric fission and deletion.

A broad overview of the current state of taxonomic knowledge on the Apiaceae of Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar is presented. Sub-Saharan Africa has about 69 indigenous genera in the family, with 38 of them endemic, while Madagascar has at least 16 genera, of which six are endemic. Many taxa are poorly known and show unusual combinations of character states. Generic delimitations have not yet reached stability but monographic work, in which morphological, anatomical and some chemical characters are rigorously analysed, is contributing steadily to an improved understanding of generic relationships. A preliminary cladistic analysis of some genera is presented, based on characters such as woodiness, leaf persistence, leaf type, dentate-serrate leaf margins, heteromorphous fruits and the co-occurrence of intrajugal and vallecular vittae. Despite poor resolution, the results consistently show that several African and Madagascan genera are basal to the rest of the Apiaceae. The subfamily Saniculoideae Burnett always appears in a basal position, in close association with anomalous genera such as Lichtensteinia Cham. & Schltdl., Polemanniopsis B. L. Burtt, Steganotaenia Hoscht. and Pseudocarum C. Norman. These genera are clearly central to a better understanding of the early evolution of the family and also to an ultimate improvement of Drude's (1898) classification system.

The floristic composition, structure, soil fertility and leaf nutrient concentrations were analysed in a monodominant forest of Brosimum rubescens Taub. located in the Areões Xavante Indigenous Reserve (14°34′S, 51°58′W). The area lies in the ecotone between Amazonian forest and cerrado in the municipality of Água Boa, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Sixty nested plots (10 × 10m each) were located in a representative portion of the forest, giving a total sampling area of 0.6ha (40 × 150m). A total of 609 trees ≥ 5cm dbh belonging to 57 species, 46 genera and 32 families were present. The most important family was Moraceae, with B. rubescens as the dominant species with a relative dominance of 59%. The diameter distribution of B. rubescens was unbalanced, indicating an episodic recruitment that could lead to future changes in the forest structure. The high basal area per hectare of B. rubescens indicates the possibility of sustainable logging for commercial exploitation. Analysis of composite soil samples collected from the surface layer (0–10cm) of each of the 60 plots did not indicate any significant gradients in fertility within the area sampled. Mean soil pH was 4.6 and the availability of essential nutrients was very low (0.22cmol(+) kg−1 K, 0.048cmol(+) kg−1 Ca, 0.167cmol(+) kg−1 Mg, and 1.5mg kg−1 P). The higher availability of Mg in the soils in comparison with Ca was a feature observed in other monodominant forests in the Amazon region, as well as in other parts of the world. Analysis of foliar samples showed that the dominant species, B. rubescens, maintained higher foliar concentrations of K, Ca and Mg than other species in the forest. This probably indicates a competitive advantage for this species. Also, the higher concentrations of Mg in the soil did not affect its uptake of Ca or K.

Phylogenetic analyses of chloroplast gene (rbcL, matK), intron (rpl16, rps16, rpoC1) and nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences and chloroplast DNA restriction sites, with supplementary data from variation in size of the chloroplast genome inverted repeat, have been used to elucidate major clades within Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) subfamily Apioideae Drude. This paper summarizes the results of previously published molecular cladistic analyses and presents a provisional classification of the subfamily based on taxonomic congruence among the data sets. Ten tribes (Aciphylleae M. F. Watson & S. R. Downie, Bupleureae Spreng., Careae Baill., Echinophoreae Benth., Heteromorpheae M. F. Watson & S. R. Downie, Oenantheae Dumort., Pleurospermeae M. F. Watson & S. R. Downie, Pyramidoptereae Boiss., Scandiceae Spreng. and Smyrnieae Spreng.) are erected or confirmed as monophyletic, with Scandiceae comprising subtribes Daucinae Dumort., Scandicinae Tausch and Torilidinae Dumort. Seven additional clades are also recognized but have yet to be treated formally, and at least 23 genera examined to date are of dubious tribal or clade placement. The utility of these different molecular markers for phylogenetic inference in Apioideae is compared based on maximum parsimony analyses of subsets of previously published molecular data sets. Of the six loci sequenced, the ITS region is seen to be evolving most rapidly and rbcL is the most conservative. Intermediate in rate of evolution are matK and the three chloroplast introns; with rpl16 and rps16 evolving slightly faster than matK or rpoC1. The analysis of restriction sites, however, provided 2–4 times more parsimony informative characters than any single DNA locus sequenced, with estimates of divergence just slightly lower than that of the ITS region. The trees obtained from separate analyses of these reduced data sets are consistent with regard to the major clades inferred and the relationships among them. Similar phylogenies are obtained by combining data or combining trees, representing the supermatrix and supertree approaches to phylogenetic analysis, respectively. The inferred relationship among the tribes and informally recognized major clades within Apioideae is presented.

The genus Nageia has received varying taxonomic treatments. The most recent are those by de Laubenfels (1969, under the name Decussocarpus de Laub.; 1987, as Nageia Gaertn.), by Fu (1992) and by Melikyan & Bobrov (2000). De Laubenfels treated the genus in a broad sense, embracing three sections that are now generally recognized respectively as the separate genera Afrocarpus (J. Buchholz & N. E. Gray) Gaussen ex C. N. Page, Nageia sensu stricto, and Retrophyllum C. N. Page (as by Page, 1989, 1990). In de Laubenfels's earlier paper, these three sections were respectively called Decussocarpus de Laub. sect. Afrocarpus (J. Buchholz & N. E. Gray) de Laub., D. sect. Dammaroideae (Benn.) de Laub. [as ‘Dammaroides’], and D. sect. Decussocarpus. The name Decussocarpus had been substituted for Nageia Gaertn. as the type of that generic name is based upon mixed elements belonging to Myrtaceae and Podocarpaceae and, in 1969, an Article of the International Code then in force (Art. 70) banned the use of names based on such ‘discordant elements’. This Article was deleted by the Leningrad Congress and the name Nageia once again became legitimate and available for use. This necessitated de Laubenfels's brief paper of 1987, where the three sections of Decussocarpus which he had earlier recognized were respectively renamed Nageia sect. Afrocarpus (J. Buchholz & N. E. Gray) de Laub., N. sect. Nageia and N. sect. Polypodiopsis (C. E. Bertrand) de Laub.

Of the 455 known genera in Apiaceae (Umbelliferae), 41% are monotypic and 26% comprise only two or three species each. Similarly, of the 16 genera constituting Scandiceae Spreng. subtribe Scandicinae Tausch, seven (Balansaea Boiss. & Reut., Kozlovia Lipsky, Krasnovia Schischk., Myrrhis Mill., Myrrhoides Fabr., Sphallerocarpus DC. and Todaroa Parl.) are monotypic, and two (Neoconopodium Pimenov & Kljuykov and Tinguarra Parl.) are bitypic. Phylogenetic analysis of the subtribe, using molecular (rDNA ITS), morphological and anatomical data, indicates that the number of genera may be reduced with only three, Todaroa, Sphallerocarpus and Myrrhis, retained as monotypic. Remaining taxa form eight clades that are supported by high bootstrap values and are morphologically distinct. Four of these clades (Anthriscus Pers., Geocaryum Coss., Osmorhiza Raf. and Scandix L.) are equivalent to currently recognized genera. Kozlovia, Krasnovia and Neoconopodium form a well-supported clade that may be recognized as the single genus Kozlovia, and Myrrhoides is grouped with Chaerophyllum L. Tinguarra and Athamanta L. form a monophyletic group that is well supported by analyses of morphology, fruit anatomy, and combined morphological, anatomical and ITS sequence data; however, this group is not maintained in separate analyses of ITS sequences. Similarly, the group formed by Conopodium W. D. J. Koch and Balansaea is monophyletic in morphological, anatomical, and combined analyses, but is not supported by the separate analyses of ITS sequence data. All of these groups are well delimited on the basis of fruit characters that have long been regarded as essential in umbellifer taxonomy. One new combination is proposed: Athamanta montana (Webb ex H. Christ.) Spalik, A. Wojew. & S. R. Downie.

Plant conservation genetics has been hampered by a lack of markers for studies of levels and patterns of variation in rare species. We investigated the levels of variation in several rare and widespread species of the western North American genus Lomatium Raf. (Apiaceae) using two relatively new molecular markers: AFLPs and single-strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCPs). For each species, approximately 150 AFLP loci have been scored, yielding estimates of species-level percent polymorphic loci in rare species ranging from near zero to over 80%. Levels of AFLP diversity were similar in two of the rare species, L. bradshawii (Rose ex Mathias) Mathas & Constance and L. ochocense Helliwell & Constance, and the widespread species. The third rare species, L. cookii Kagan, which has small populations, has low levels of diversity based on AFLPs. We also examined nucleotide diversity at the single-copy nuclear-DNA locus glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Gap-C). PCR-amplified segments were analysed for allelic variation using SSCPs, and intrapopulational nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in both L. bradshawii and L. cookii. In the 211bp segment of Gap-C analysed, five nucleotide sites were segregating within populations of L. bradshawii and two in L. cookii.