A decorated copper-alloy key handle was recovered during excavation of a town house in Roman Leicester (Ratae Corieltavorum). The decoration comprises two groups of figures modelled in high relief: a bearded, unarmed man fighting with a lion, arranged above four naked male youths embracing one another in a protective manner. This decoration cannot be paralleled among other similarly elaborate Roman key handles and is best interpreted as a scene of damnatio ad bestias, although it does not directly replicate other known scenes of this punishment and spectacle. Other readings of the image are possible, depending on the context and perspective of the viewer as they handled the object.

The species of Jasminum Tourn. ex L. (Oleaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia are revised. Eighteen species are recognised, of which eight are endemic. Five of these species have been recorded from Singapore. A key to species is provided, all names are typified, and all species are described. Conservation assessments are given for all species in Peninsular Malaysia. One species is Extinct in Peninsular Malaysia, eleven are Endangered and one is Data Deficient. Jasminum shahii Kiew is described as a new species. In Singapore, two species are certainly Extinct.

Lichens are widely acknowledged to be a key component of high latitude ecosystems. However, the time investment needed for full inventories and the lack of taxonomic identification resources for crustose lichen and lichenicolous fungal diversity have hampered efforts to fully gauge the depth of species richness in these ecosystems. Using a combination of classical field inventory and extensive deployment of chemical and molecular analysis, we assessed the diversity of lichens and associated fungi in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (USA), a mixed landscape of coastal boreal rainforest and early successional low elevation habitats deglaciated after the Little Ice Age. We collected nearly 5000 specimens and found a total of 947 taxa, including 831 taxa of lichen-forming and 96 taxa of lichenicolous fungi together with 20 taxa of saprotrophic fungi typically included in lichen studies. A total of 98 species (10.3% of those detected) could not be assigned to known species and of those, two genera and 27 species are described here as new to science: Atrophysma cyanomelanos gen. et sp. nov., Bacidina circumpulla, Biatora marmorea, Carneothele sphagnicola gen. et sp. nov., Cirrenalia lichenicola, Corticifraga nephromatis, Fuscidea muskeg, Fuscopannaria dillmaniae, Halecania athallina, Hydropunctaria alaskana, Lambiella aliphatica, Lecania hydrophobica, Lecanora viridipruinosa, Lecidea griseomarginata, L. streveleri, Miriquidica gyrizans, Niesslia peltigerae, Ochrolechia cooperi, Placynthium glaciale, Porpidia seakensis, Rhizocarpon haidense, Sagiolechia phaeospora, Sclerococcum fissurinae, Spilonema maritimum, Thelocarpon immersum, Toensbergia blastidiata and Xenonectriella nephromatis. An additional 71 ‘known unknown’ species are cursorily described. Four new combinations are made: Lepra subvelata (G. K. Merr.) T. Sprib., Ochrolechia minuta (Degel.) T. Sprib., Steineropsis laceratula (Hue) T. Sprib. & Ekman and Toensbergia geminipara (Th. Fr.) T. Sprib. & Resl. Thirty-eight taxa are new to North America and 93 additional taxa new to Alaska. We use four to eight DNA loci to validate the placement of ten of the new species in the orders Baeomycetales, Ostropales, Lecanorales, Peltigerales, Pertusariales and the broader class Lecanoromycetes with maximum likelihood analyses. We present a total of 280 new fungal DNA sequences. The lichen inventory from Glacier Bay National Park represents the second largest number of lichens and associated fungi documented from an area of comparable size and the largest to date in North America. Coming from almost 60°N, these results again underline the potential for high lichen diversity in high latitude ecosystems.

Twenty-seven species and two subspecies of Ficus are reported from one study site in central Africa. Characters for identification are explained. An identification key, illustrations, descriptions and habitats are provided. The species-level diversity of Ficus in tropical forests is discussed.

Caloplaca sol is described as a new species from limestone and basic siliceous rocks on the southern and western coasts of Great Britain. It is characterized by a well-developed, crustose, non-placodioid, epilithic, cracked, orange-yellow thallus, almost concolorous apothecia up to 0·66 mm diameter, and ascospores c. 11·0–12·2–13·0 µm long with a septum c. 0·4×the ascospore length. Caloplaca dalmatica is related but differs in the endolithic or only thinly epilithic thallus. Caloplaca marina is darker orange in colour, with more convex areoles, and is mostly confined to the splash zone of the seashore. Caloplaca maritima differs in the typically more convex, sometimes isolated areoles, and often in the presence of a crenulate thalline margin in young apothecia. Caloplaca itiana is newly reported from Great Britain from coastal limestone; it differs from C. sol in the thallus being endolithic or almost so, and from C. dalmatica in the more completely endolithic thallus and the larger ascospores.

Exotic weed propagules (seeds or fruits) often contaminate goods intended for import into Australia. Biosecurity officers must identify such propagules to manage risks, prevent incursions, and decide on potentially costly actions such as cleaning, treating, or destroying cargo. According to observations made by the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, more than 20% of the propagules found by biosecurity officers currently cannot be identified. By far the most important weed families contributing to seed load of imported goods are the grass family (Poaceae) and the daisy family (Asteraceae), accounting together for approximately 80% of cases. To facilitate fast and secure identification, increase the capabilities of biosecurity staff, and reduce the risk of weed incursions, we have developed an interactive digital identification key to the propagules of an initial priority list of 43 species of Asteraceae.

A collection of more than 1500 specimens of Syllidae (Annelida, Polychaeta) from sub-Arctic and Boreal regions along the coast of Norway has been studied. We report 32 species, two of them new to science, belonging to the genera Sphaerosyllis Claparède, 1863 and Syllis Savigny in Lamarck, 1818, and 16 new to Norway. Sphaerosyllis tarquei sp. nov. is characterized by having long blades on its compound chaetae and the presence of glands inside the dorsal cirri. Syllis kas sp. nov. was reported, figured and described by Uschakov (1955) as Syllis oerstedi (Malmgren, 1867); however, revision of the types of Chaetosyllis oerstedi reveals that they are sexual stolons of Syllis cornuta Rathke, 1843; this species is characterized by the shape of the spiniger-like chaetae, which are relatively short, distally blunt, with a thin distal spine, and unidentate falcigers some of which have similar spines. We also include descriptions and figures of Parexogone longicirris (Webster & Benedict, 1887) and Syllides longocirrata Ørsted, 1845. Finally we include a key of all reported species in the area.

Bittercress (Brassicaceae) is one of the most prolific and costly weeds of the container nursery industry. Bittercress accessions from container nurseries throughout the major production zones in the United States were examined and compared with herbarium specimens. The identity of these weedy bittercress species were further explored using sequences of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the nrDNA region for the COP1-interacting protein 7 (CIP7). Four species of bittercress were detected in the nursery industry of the United States, including New Zealand bittercress, hairy bittercress, flexuous bittercress, and little bittercress. The taxon referred to here as Cardamine flexuosa With. (flexuous bittercress) likely contains two genotypes previously reported as European C. flexuosa and Asian C. flexuosa. Phylogenetic relationships between the four species we examined, particularly in relationship to flexuous bittercress, were not fully resolved by the molecular evidence generated for this study. New Zealand bittercress is nonnative and does not appear in current keys to the species for the United States. Flexuous bittercress is also an alien species, which appears in some U.S. keys but not in all. To aid nurserymen and botanists in identification of these four closely related bittercress species, a key was developed and is accompanied by detailed descriptions and illustrations.

Five orthopteran specimens from the uppermost Middle–lowermost Upper Jurassic of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China are described and attributed to the genus Sigmaboilus Fang, Zhang & Wang, 2007 (Prophalangopsidae); and a new species, S. calophlebius sp. nov., is established herein. The diagnostic characters for Sigmaboilus are revised and a key to species of Sigmaboilus, based on male forewings, is provided. Intraspecific variation in forewings of this genus is also discussed.

The goal of this essay is to reopen the unfortunately unrefined but still illuminating proposal of August Dell a century ago – a proposal to read the motif of ‘bind and unbind’ in Matt 16.19 against the backdrop of ancient magical conventions – and to corroborate this hypothesis with philological precision and contextualisation. The present study seeks to demonstrate how central the motif of ‘bind and unbind’ was to most binding spells and amulets, and how the verbs λύειν and δέειν and their cognates might have evoked the conventions of binding magic when heard in religious and ritual contexts. We see Matt 16.19 as a literary reappropriation of a typical binding spell, crafted to highlight Peter's authority to ‘bind’ and ‘break’ whatever entities he should choose. Jesus' guarantee that he/God will ‘unbind’ whatever target Peter ‘unties' is to be understood as a clear indication that Peter is endowed with an invincible potency over every other spiritual entity, symbolised by the power to break any ‘binding’ spell. The security of the church against malevolent and harmful spiritual entities is further guaranteed by Christ's promise, if read in ancient binding magical conventions: Christ will give Peter the key of the kingdom of heaven so that Peter as the key-bearer may become a figure who can channel the full potency of the keyed object.

Two new species in the lichen genus Atla, A. alaskana and A. recondita, are described. The ITS rDNA region is used for their molecular characterization. Morphologically, Atla alaskana is characterized by its rather thick and well-developed whitish grey thallus, and the rather large perithecia having a thalline excipulum. The presence of a thalline excipulum renders it similar to Sporodictyon species; however, in A. alaskana a distinct zone around the ostiolum is without a thallus and covered only by a thick white pruina. Atla recondita has a thin olivaceous brown thallus and moderately sized, emerging perithecia. It is not possible to identify this species unequivocally as an Atla species only by morphology, and it might well be mistaken for a Polyblastia. A key to all six Atla species, including the two new species, is provided.

A taxonomic study of the genus Porpidia in western China revealed two species hitherto unknown to science, Porpidia squamosa and P. shangrila, along with three new records for the country: P. flavicunda, P. soredizodes and P. thomsonii. Detailed taxonomic descriptions, ecological and chemical characters, and illustrations are provided for the new taxa, and brief taxonomic descriptions provided for the newly reported taxa. A key to all known Chinese Porpidia species is also provided.

A new species in the Old World genus Debregeasia (Urticaceae), D. australis Friis, Wilmot-Dear & C.J.Chen, based on material from forest habitats in eastern Queensland, Australia, is described, illustrated and mapped. A new synopsis of the genus and a new key to species recognised is provided as a supplement to the revision of Debregeasia by C. M. Wilmot-Dear in 1988. Debregeasia orientalis, described from China since 1988, is accepted, species from China and Bangladesh (D. elliptica and D. dentata) are reinstated, and other taxonomic changes made since the revision of 1988 are summarised.

The foliicolous lichenized fungus Calopadia erythrocephala Farkas, Elix & Flakus, is described as new to science from the Atlantic submontane rainforests in Brazil. The species is very similar to C. puiggarii, but is distinguished by the presence of a red pigment in the campylidia, the darker apothecial discs and larger conidia. Fusarubin, the red pigment produced by the new species, is reported for the first time from foliicolous lichens. A world-wide key to foliicolous species of Calopadia with single, muriform ascospores is presented.

The species of the genus Immersaria in Iran are reviewed. Immersaria iranica is described as a new species in the Lecideaceae, characterized by pycnoconidia opening by stellate, winding cracks and 2′-O-methylsuperphyllinic acid as major secondary metabolite. The characters separating it from other taxa of the Lecideaceae are discussed. Immersaria athroocarpa and I. cupreoatra are new records for Iran. An identification key and a table with diagnostic characters of the species hitherto known from Iran are provided.

Using ITS nrDNA sequence data, the Caloplaca cerina group (Teloschistaceae) is defined here as a monophyletic, but internally richly branched lineage. The group is also characterized by a combination of morphological and anatomical characters. Its internal lineages are supported by phenotypic characters in addition to ecology and distribution. Within the large C. cerina group, we have found at least 20 phylospecies in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Two species complexes do not produce any vegetative diaspores: the polyphyletic, corticolous Caloplaca cerina s. lat. (six separated cryptic or semi-cryptic species) and the monophyletic C. stillicidiorum s. lat. that grows mainly on plant debris, small shrubs and bryophytes and consists of at least four internal lineages. All lineages producing vegetative diaspores (soredia, blastidia, isidia or lobules) are phenotypically characteristic and represent fairly easily distinguishable species: C. chlorina, C. isidiigera, C. monacensis, C. subalpina, C. thracopontica, C. turkuensis and C. ulmorum. Only the North American sorediate C. pinicola possibly represents an aggregate of species. Caloplaca sterilis is described as a new species. A key to the phenotypically distinguishable species is provided.

Lectotypes are designated for C. albolutea, Caloplaca cerina f. coronulata and for C. monacensis. The Australian C. hanneshertelii belongs to this group, but this and other possible species from the Southern Hemisphere are not treated here in detail. Some species traditionally placed in the C. cerina group due to their similar morphology are excluded here on the basis of our phenotype examinations and molecular data. Caloplaca albolutea, C. mydalaea and C. virescens are uncertain taxa and their identities still remain unclear.

In the present paper four etomentose species of Leptogium are recorded from Maharashtra, western India. Three species, viz. Leptogium patwardhanii Dube & Makhija sp. nov., Leptogium subazureum Dube & Makhija sp. nov., and Leptogium verrucosum Dube & Makhija sp. nov., are described as new to science and one species, Leptogium propaguliferum Vain., is recorded for the first time from India. A revised key to the non-hairy species of Leptogium from India is provided.

The Caloplaca holocarpa group in the Nordic countries, except Iceland, is defined genetically using the nrlTS DNA gene. The members are analysed with regard to morphology, anatomy, ecology, and chemistry. The results show that C. holocarpa seems to be a very small group, but there are many morphologically similar species outside the group. Within the group several species have been confused, but it is shown that C. holocarpa, C. pyracea, and C. vitellinula are separate taxa. Caloplaca cerinella also belongs to the group whereas C. cerinelloides does not, but is included in the treatment because of its similarity to the former species. Caloplaca lithophila H. Magn. is a synonym of either C. holocarpa or C. vitellinula, most probably of the latter. Many specimens determined to C. holocarpa belong to Caloplaca oasis, but this species is shown to have much more variable morphology and wider ecology and distribution than previously understood. Caloplaca oasis has also been confused with C. polycarpa, which is similar, but morphologically and genetically distinct, even though related. Neither of the two species belong to the C. holocarpa group, but are related to the C. citrina group, not to the C. velana group as usually believed. Other species from northern and central Europe similar to C. holocarpa belong in other groups. The treated species are described and illustrated in colour. Distribution maps are given for the study area. A key to species in northern Europe similar to C. holocarpa is also provided.

The genus Campanula L. (Campanulaceae) in Iran has been revised in preparation for the treatment in the Flora of Iran. In Iran the genus consists of five subgenera (Campanula, Megalocalyx, Roucela, Brachycodonia and Rapunculus), 10 sections (Quinqueloculares, Campanula, Sibirica, Involucrata, Cordifoliae, Rupestres, Scapiflora, Saxicolae, Dictycalyx and Rapunculus) and 44 species. Since the Flora Iranica treatment by Rechinger & Schiman-Czeika in 1965 eight additional species (Campanula crispa, C. sibirica, C. coriacea, C. hakkiarica, C. lamondiae, C. conferta, C. hermannii and C. fastigiata) have been recorded from Iran. Campanula savalanica is a synonym of C. bayerniana. A key to the species in Iran is presented and the endemic species are highlighted.

We describe Calicium sequoiae as a new species of lichenized Ascomycota from north-western California, USA. The species is distinguished morphologically from other known members of Calicium by its stalks that react I+ blue, mature ascospores that are ornamented with spiral ridges, and apothecia that produce prominent white pruina. It is also the only Calicium known to produce thamnolic acid as a major secondary substance. Sequences from the ITS-region showed C. sequoiae to be unique among calicioid Physciaceae, and phylogenetic analysis positioned it close to C. adspersum, C. chlorosporum, C. lenticulare, Cyphelium notarisii, and C. tigillare. Thus far, Calicium sequoiae has been collected only from old-growth redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests, where it occurred on thick, fibrous bark of large redwood trees. A key to the 12 species of Calicium known from the Pacific Northwest is provided.