New combinations are made in the fern genera Colysis, Cyclosorus, Haplopteris and Selliguea from Thailand. A new combination for Pteridaceae subfamily Cryptogrammoideae is made.

Three species of Panaeolus were collected in the western region of Paraná State, South Brazil. Panaeolus sylvaticus is proposed as a new species, based on macro- and micromorphological features and substrate (rotten wood and litter). Panaeolus antillarum and P. papilionaceus var. parvisporus, two coprophilous and widely distributed species, are also reported. All species are illustrated and discussed in detail, regarding their taxonomy, ecology and distribution. A key to the known species of Panaeolus from Paraná State is presented.

Three new species of Agapetes (Ericaceae) from Arunachal Pradesh, India are described and illustrated with critical comments: Agapetes arunachalensis D.Banik & M.Sanjappa (Agapetes ser. Graciles subser. Parvifoliae), Agapetes dalaiensis D.Banik & M.Sanjappa (Agapetes ser. Agapetes subser. Agapetes) and Agapetes siangensis D.Banik & M.Sanjappa (Agapetes ser. Graciles subser. Longifoliae).

Nine new species of Ruprechtia (Polygonaceae) are described. Ruprechtia nicaraguensis Pendry and R. costaricensis Pendry are from Central America; R. carina Pendry and R. apurensis Pendry are from Venezuela; R. paranensis Pendry is from South Brazil; and R. peruviana Pendry, R. obovata Pendry, R. albida Pendry and R. aperta Pendry are from Peru.

Eriocaulon biappendiculatum, a new species of Eriocaulaceae from the southern Western Ghats, India, is described and illustrated. The new species is close to Eriocaulon nairii but differs in having 5–17 peduncles, free male sepals, and both continuous ribbon-like and setiform appendages on the seeds.

Musa argentii Gogoi & Borah (Musaceae), a new species, is described and illustrated from Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh, India based on observed morphological characteristics in the field. Its distribution and habitat are described, and a key to the species is provided.

Begonia sect. Petermannia (Begoniaceae) is revised for the Philippine island of Palawan. Three species are recognised, namely Begonia palawanensis Merr. and the newly described B. androturba C.Coyle and B. georgei C.Coyle.

The new taxa Pedicularis L. series Bicornutae R.R.Mill, Pedicularis series Rhynchotrichae R.R.Mill, Pedicularis bicornuta Klotzsch var. adenocalyx R.R.Mill, Pedicularis murreeana R.R.Mill & R.Bone and Pedicularis staintonii R.R.Mill (Orobanchaceae) are described. Pedicularis series Klotzschianae R.R.Mill is proposed as a replacement name for the illegitimate Pedicularis [unranked] Macranthae that has often been treated as ‘series Macranthae Prain’. The new combination Pedicularis bipinnatifida (Pennell) R.R.Mill is made and four names are lectotypified. An epitype is designated for Pedicularis bicornuta.

Chromosomes were counted for nine of the 24 taxa of Berberis (Berberidaceae) from Nepal, five of which were counted for the first time. The results show that all these species have somatic chromosome numbers of 2n = 28. The absence of polyploids suggests that polyploidy may not have been a major driver of speciation and diversification of Berberis in the Nepal Himalaya.

The following new species, subspecies and combinations are proposed for plants occurring in the Flora of Bhutan area: Anaphalis cooperi Grierson & Springate, Artemisia bhutanica Grierson & Springate, Ixeridium beauverdianum (H.Lév.) Springate, Ligularia lancifera (J.R.Drumm.) Grierson, L. latiligulata (R.D.Good) Springate, Parasenecio chenopodifolius (DC.) Grierson, Saussurea donkiah C.B.Clarke ex Springate, S. pinnatiphylla Grierson & Springate, Tanacetum tatsienense var. tanacetopsis (W.W.Sm.) Grierson and Youngia silhetensis subsp. bhutanica Grierson & Springate. A description of Ligularia latiligulata is provided. A lectotype is designated for Saussurea obscura Lipsch.

An examination of living material of Bredia (Melastomataceae) in Taiwan and a comparison with herbarium material of the genus from eastern Asia (China, Japan and Taiwan) has led to the recognition of two new species, B. dulanica C.L.Yeh, S.W.Chung & T.C.Hsu and B. laisherana C.L.Yeh & C.R.Yeh. The morphology and diagnostic characters of these two species are described and illustrated and a key to the species of Bredia in Taiwan is given.

Franchet (1894) described two species from Yunnan as Arracacha (= Arracacia) delavayi and A. peucedanifolia, respectively, in a genus hitherto known only from Mexico to Bolivia in the New World. Wolff (1925) made A. delavayi the type of his new genus Physospermopsis, but neither de Boissieu (1906), Wolff, nor Norman could find an appropriate generic home for A. peucedanifolia. In 1980, Sheh and Shan established the new genus Cyclorhiza with one species and a second taxon which became C. major (M.L. Sheh & R.H. Shan) M.L. Sheh in Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae. This work does not mention either A. peucedanifolia or Cenolophiwn chinense M. Hiroe (1958), which was based on similar material. The correct name for A. peucedanifolia is Cyclorhiza peucedanifolia (Franch.) Constance, comb. nov. and the genus Arracacia is to be excluded from Asia.

Poa golestanensis H. Scholz & Akhani spec. nov. is described from the Golestan National Park, NE Iran. The following species are added to the grass flora of Iran from that area: Alopecurus aequalis Sobol., Cleistogenes serotina (L.) Keng, Heteropogon contortus (L.) P. Beauv. ex Roem. et Schult., Hordelymus europaeus (L.) Harz. The occurrence in Iran of Poa compressa L., P. densa Troitsky, and Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz.) S.T. Blake which were not mentioned in Rechinger's Flora Iranica but were reported in later papers is confirmed. The maps of distribution in the Park are provided for the treated species.

A new species of Kuepferia (Gentianaceae), K. pringlei D.Maity & Sentu K.Dey from north Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya, is described and illustrated. Details of habitat, phenology and conservation status are given, and it is compared to related species. This previously undescribed species is most similar to, but distinct from, Kuepferia leucantha (Harry Sm. ex T.N.Ho & S.W.Liu) Adr.Favre, known from Bhutan and China.

Lectotypes are designated for eight names in Eriocaulon in tropical Asia, namely E. alatum, E. hamiltonianum, E. hookerianum, E. infirmum, E. lanigerum, E. nautiliforme, E. nigrum and E. ubonense. Additional information on the lectotype of Eriocaulon quinquangulare is given.

This paper provides two new combinations and formal descriptions for eight new species and three new subspecies that have resulted from the preparation of accounts for Volume 1 of the Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra for the genera Cleome (Capparaceae), Polycarpaea, Silene, Gypsophila and Dianthus (Caryophyllaceae), and Rubus (Rosaceae).

The morphological difference between the monospecific genus Brachychilum and Hedychium is bridged by the recently described Hedychium muluense R. M. Smith. Cytological studies reported here show that at least one stock of B. horsfieldii (Wall.) O. Petersen shares the same basic chromosome number and morphology with Hedychium. The genus Brachychilum should therefore be placed in synonymy with Hedychium, and B. horsfieldii should revert to Hedychium horsfieldii [R. Brown ex] Wall.

Three rare alpine, short-stemmed or stemless species of Saussurea DC. subgen. Saussurea are treated: S. ovata Bentham (W Kunlun Shan), S. elliptica C. B. Clarke (S. kuschakewiczii C. Winkler, syn. nov.; Tian Shan, Pamir, Karakorum, Zanskar) and S. atkinsonii C. B. Clarke (W Himalaya). The species are not closely interrelated and morphologically rather isolated. They are confined to different chains or mountain sections of Western High Asia, with their possible close relatives found in geographically far distant areas. Putative relationships of the taxa are discussed, revealing conflicts with the infrageneric classification proposed by Lipschitz (1979). Saussurea candolleana (DC.) Schultz Bip. (S. clarkei Hook. f., syn. nov.) is briefly discussed.

Pedicularis ser. Tenuirostres Maxim. (Orobanchaceae) is demonstrated to be the correct name for the group usually referred to as P. ser. Pectinatae Prain. The series is here revised and 12 species are accepted. Its species are centred in the NW Himalaya, particularly Pakistan where there is much local infraspecific variation. Two species are excluded from the series: Pedicularis rhynchotricha P.C.Tsoong from China (Xizang) is placed in P. ser. Rhynchotrichae R.R.Mill and P. birmanica Bonati is confirmed as a member of P. ser. Brevifoliae (Prain) Bonati. One new species of Pedicularis ser. Tenuirostres is described: P. yamazakiana R.R.Mill from Nepal, which was formerly confused with P. pectinata subsp. palans Prain. Pedicularis jainii Aswal & Mehrotra is demonstrated to be a superfluous name for P. pyramidata Royle ex Benth. Pedicularis kashmiriana var. ornata Pennell is considered to be indistinguishable from P. pyramidata although P. kashmiriana var. kashmiriana is a recognisable taxon. An IUCN conservation assessment is proposed for Pedicularis rhynchotricha and for each taxon within P. ser. Tenuirostres.