The purpose of our study was to test whether any significant morphological differences exist between island and mainland plant populations of the north European White Sea. Six polymorphic species were studied: Atriplex nudicaulis (Chenopodiaceae), Euphrasia wettsteinii (Orobanchaceae), Achillea millefolium (Asteraceae), Parnassia palustris (Parnassiaceae), Potentilla egedii (Rosaceae) and Rhodiola rosea (Crassulaceae). Based on the multivariate analyses of our data, we found 10 cases where differences between island and mainland populations are best explained by the existence of short-scale evolutionary processes. These results suggest that plant populations on islands of recent origin may display local morphological divergence in a short evolutionary time frame.

Elatine orthosperma Düben, E. spathulata Gorski, Elatine hydropiper L. subsp. gyrosperma Fr. and E. triandra Schkuhr var. callitrichoides Nyl. are lectotypified, and an epitype is selected for the lectotype of E. spathulata. The synonymizing of E. spathulata with E. hydropiper is supported. — Flora Nordica Notes 36.

Sagittaria species have been reported to display remarkable variation in gender expression. Here, we investigated gender variation in Sagittaria pygmaea, the smallest sized monoecious species in the genus. We used the midvein length as an indicator of plant size and production of male and female flowers as an indicator of gender variation in a single inflorescence. We counted the total number of inflorescences to assess the effect of inflorescence variation on the gender variation pattern. Our results showed that variation in inflorescence number did not affect gender variation. Male flower production increased with increasing plant size, but female flower production did not. Plants of S. pygmaea might enhance their paternal reproductive success by increasing the number of male flowers with increasing plant size.

Potassium antimonite was used to locate calcium in the anthers of lettuce (Lactuca sativa). There are no calcium precipitates in young anthers. After meiosis of microspore mother cells, calcium precipitates first appear in the tapetal cells, from which some small secretive vesicles containing many calcium precipitates are secreted into the locule. At a late stage of the microspore, tapetal cells completely degenerate and their protoplasts move into the locule with many calcium precipitates. The calcium precipitates increase in the early microspores, and in the exine. When the microspores form some small vacuoles containing calcium precipitates, and those vacuoles then fuse to form a large one, the calcium precipitates evidently decrease. The large vacuole of bicellular pollen grain discomposes and calcium precipitates again appear in the cytoplasm and then decrease. When the pollen matures, most calcium precipitates are located in its exine with only a few in the cytoplasm.

Lectotypes are designated for 83 names of species of Hieracium sect. Hieracium, H. sect. Vulgata and H. sect. Bifida described by Swedish authors based on material from the provinces Gästrikland, Hälsingland and Medelpad of central Sweden. Whenever needed, the affinities and taxonomic value of the lectotypified taxa and the taxonomic implications of the lectotypifications are discussed. One new combination — H. luculentorum T. Tyler nom. et stat. nov. — is proposed to accomplish the taxon previously described as H. chordosum var. luculentum Johanss.

We give the first account concerning the ecology, population size, breeding system and genetic variability of the unique Italian population of Gentianella crispata, a rare orophilous species with a disjunct distribution including Balkan peninsula and southern Italy. The population is relatively small (ca. 4000 individuals) and has a fragmented structure within a wider area covered by the grass-dominated vegetation Seslerio nitidae—Brometum erecti. The evaluated morphological traits (i.e. plant size, flower number per plant and length of corolla tube) greatly varied among individuals. Examination of the floral structures revealed that the stigma becomes receptive before anther dehiscence. Observations on the topological relationships between stigma and anther suggested that in young flowers protogyny is paralleled by herkogamy (i.e. hyper-stigmatic condition). However, the anther dehiscence appeared to be accompanied by a reduction of the spatial separation between female and male organs. This suggested the occurrence of a mixed breeding system, as also sustained by ISSR analysis. The ITS-based phylogeny showed an interesting relationship with G. caucasea, conferring a peculiar evolutionary interest to the species and its westernmost, severely isolated Italian population. According to the IUCN Red List criteria, G. crispata in Italy meets the requirements for critically endangered species.

A new species of Gesneriaceae, Chirita grandibracteata J.M. Li & M. Möller sp. nova (Gesneriaceae), collected in Hekou county, Yunnan province, is described and illustrated. It is most similar, and probably most closely related, to C. eburnea Hance. The new species differs from the latter by having large round leaves with appressed hairs, two rows of dense long hairs on the adaxial border of the two anther-thecae, a triangular stigma lobed for more than half of its length and with an acute or acuminate apex, three glabrous staminodes, and fruits 2.8 cm long.

A new species of Primulaceae, Primula lihengiana C.M. Hu & R. Li, from W Yunnan, China is described and illustrated. It resembles P. ovalifolia and P. klaveriana; it differs from the former by the leaves tapering gradually at base, the calyx being longer and lobed below middle into lanceolate 3–5-nerved lobes, and by the exannulate corolla; from the latter it can be easily distinguished by its scapes, pedicels and abaxial surface of leaves densely covered with tawny multicellular hairs and especially by its heterostylous flowers.

Two species of Taraxacum new to science are reported from Spain. Taraxacum ayllonense A. Galán & Vicente Orell. was found in the Spanish Central System, and T. cantabricum A. Galán & Vicente Orell. was collected in the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain.

Schisandra parapropinqua Z.R. Yang & Q. Lin sp. nova (Schisandraceae) from Guizhou and Yunnan, southwest China, is described and illustrated. It grows only in thickets and forests on limestone hills at altitudes of 800–1300 m. Schisandra parapropinqua is close to S. plena and S. propinqua; the morphological differences are discussed.

Orinus longiglumis L.B. Cai & X. Su sp. nova (Poaceae) is described and illustrated. It is endemic to the south-central part of Xizang Zizhiqu (Tibet), China, occurring at an elevation of 3040 to 3650 m on sandy soils. It resembles O. thoroldii, but differs from that species by the commonly hairy culms and leaves, longer panicles, longer glumes that are sparsely spinulose and pilose, longer anthers, and the paleas that are shorter than the lemmas. Orinus longiglumis differs from all other known species of Orinus by having glumes that are longer than or subequal to the adjacent florets.

Arundinaria baviensis Balansa was found to have short-necked pachymorph rhizomes and culms with nodal rings of root thorns, especially dense at lower nodes. This is in accordance with the characteristics of Chimonocalamus, and therefore a new combination, Chimonocalamus baviensis (Balansa) N.H. Xia, V.L. Le & Y.F. Deng, is proposed.

Astragalus guzelsuensis F. Ghahrem.-Nejad, Behçet & Demir sp. nova (Fabaceae), endemic to the eastern Anatolia, Turkey, is described here. It is placed in the sect. Incani due to its medifixed hairs, free stipules, bibracteolate flowers, and imparipinnate leaves, and it appears to be most closely related to A. siahcheshmehensis. Astragalus guzelsuensis differs, among other things, in having more leaflets (6–10 not 2–6 pairs), longer stipules (8–13 mm not 3–4 mm), a glabrous calyx (not hairy), a longer standard (29–31 not 25 mm), and a glabrous fruit (not hairy).

Hoya baishaensis S.Y. He & P.T. Li sp. nova (Apocynaceae) from Hainan, China is described and illustrated. The morphological characteristics of H. baishaensis and the fairly similar H. griffithii and H. radicalis are compared. Hoya baishaensis differs in its leaf shape, pedicel, calyx and corolla color.