Current molecular phylogenetic analyses support the monophyly and circumscription of the athyrioid fern genus Deparia (Athyriaceae), which includes previously recognized genera including Athyriopsis, ×Depazium, Dictyodroma, Dryoathyrium (= Parathyrium), Lunathyrium, and Neotriblemma (= Triblemma Ching), and ×Neotribleparia. This broad generic concept has been adopted in several recent taxonomic treatments, including the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I. However, the infrageneric taxonomy of Deparia still needs further revision. In this study, we provide a new infrageneric classification with five sections and three subsections based on the phylogenetic evidence. We recognize two new sections, sect. Dictyodroma and sect. Erectus, and two new subsections, sect. Deparia subsect. Caespites and subsect. Athyriopsis. In addition, we provide a key to the sections and subsections, a table of diagnostic characters, new combinations for three Deparia and one Diplazium species, and a list of species assigned to the sections/subsections. Hybrids derived from crosses between the sections and subsections are also noted.

Atractantha and Athroostachys are Neotropical woody bamboo genera (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Arthrostylidiinae) that occurmainly in the Brazilian Atlantic forest from Bahia to Rio de Janeiro, with a single Atractantha species in southern Venezuela and in northwestern Amazonas state in Brazil. Previous phylogenetic studies resolved Atractantha as monophyletic, however, only three of its six species have been sampled. The aims of this study were to test the monophyly of Atractantha based on a broader sampling of the genus, and to investigate the phylogenetic position of the monotypic Athroostachys, previously unsampled in any molecular phylogeny. Seven plastid regions (ndhF, rps16, rpl16, trnC-rpoB, trnD-trnT, rps16-trnQ, and trnT-trnL), both coding and non-coding, were analyzed for 38 species of Arthrostylidiinae and eight species of other subtribes of Bambuseae. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses were performed for individual regions and the combined plastid dataset. Atractantha, in its current circumscription, is polyphyletic. Atractantha shepherdiana is strongly supported as sister to Athroostachys capitata, and this clade is strongly supported as sister to Merostachys. Besides the molecular evidence, morphological data support the transfer of A. shepherdiana to Athroostachys. The new combination Athroostachys shepherdiana and a new description of Athroostachys are here proposed.Akey to the two species of Athroostachys herein recognized and an illustration of the main distinguishing vegetative features of both species are provided.

Coursetia caribaea is geographically and morphologically the most variable species in the genus Coursetia and in the tribe Robinieae (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae). Because of potentially undetected species, we assessed the phylogenetic relationships among the eight taxonomic varieties of C. caribaea. Sampling included nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer sequences from 489 Robinieae accessions representing all varieties of C. caribaea and 38 of the 40 species of Coursetia, in addition to chloroplast trnD-trnT sequences from 186 accessions. Separate and combined phylogenetic analyses resolved a clade of conspecific accessions of the Bolivian C. caribaea var. astragalina as sister to the central Andean Coursetia grandiflora clade. Also distantly related to Coursetia caribaea var. caribaea accessions were those of the coastal Oaxacan C. caribaea var. pacifica, which formed the sister clade to accessions of the central Andean C. caribaea var. ochroleuca. The estimated mean ages of the stem clades for these three lineages, 11, 7.7, and 7.7 Ma, respectively, contrasted to the estimated mean ages of the corresponding crown clades of 0, 0, and 1.5 Ma. The contrasting stem and crown ages suggest that these taxa, appropriately ranked as species, Coursetia astragalina, Coursetia diversifolia, and Coursetia ochroleuca, each have persisted over evolutionary time frames as distinct geographically localized populations in seasonally dry tropical forests and woodlands.

Gaya comprises ca. 39 species distributed in the Neotropics, mainly in South America and with its greatest diversity in Brazil (14 species). Within tribe Malveae, Gaya has been always treated as homogeneous, yet isolated, due to a suite of unique morphological characters. The present study aimed to determine its phylogenetic affinities based on amolecular phylogenetic analysis of nuclear (ITS) and plastid (petL-psbE spacer, rpl16 intron) sequence data and considering morphological, palynological, and cytogenetic data within that phylogenetic context. Forty-four species from tribe Malveae, 19 Gaya species and 24 from related genera, and one species of tribe Hibisceae as an outgroup, were sampled for molecular and morphological analyses. In all analyses, Gaya emerged as monophyletic with Herissantia as its sister. This study is the first to confirm the sister relationship between these two genera. The monophyly of Gaya was supported further by morphological synapomorphies related to the dispersal of its mericarps and seeds, specifically the constriction site of themericarp and dehiscence type. A nectary rim at the internal base of the calyx is shared by Gaya and Herissantia and is a character not previously used in phylogenetic studies of Malveae. The evolutionary interpretation of other characters revealed homogeneity at the generic level and, therefore, these other characters might be useful for future higher-level phylogenetic studies in the tribe Malveae.

The genus Kewa in the monogeneric family Kewaceae (Caryophyllales) is revised. Six species are recognized, K. acida on St. Helena, K. angrae-pequenae in Namibia and South Africa, K. arenicola (incl. K. trachysperma) in South Africa, K. bowkeriana (incl. K. suffruticosa) widespread in eastern and southern Africa and inMadagascar, K. caespitosa in Angola and Namibia, and K. salsoloides in Namibia, Botswana, and SouthAfrica. Kewa is morphologically distinctive, notably by its simple perianth where the two outer perianth-segments are more or less sepaloid and the three inner ones more or less petaloid, and by its indumentumof short glandular hairs, often with prominent, persistent, wart-like bases. All species have an acid taste, apparently due to the presence of oxalic acid. All names are typified, including one lectotype designated here. An identification key and distribution maps for all species are provided. The phylogeny of Kewa is reconstructed based on plastid trnK-matK and rbcL and nuclear ITS sequences. Kewa is strongly supported and the included species have strong to no support, whereas the relationships between the species are mostly unsupported. Thephylogeny is datedand the estimated age of the Kewa stemclade is (37.5-)45.0(-57.0)million years and of the crown clade (3.0-)3.9(-7.4) million years. The age of the crown clade would also be the estimated date when K. acida on the approximately 14 million years old St. Helena diverged from its potential sister group on the African continent, and would coincide with the earliest possible date for the introduction of the ancestor of K. acida to St. Helena.

Sequence data exist for only about 1/5 of plant species; therefore we are at risk of losing many branches of the tree of life even before they are placed into a molecular evolutionary context. This necessitates methods for phylogeny estimation of understudied, rare, and threatened taxa, which often forces researchers to utilize historical collections. The restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) family of reduced representation sequence generation has provided a flexible and efficient method for the rapid generation of hundreds to tens of thousands of loci, and has recently seen adoption for phylogeny estimation. However, these methods have been primarily utilized with freshly collected or well preserved tissue. Here we sample all taxa of a genus of rare flowering plants, Chloropyron (Orobanchaceae), from herbarium sheets dating up to 25 yr and use double digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) to resolve intraspecific relationships. We find all species in Chloropyron to be monophyletic, with the inland taxon C. maritimum ssp. canescens sister to the rest of the coastal C. maritimum (ssp. maritimum + ssp. palustre), and the two distinct subspecies of C. molle to be each other's closest relative with strong support. In addition, we demonstrate the utility of reduced representation libraries to address phylogenomic problems in a group of rare species and address pitfalls of accurately inferring relationships when the amount of missing data is large, as is often the case when using historical specimens and rare taxa.

In the scope of pantropical studies aimed at understanding how the diversity of grammitid ferns (Polypodiaceae) has evolved and is maintained, we studied a diverse grammitid community in treeline elfin forests in eight study plots of 400 m² each at 3200 m on Cerro Toledo, Loja, southern Ecuador. We recorded a total of 7986 individuals of 16 grammitid species. Ascogrammitis lehnertii is here described as a new species.We also recorded Mycopteris leucosticta, a species previously believed to be restricted to the Chocó region of Ecuador. We found that the grammitid species were segregated by habitat into trunk-base and trunk specialists, which suggests that species coexistence in these diverse epiphytic communities is at least partly linked to habitat segregation. Ascogrammitis lehnertii and M. leucosticta were the second and third most abundant species, respectively, and both were mostly trunk-base species. The new species A. lehnertii differs from its congeners by the combination of its relatively broad lamina, (2-)3–4 cmwide, fertile leaves bearing 2mmlong reddish setae in and near the sori, and by bearing proliferous roots from which new plants emerge. Phylogenetic analyses of atpß, rbcL, rps4, trnG-trnR, andtrnL-trnF DNA molecular sequences, using maximum likelihood, place A. lehnertii as sister to A. cuencana with strong support. Despite previous intensive collection efforts in Loja for the past 30 yr, all but one of the collections of this new species were made in the last three years. The discovery of A. lehnertii and the new record of M. leucosticta highlight the patchy distribution of some species in the Andes and the value of surveying habitats that potentially host unrecognized plant diversity. In order to facilitate further discovery, we provide a key to all species of Ascogrammitis.

The genus Nolina on the Baja California peninsula has not been critically studied. Most of the taxonomic literature dealing with this group is older or incomplete in nature. Taxonomic problems with this genus arise because it is not easy to make herbarium specimens from plants in the field and the taxa are not well represented in collections. Species in this genus are difficult because they are dioecious, generally have large rosettes with many leaves, leaf margins that often cut skin, and the plants have large inflorescences. On older herbarium specimens, it is common to find only a leaf and an inflorescence fragment, and labels often do not provide taxonomically important information such as the plant's growth habit type. Consequently, distinctive inflorescence characters are usually missing from the specimen or from the label data. It is rare to find a complete specimen collection that includes all of the needed species-relevant data. Decisions for delimiting species in this genus are not easy, and in this case, were based mostly upon their morphological character consistency, geographic distribution, and environmental factors. Five species of Nolina are now registered for the Baja California peninsula: N. beldingii, N. bigelovii, N. interrata, N. palmeri, and the new nomenclatural combination N. brandegeei (Trelease) L. Hern. This paper includes: a species identification key, species taxonomic descriptions, ecological and geographical information, common names, taxonomic discussions of species, and pictures for species recognition of all taxa in the Baja California region.

For over thirty years archaeologists have provided evidence that southern Arizona pre-Columbian Native Americans, the Hohokam, extensively cultivated agave. However, no archeologists reported finding living agaves growing in the rock-piled or gridded Hohokam fields, therefore researchers could only speculate about the species cultivated. Our work expands upon a recent publication noting several agaves growing in prehistoric dry-farmed fields on terraces overlooking the San Pedro River. These agaves have affinities to A. phillipsiana W. C. Hodgs. and A. palmeri Engelm. based on flower color but differ by their gray-green leaves with thick bases and conspicuous bud imprinting. They are extremely rare, reproduce asexually via rhizomatous offsets with no apparent fruit set, have relatively uniform intra- and inter-population morphology, grow only with archaeological features and are unknown from natural settings: all characteristics expected in a domesticated crop. Here we describe Agave sanpedroensis, provide a key to distinguish it from other agaves in south-central Arizona and propose that it is a clonal, relictual crop grown from ca. A.D. 800–1450 by the Hohokam, and thus represents a ‘lost crop’ as sought by archaeologists. The extensive size and wide distribution of Hohokam agave fields that transformed the landscape and are still visible today indicates the crop's importance in the Hohokam economy. The question of where and when this agave originated has implications for North American domestication centers. Our discovery emphasizes the importance of collaborative research between archaeologists and botanists whose distinctive data can provide a richer understanding of how the Hohokam developed and then sustained one of the American Southwest's largest prehistoric populations.

Two new species are described in this work, Cyperus longiculmis and C. valiae. Cyperus longiculmis is similar to C. megapotamicus and C. niederleinianus, and Cyperus valiae resembles C. megapotamicus. Here, we present detailed descriptions for these new species, along with illustrations, risk assessment, distribution and habitat, phenology, and comparisons with morphologically similar species. We also provide a key for the species of Cyperus subg. Pycreus for the Central-West and Southeast regions of Brazil.

We describe and illustrate Hildaea parvispiculata, a new species from northern Brazil first recognized during analyses of herbarium specimens and later confirmed as new through molecular phylogenetic analyses. It is known from the states of Pará and Tocantins. Its conservation status is calculated as endangered (EN).Notes on phylogenetic placement, geographic distribution, habitat preferences, morphology, and pictures of the living plant are provided.

During a taxonomic treatment of Connarus L. (Connaraceae) in the Brazilian Amazon, two new species of the genus were identified: Connarus manausensis and Connarus ramiflorus.Descriptions and illustrations of the new taxa are provided, including information on their habitat, distribution, and phenology, along with a key to recognize the species of Connarus occurring in the Brazilian Amazon. The new species have only been found in single locations of Amazonas state (Brazil), but our hypothesis is that their distribution is poorly understood due to the scarcity of botanical data in the study area.

Ouratea (Ochnaceae) is a Neotropical radiation comprising about 300 species, some of which are ecologically dominant across South American biomes, yet they often remain unidentified among herbariumcollections. This work contributes to understanding the taxonomy of Ouratea by describing and illustrating the new species Ouratea dorata and O. gracilis from the remarkably biodiverse Atlantic Forest and highland savannas of the Chapada Diamantina, respectively, in Brazil.

Information regarding conservation actions and species distribution are based on specimens collected and deposited in scientific collections and taxonomic studies. In the tropics, these data might be biased for several reasons. Even in well-explored regions, such as the Atlantic Forest, there is still a lot to learn regarding distribution and evolution of genera and species. Intense sampling effort during the last 15 yr in the central Atlantic Forest has led to the description of six new species of Bertolonia (Melastomataceae). Bertolonia angustipetala, B. cuspidata, B. linearifolia, B. reginatoi, and B. vitoriana are endemic to southern Bahia, and B. kollmannii also occurs in Minas Gerais, near the border between both states. These and other recent discoveries in Bertolonia shift the diversity center of the genus from the southern to the central region of the Atlantic Forest, and provide a new context to understand morphological and biogeographical variation within the genus.

A new species of Fritzschia is described and compared with its probable relatives. Fritzschia rupestris is characterized by its sprawling habit with elongate internodes, absence of trichomes on vegetative and floral organs, ovate to subcordate glutinous leaf blades with serrulate margins, solitary pedunculate flowers, magenta petals, dimorphic stamens with well-developed staminal appendages, calyx lobes that become thicker in fruit, and ovary apex with a few scattered sessile glands. Diagnostic line drawings, field images, SEM photos of seeds, a distribution map, and a conservation assessment are provided, along with a key to all the species currently recognized in the genus Fritzschia.

Amyris roseomaculata , a new species from the state of Durango, Mexico, is described and illustrated. The new species is morphologically similar to A. rekoi Blake because both have 5-merous flowers, unifoliolate leaves, and leaflets and petioles are similar in length. However, A. roseomaculata is differentiated from that species due to the shape of calyx lobes and nectary disc, and the ovary clearly differentiated from the nectary disc. In addition, A. roseomaculata is known only from Durango, Mexico, while A. rekoi is distributed only in the state of Oaxaca. A comparative table is included as well as images and a distribution map of the two species.

A new species assigned to the genus Pouteria is described and illustrated. Pouteria citriodora is morphologically related to Pouteria procera but differs from itmainly by its axillary and isolated flowers (3–15-flowered in P. procera), calyx aestivation quincuncial (convolute/contorted in P. procera), longer tube corolla (5.0–7.3mmlong vs. 1.75–3.5mmlong in P. procera), and fruits with whitish dots on the surface and a very distinctive Citrus-like smell. Herein environmental, geographic distribution and conservation data for the new species are provided. In addition, a key to species of Pouteria with 5-merous flowers from Bahia state-Brazil is presented.

A new species, Oxypetalum marchesii, from rocky grassland environments of Uruguay, is here described, illustrated, and compared to morphologically similar species. Data on its habitat, distribution, ecology, and conservation status are also provided. Based on its cpDNA, O. marchesii clearly corresponds to the recently re-circumscribed and morphologically diverse genus Oxypetalum. This species is mostly characterized by its creeping, non-twining habit, widely ovate and shortly petiolate hirsute leaves, relatively large flowers with pale greyish corollas, and short stylar-head appendage that is included within a corona formed of oblong-lanceolate, bifurcate lobes. The conservation status of this species is considered vulnerable because of its small geographic range and restricted population size.

Two new species of Matelea from central Mexico with nearly black corollas and papillate lobes are described here: Matelea tezcatlipocantha and Matelea tlilxochitli. These taxa differ from each other and from morphologically similar species (e.g. M. calcicola, M. chrysantha, M. congesta, and M. inops) by the corolla tube and corona ornamentation. Descriptions, illustrations, morphological comparisons, and geographic distributions of these species as well as their conservation status are provided. This discovery highlights Mexico as a center of diversity and endemism for the genus, as more than 70 species are currently found there, with 60% of those species being restricted to the country.

Eryngium irgangii is a new species from southern Brazil, occurring in Atlantic Rain Forest region and endemic to Aparados da Serra highland in the Serra da Rocinha, on the border between the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. It grows on the edges of cloud forest slopes often under vegetation cover, inhabiting humid rocky ravines with organic matter accumulation. Eryngium irgangii can be distinguished by its oblanceolate distichous leaves, prominent involucre, remarkable capitula with involucral and floral bracts with tridentate apex bearing deflexed setae in the sinuses, and fruits with dorsal face naked or with scales on their ribs; therefore it belongs to subsection Lancifolia within section Panniculata. We present here a morphological description, ecological notes, distribution map, illustrations and photos, conservation status, and diagnostic characters distinguishing E. irgangii from related species.