The Caryophyllales are one of the major lineages of angiosperms, including some 12 000 species and well known families such as Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Droseraceae, Nyctaginaceae and Polygonaceae. Phylogenetic hypotheses based on molecular characters have led to their circumscription and have considerably improved our understanding of interfamilial relationships. For this study, we generated a data set of the non-coding and rapidly evolving chloroplast petB-petD region, consisting of a transcribed spacer and a group II intron for 87 taxa of Caryophyllales and 22 outgroups. In addition, we analysed a complementary matK data set with complete sequences of the coding region. Trees obtained from both markers were well resolved and especially petD data yielded a well supported backbone for the Caryophyllales. The order is constituted by two sister clades, caryophyllids and polygonids, the latter containing a carnivorous subclade. Both Molluginaceae and Phytolaccaceae had been considered as polyphyletic, but not as severely as is now evident from this study with improved taxon sampling. As a great surprise, the hitherto unsampled genus Microtea is found with high support in an isolated position as the fourth branch in the caryophyllid clade. On the other hand, Lophiocarpus as the second genus of the Phytolaccaceae subfamily Microteoideae is sister to an Aizoaceae-Nyctaginaceae-Phytolaccaceae lineage. In line with their morphological distinctness, Microteaceae are described as a new family. Our data further resolve a distinct Mollugo clade, whereas Hypertelis appears to have affinities with Limeum, suggesting an expanded Limeaceae.

A recent molecular analysis of Crepis by Enke & Gemeinholzer based on ITS and matK sequences proved the genus to be polyphyletic and split into three statistically well supported clades. The first clade comprises the majority of the sampled species as Crepis s.str., the second clade species of five Crepis sections (Intybellia, Lagoseris, Phaecasium, Microcephalum and Pterotheca) as well as the genera Lapsana and Rhagadiolus, the third clade C. sect. Ixeridopsis as part of the Youngia group. The present paper summarises and discusses the available molecular, morphological (additional micromorphological data of pollen, achenes and pappus presented in the present paper) and karyological findings, makes suggestions towards delimitation and infrageneric classification of Crepis and specifies problems to be solved by future studies. It is concluded that (1) the recent resurrection of Askellia as a separate genus is well advised, (2) the genera Lapsana and Rhagadiolus should, for the time being, be maintained in their current generic circumscription and (3) Crepis, consequently, be treated as a paraphyletic taxon. A revised infrageneric classification of Crepis, maintaining 21 of Babcock's 27 sections, some in a revised circumscription, is provided; in addition, C. sect. Calliopea is re-established and C. sect. Neglectoides is described as new to science. For several species or species groups the findings are ambiguous or contradicting and their placement questionable. Approximately 55 % of the species were not included in a molecular analysis yet and their sectional placement based on morphological data only is thus tentative.

A survey of the current treatment of the allochthonous grass Digitaria ciliaris and of its actual distribution in Europe is offered. It is based on a comprehensive revision of vouchers from selected European herbaria and on a literature survey carried out with the goal of collecting additional reports and of reviewing the treatment of the species in national and regional European floras. The results suggest that D. ciliaris is still not well known in Europe and thus overlooked in many areas, particularly in Italy and Spain. First records or at least definitely confirmed records are given for Portugal, Montenegro and Turkey, as well as for several regions of Spain, Italy and Greece. Substantial evidence is provided that D. ciliaris is naturalized in large areas of S Europe, particularly along the Mediterranean coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and Greece, including the islands. Diagnostic morphological features of D. ciliaris are described in order to better understand the species and an elaborated key is provided to distinguish it from the very similar and common autochthonous D. sanguinalis and other allochthonous species of the D. ciliaris complex that occur or may occur in Europe as casuals.

Stipa serena, a new species of S. sect. Leiostipa belonging to the S. clausa group, is described from the provinces of Badajoz and Ciudad Real in southwestern Spain. Its morphological and anatomical characteristics are compared with those of other members of the S. clausa group.

Jurinea pungens has long been known by its tough, linear and entire leaves ending in a rigid spine, which make it distinct from any other species of the genus. It is shown that material collected c. 70 km SW of the putative type locality of J. pungens belongs to a similar species new to science. Results obtained from molecular studies supported by morphological and palynological data show that these two species do not belong to Jurinea but form a group within Cousinia subg. Cousinia. J. pungens is therefore transferred to Cousinia and renamed C. argentea as the name C. pungens is in use for a different species. The closely related species new to science is described as C. kadereitii and illustrated. Since the two species do not fit into any of the existing sections of Cousinia, C. sect. Argenteae is described as a new section to accommodate them. A distribution map for the two species is provided.

Heliamphora uncinata, H. ciliata and H. huberi are described as species new to science and illustrated. They are compared with their putative relatives, ecological notes are included and an identification list for all specimens examined is appended. The petaloid tepals of H. uncinata bear nectaries in the basal half of their adaxial surface and it shares this feature with H. exappendiculata. This is the first record of nuptial nectaries for the genus Heliamphora.

Hygrophila urquiolae is described in detail and compared with the second Cuban species of the same genus, H. costata. It appears to be a taxonomically isolated species without close known relatives. At present it is known from a single locality in Matanzas Province, close to the northern coast of Cuba, where it belongs to a wetland community with clear affinities to the flora of Florida. As a specimen of unknown provenance, found in a Cuban herbarium, also represents the new species, one may assume that it occurs in other similar habitats of the island as well.

Floristic results of our botanical explorations in Albania between 2005 and 2008 are presented. The studied area covers almost the whole territory of Albania, except for the NE part of the country. Altogether 18 angiosperm taxa are reported and discussed, 11 are species new for the flora of Albania and 7 are rather rare species that had been reported previously but were omitted from all recent floras and the red data book of the country and are now confirmed. The knowledge on the distribution of the taxa in the neighbouring countries is also evaluated.

Continuing a series of miscellaneous contributions by various authors, the sixth instalment includes information about 126 taxa focussing on the chorology and ecology of the Cyprus flora. One taxon is new to science, Lythum hyssopifolia var. cyprium, 16 taxa are new to the island, e.g., Campanula fastigiata, Ferula tingitana, Lactuca undulata, Minuartia montana subsp. montana, Rochelia disperma, Sedum aetnense and Veronica bozakmanii. Chromosome numbers of Carrichtera annua, Euphorbia hierosolymitana, E. veneris, Lactuca tetrantha, Lythrum hyssopifolia, Peucedanum kyriakae, Ranunculus creticus and Solenopsis antiphonitis have been confirmed or are reported for the first time. The phylogenetic position of the recently described endemic Cynara makrisii is elucidated with ITS sequences.

This is the fourth of a series of miscellaneous contributions, by various authors, where hitherto unpublished data relevant to the Euro Med (or Sisyphus) Project are presented. This instalment deals with the families Chenopodiaceae, Compositae, Orobanchaceae and Gramineae, including new country and area records for taxa of Allagopappus, Anacyclus, Andryala, Aristida, Avena, Brachypodium, Cenchrus, Cladanthus, Digitaria, Eragrostis, Helichrysum, Megathyrsus, Panicum, Pennisetum, Pulicaria, Salicornia, Schizogyne, Senecio, Taraxacum and Triticum, and the validation of names in the genera Andryala, Elymus, Hieracium, Koeleria, Neoschischkinia, Orobanche, Pilosella, Secale and Senecio.

Continuing a series of miscellaneous contributions, by various authors, where hitherto unpublished data relevant to the Med-Checklist project are presented, this instalment deals with the families Aizoaceae, Amaranthaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Boraginaceae, Casuarinaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Compositae, Convolvulaceae, Cruciferae, Euphorbiaceae, Labiatae, Leguminosae, Linaceae, Malvaceae, Polygonaceae, Rubiaceae, Solanaceae, Ulmaceae; Gramineae, Iridaceae, Lemnaceae and Liliaceae. It includes new country and area records, taxonomic and distributional considerations. A new species of Allium is described and a new combination is proposed in Rhaponticoides.

The planktonic desmid species Staurastrum pseudoplanctonicum is described as new to science from Lake Garda in Italy and the Bautzen Reservoir in Germany. Besides providing a valid and legitimate name, we are publishing some SEM micrographs of its processes from the holotype in the Berlin herbarium. The new taxon is discussed with respect to the ongoing debate on species concepts in desmids and its relation to S. planctonicum and the S. manfeldtii/ pingue complex.

Chromosome numbers are presented for 32 taxa of angiosperms from Romania, mainly from mountainous regions in the Carpathians. Counts on 12 species are reported for the first time for Romanian and 14 for Carpathian plants. For Silene dubia a new ploidy level is reported. Karyotypes are presented for several species, mainly of Achillea and Ranunculus. Taxonomic and phytogeographical aspects are discussed.

In this paper, erroneously, on p. 130 under Fig. 6 instead of the distribution map of Cyrilla macrocarpa, as stated in the caption, the distribution map of C. lutgardae, from Fig. 4, has been printed a second time. The corrected Fig. 6 is given below.

Fig. 6. Cyrilla macrocarpa, total known distribution.