A new hysteranthous species of Ceropegia, C. andhrica P.Chiranjeevi, K.Prasad & V.Nagaraju sp. nov. (Apocynaceae), is described from the Paderu forest division, Alluri Sitharamaraju District, Andhra Pradesh, India. It morphologically resembles Ceropegia vemanae and C. ciliatior in features such as the shape and size of tuber, pendulous flowers, reflexed corolla lobes and exposed gynostegium with corona , but differs in having branched or rarely unbranched stem, flowers 4–6 at a node, pedicels 4–10 mm long, sepals subulate or narrowly deltoid, corolla dark purple, densely hairy, lobes 3.4–6.0 mm long, ovate‐triangular at base then gradually tapering above, interstaminal corona lobes shortly bilobed with triangular lobules, and staminal corona lobes narrowly oblong, 3‐lobed at apex. A detailed description, photographs, and the conservation status of the new species are provided.

Two species of Clavija are described as new to science: C. neivea (Department Huila Colombia), which is similar to C. pungens (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) Decne. of coastal Ecuador, but distinguished by its chiefly elliptic leaf blades with less serrate margins and 4‐merous flowers; C. zamorae (Prov. Morona‐Santiago and Zamora‐Chinchipe, Ecuador) is similar to C. weberbaueri Mez, but is distinguished by its glabrous young shoots, relatively short petioles and irregularly white‐spotted fruits. A lectotype of C. membranacea Mez is selected to replace a previously designated neotype.

The taxonomic framework of the genus Jatropha (Euphorbiaceae) is well established, but its geophytic species present significant classification challenges. These difficulties arise from species complexes, cryptic traits, and high environmental and phenotypic variability. This study proposes the new species combination Jatropha benghalensis , based on a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis using three DNA barcodes: ITS2 , psb A‐ trn H and trn L‐ trn F. The phylogenetic tree constructed from the concatenated dataset reveals a distinct placement of J. benghalensis , separate from J. nana , with which it was previously grouped as a taxonomic variety. Notably, indels observed in the chloroplast spacer regions contribute significantly to the molecular distinction between J. benghalensis and J. nana . This study highlights the utility of chloroplast markers and their effectiveness in resolving interspecific boundaries within complex plant groups.

Phialacanthus griffithii Benth. & Hook.f. (Acanthaceae), a species long thought unrecorded, was rediscovered in 2023 after a 160‐year gap in the Upper Dibang Valley, Eastern Himalaya, Arunachal Pradesh. The study presents a comprehensive taxonomic account including lectotypification, morphological description, phenology, habitat ecology, distribution and examined specimens. A color photoplate and distribution map are included to assist field identification.

Parakaempferia alba, a new species of Zingiberaceae from East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, India is herein described. A detailed taxonomic description, diagnosis, color photoplate, distribution map, notes on habitat and ecology, conservation status, and a table of comparisons with the closely related species Parakaempferai synantha Rao & Verma are provided. This new species differs, inter alia, from P. synantha by its leaf characters, number of spikes, length of peduncle, number of bracts as well as their shape and size, bracteole shape and size, staminode shape and color, labellum shape and color of apical margin, anther size and color, filament size, style size, ovary shape, and by presence of two linear shaped glands attached to the ovary.

The identification of Daphne taxa is difficult because of the lack of available morphological characteristics. Here, we aimed to describe leaf and wood micromorpho‐anatomical characteristics of native Turkish Daphne taxa ( D. glomerata , D. gnidioides , D. mezereum , D. mucronata , D. oleoides subsp. kurdica , D. pontica and D. sericea ) from three phytogeographical regions (Europeo‐Siberian, Irano‐Turanian and Mediterranean) from Türkiye to contribute to the systematic position of taxa. Totally, 41 leaf and wood characters were investigated. Most of the features were characterised in detail for the first time in these taxa, and statistical analyses were used to evaluate the diagnostic characters. SEM analysis was carried out to determine the surface structures of leaves and tracheal elements of wood. We encountered the following distinct anatomical differences: 1) differences in wax depositions in leaves, 2) in pubescens details, 3) in cell wall patterns, 4) in mesophyll types, 5) in midrib structures, 6) in stomatal number and stomatal length in hypostomatic leaves with anomocytic stomata and 7) in vessel arragement in growth rings, with different ray frequency and cellular ray composition, and the presence of tori in intervessel pits in wood. An identification key based on these micromorpho‐anatomical characters is presented, some ecological interpretations are made, and the study's results are compared to existing data in the literature. Our results demonstrate that the micromorpho‐anatomical data across taxa are partly congruent with the classification in the Turkish Flora, but new sectional arrangements may be recommended for the systematic positions of taxa based on their phytogeographical origins.

The Eurasian steppe area has been a dynamic vegetation biome during the Pleistocene with its repeated cycles of forest advances and retreats. Such a scenario allows the evolution of ecotypes at the ecotone with the potential for parallel evolution in different parts of the distribution area. We test this hypothesis using the steppe and forest‐steppe herb Veronica spicata , based on results from genotyping‐by‐sequencing and pollen morphology. We provide evidence that the forest‐living paczoskiana‐morphotype evolved independently in Ukraine (the type locality in central Ukraine) and the Altai region, but potentially also elsewhere. Pollen morphology of 26 herbarium specimens was studied using both light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Pollen grains are 3(4)‐colpate and 3‐colporate, suboblate to prolate (P/E = 0.82–1.75) in shape; small‐ and medium‐sized. Pollen grains of forest ecotypes were usually smaller in size (mean 20.74 × 18.72 µm) than pollen of grassland V. spicata (mean 23.79 × 20.98 µm). Lack of an indumentum, reddish stem color, lower specific leaf area, and smaller pollen seem to be parallel adaptations to the shadier conditions and more acidic soil in these forests. The dynamic history of the forest‐steppe zone in Eurasia during the Pleistocene provides a compelling scenario supporting the convergent evolution of this morphotype.

Petrocodon gracilis T.Ding & B.Pan and P. mirus X.Z.Shi, J.X.Fu & Li H.Yang are two recently described species exhibiting nearly identical morphology. To determine whether they represent the same taxon, we compared their type localities, type materials, and morphological features and conducted phylogenetic analyses using the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and five plastid regions ( atpI‐H , matK , rps16 , trnH‐psbA and trnL‐F ). Morphological comparisons and type information revealed that both species originated from the same population and are indistinguishable in key traits. Molecular phylogenetic analysis further showed that four samples of P. gracilis and P. mirus form a strongly supported monophyletic clade. Combined morphological and molecular evidence confirmed their conspecificity. We therefore treat P. gracilis as a synonym of P. mirus .

Stemodia diplohyptoides M.M.Sosa & Dematt. and S. lobelioides Lehm. (Gratioleae, Plantaginaceae) are reported for the first time in Paraguay, found in Alto Paraná and Presidente Hayes departments, respectively. These new records extend the known geographical range of both species, representing the northern records to date, S. diplohyptoides was previously considered endemic to northeastern Argentina (Misiones province), and S. lobelioides to the Río de la Plata basin (Argentina and Uruguay). Global distribution analysis and conservation status assessment were conducted, resulting in the classification of S. diplohyptoides as ‘Vulnerable' (VU) and S. lobelioides as ‘Near Threatened' (NT), according to the criteria established by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This study includes global distribution maps showing the ecoregions in which the species are found, according to Dinerstein et al. (2017), plates with field and herbarium specimen photographs and a taxonomic key to distinguish the species of Stemodia growing in Paraguay. Additionally, a neotype is designated for S. lobelioides .

The genus Terniopsis consists of plants that have not been thoroughly studied, with many species remaining taxonomically unresolved. In this study, Terniopsis chanthaburiensis is reported as a new record of China based on morphological traits. Then, we assembled and annotated its chloroplast genome based on genome skimming data. A maximum‐likelihood tree constructed based on the matK and ITS genes showed that jflcz20230309 clustered with T. chanthaburiensis (LC625800, LC384161 and LC625815, LC625816). This validates our morphological identification. Furthermore, the plastome of T. chanthaburiensis has been sequenced, revealing a typical quadripartite structure with a length of 130,529 bp. It contains 105 unique genes, including 73 protein‐coding genes, 28 tRNAs, and 4 rRNAs. Phylogenetic analysis based on the plastid genome reveals that T. chanthaburiensis (collection number: jflcz20230309, GPS: 108°47′37.2012″E, 18°41′48.9624″N, collection date: 9 Mar. 2023) forms a distinct clade sister to T. yongtaiensi s and T. heterostaminata , with high support values (PP = 1.00, BS = 100). The discovery of this river‐weed could lay the foundation for investigating their biogeographical patterns and species evolution.