Since the publication of the last Lebanese and Syrian classical flora, the only complete work on Lebanese flora is an illustrated book based on the same taxonomy and nomenclature with a few exceptions and some additions. Specifically on the Lebanese orchids, one book has illustrated orchids in the field with an unusual taxonomic point of view. Several Euro-Mediterranean monographs propose a conflicting taxonomy that is not always useful in identifying living specimens. Several years of exploration throughout Lebanon allowed the authors to build considerable knowledge of the orchid flora and its taxonomy. Other works made on adjacent areas completed the investigations and provided some useful indications to build taxonomic understanding and compile a preliminary checklist of Orchidaceae. Historical nomenclature was reanalysed from a modern point of view; recent critical appellations were confronted with biogeography and integrative evolutionary taxonomy, and some poorly known taxa are highlighted and their taxonomy is reinvestigated. A total of 51 species and subspecies are listed for Lebanon. Two new chorological records for Lebanon (Epipactis helleborine “subsp. praecox” nom. provis.; Ophrys alasiatica) and four new nomenclatural combinations (Androrchis × ehdenica, Epipactis helleborine subsp. turcica, Ophrys episcopalis subsp. libanotica, Serapias vomeracea subsp. levantina) are presented. At least 14 taxa are regionally endemic, seven of which are limited to two border countries, the other seven being too poorly known for conclusions about their biogeography.

Very little is known of the earlier lichen flora of the Padanian Plain, the most heavily anthropized and industrialized part of Italy, which is currently extremely poor. Terricolous lichens in particular are the most sensitive to threats, and have almost totally disappeared from the western Padanian Plain. This paper reports new findings of 20 terricolous lichen species, several of which are rare or poorly known in Italy or are of some phytogeographical interest because they are found at lower altitudes than their usual distribution (i.e. Cladonia coccifera, Cladonia uncialis). In addition, Cladonia humilis is new for Lombardy and two other species, Cladonia portentosa and Stereocaulon condensatum, are reported for the second time in the same region. The significance of these species is discussed with regard to their historical records from the same area and their current altitudinal distribution; they were probably much more widespread in the past, but the decline and disappearance of their habitats in lowland areas have been followed by their own disappearance in many localities. A modification of the rarity status of some of these species in the considered phytoclimatic belts, based on the new records, is proposed.

Pancratium maritimum L. (Amaryllidaceae) is a geophyte occurring in the Mediterranean region, from the Black Sea to part of the Atlantic coast. This plant is receiving much attention from the international scientific community due to its value as a bioindicator, the potential industrial value of its chemical compounds, and its use as a commercial ornamental plant. Plant morphometry and sequences of three plastid DNA regions (rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA) were used to assess the phenotypic and genetic variability of this taxon and its closest congeneric species (in particular Pancratium linosae, from the volcanic island of Linosa) in the Central Mediterranean (Sicily, Tunisia and surrounding islands). Pancratium maritimum and P. linosae cannot be distinguished based on morphological and genetic data and should belong to the same taxon. Our results also highlight a diversified gene pool in P. maritimum that is worth preserving. The lectotypes of the names Halmira stellaris, Pancratium angustifolium and Pancratium foetidum are here designated.

Within the framework of the prodromous of French vegetations, under the sponsorship of French Society of plant sociology, the author presents the Adiantetea capilli-veneris: declination at the European level, then presentation of cards by known association at the French level. Only one order is recognized, Adiantetalia capilli-veneris, with three alliances (Adiantion capilli-veneris, Pinguiculion longifoliae, and Polysticho setiferi – Phyllitidion scolopendrii). Some systematic structures are also defined which imply several species in Pinguicula, Primula, and Hypericum genera.

The genus Aegilops represents the secondary gene pool of wheat. A better understanding of the germination behaviour of Aegilops species is important to improve their use in breeding programmes and strengthen their in situ/ex situ conservation. In this study, we investigated the germination behaviour of nine Aegilops species, five of them not yet investigated, under two alternating and two constant temperatures. Seed germination was higher than 60% in all temperature treatments and species. Alternating temperatures promoted higher germination rates in all the species and significantly enhanced seed germination in three species (Aegilops biuncialis, Aegilops geniculata and Aegilops neglecta), in comparison with constant temperatures. One of the rarest and least productive species in the genus (Aegilops uniaristata) displayed the highest germination. This study suggests that different (seed) regeneration strategies/niches occur across Aegilops species.

The genus Leea L. includes some species that are known to have ethnomedicinal properties. They have been used as cures against common ailments such as skin infections and arthritis. To augment the morphological identification of this taxon, four candidate chloroplast DNA barcodes (matK, rbcL, trnH-psbA and trnL-F) were tested for their efficiency as single-locus barcodes for four Leea species. Genomic DNA from silica-dried leaf samples were isolated and used as template for generating DNA barcodes. Pairwise sequence divergence using the Kimura two-parameter model was used to analyse interspecific and intraspecific variations among the barcodes whereas BLAST and neighbour-joining analyses were employed to examine discrimination success. The results show that matK is the most efficient single-locus barcode for Leea by yielding the highest rate of universality as well as the best discriminatory and authentication power among the barcodes examined.

The number of seeds is an indicator of plant fitness. We compared four quality measures – seed number, abortion, viability and germination. To test as wide a span of seed variability as possible, we cross-pollinated and self-pollinated one nectarless and one nectar-rewarding orchid species, assuming that nectariferous species should be more adapted to geitonogamous selfing than the cheating one and that seed quality should reflect that. Seed number for both species was lowest in selfed fruits. Viability and germination did not show any difference in deceptive Orchis militaris treatments, but the trend was different in rewarding Platanthera bifolia. Seed number and seed abortion correlated well as did viability and germination in vitro. This shows that these two stages are controlled by different mechanisms. Therefore, seed number or seed abortion rate alone cannot be proxies for reproductive output.

The paper presents new records for 20 vascular plant species from 13 Eurasian countries. Four taxa (Calamagrostis sichuanensis, Klasea dissecta, Ptilagrostis milleri and Stipa klimesii) are reported from China, four (Aconogonon valerii, Carex siderosticta, Poa tanfiljewii and Potamogeton × subobtusus) from Russia, three (Amorpha fruticosa, Carduus acanthoides and Plantago minuta) from Tajikistan, two (Achillea sergievskiana and Delphinium barlykense) from Kazakhstan, one (Calamagrostis effusiflora) from Bhutan and India, one (Campanula wolgensis) from Mongolia, one (Orobanche coerulescens) from Georgia, two (Dysphania geoffreyi and Ptilagrostis milleri) from Nepal, one (Stipa × alaica) from Afghanistan, one (Stipa × manrakica) from Kyrgyzstan, one (Ranunculus × gluckii) from Poland and one (Sporobolus cryptandrus) from Italy. Four of the taxa presented (Amorpha fruticosa, Carduus acanthoides, Carex siderosticta and Sporolobus cryptandrus) are regarded as alien to the studied areas, whereas the remaining 16 are native elements to the flora of the countries. For each species synonyms, general distribution, habitat preferences, taxonomy with remarks on recognition and differentiation of the species from the most similar taxa occurring in a given country, as well as a list of recorded localities (often far from the previously known areas) are presented. Based on the spikelet morphology, we have proposed in Ptilagrostis a new section Barkworthia M. Nobis, A. Nobis & A. Nowak, which comprises two species Ptilagrostis yadongensis and Ptilagrostris milleri, with distinctly unequal glumes, lemmas and paleas.

Elatine triandra Schkuhr is the most variable and widespread species within the genus Elatine L.; it has been recorded in all continents, except Antarctica, but it is mainly located in Europe. The study is based on an extensive data set of European literature, herbaria and web data that covers the period 1828–2012. The range of the species in Europe is disjunctive, covering the southern and western parts of the Central European Plain and the southern part of the Fennoscandian Shield. At a smaller scale, the species can also be found along some river valleys. In Central Europe many localities, particularly isolated ones in the northern part of the range, are now only historical. From the data set we determined that E. triandra may be best observed between May and October. We found that species records show a near-significant shift since 1828. Depending on the environmental conditions, individuals of the taxon develop as one of two morphs: terrestrial or aquatic. The aquatic morph is characterized by stems, internodes, lamina and petiole that are twice as long as those of the terrestrial form. Elatine triandra seeds show consistent characteristics, both in terms of morphs and populations. Our studies show that the best diagnostic features, in addition to the construction of flowers, are the size, shape and surface structure of seeds. In Central Europe, E. triandra occurs exclusively in communities classified as Isoëto-Nano-Juncetea.