Mazus dabieshanensis , a newly described species endemic to the Dabieshan Mountains in eastern China, is illustrated and described. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences consistently demonstrate that this new species forms a stable clade with other Mazus species characterized by a pubescent ovary. Morphologically, the new species is readily distinguished by its hard and numerous stolons, plants with white villous, leaves attenuate into a petiole‐like base, corolla upper lip bilobed, lobes without odontolobate incisions. This unique combination of characteristics effectively differentiates it from all other known Mazus species. In conclusion, both morphological evidence and molecular phylogenetic analyses support that this species belongs to Mazus and represents a previously unreported new species clearly distinct from other members of the genus.
Wind turbines influence several abiotic conditions in the environments they are sited in and may influence the behavior and movement of insect pollinators. It is unknown how operating turbines influence plant–pollinator interactions. To investigate if pollination dynamics could be affected by the presence of wind turbines, we recorded videos of pollinating insects visiting flowers on blooming, native plants within a wind energy facility, and at five sites located 4–28 km from operating turbines. We calculated the length of interactions between insect pollinators and flowers, and identified individual behaviors exhibited by visiting insects. Insects interacted with flowers for longer periods of time when closer to wind turbines. As distance to turbine increased, the probability that pollinating insects would crawl into blooms or drink nectar decreased, while the probability that they would rest on plants increased. These behaviors also varied with changes in wind speed, air temperature, and the number of flowers on plants. Our study is one of the first to offer evidence that plant–pollinator interactions could be altered by turbines or abiotic changes caused by turbines. This topic merits further investigation to help land managers and conservation organizations make informed decisions about future turbine siting, restoration, and conservation efforts.
This study provides a comprehensive examination of fruit morphology and micromorphology characteristics of 28 populations of Onobrychis subgenus Onobrychis taxa from Iran, using both light and scanning electron microscopy. For each trait, 25 replicates were analyzed, encompassing a wide range of qualitative and quantitative traits. Data were processed using PAST and SPSS software. All examined taxa possessed one‐segmented fruits with a similar epidermal structure. Hilum inward bend and bilateral symmetry showed limited variation, whereas fruit color ranged from pale green to various shades of brown and cream. A variety of fruit shapes was observed, with the half‐circular form being the most common. Most taxa exhibited variation in margin type and epidermal outgrowths, predominantly spinose, although some lacked these structures entirely. Notably, Onobrychis altissima population 1 possessed a smooth (entire) fruit margin. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first two components explained more than 66% of the total variation, and the PCA biplot showed clear differentiation among taxa based on trait combinations. However, hierarchical clustering using the WARD method did not correspond well with the traditional sectional classification proposed in the Flora Iranica and Flora of Iran. Significant infraspecific variation was also detected at both the variety and population levels. This study demonstrates that the examined characters provide limited but valuable taxonomic information within this subgenus. While traits such as hilum morphology and membranous fruit margins are useful for species delimitation, some others – including dorsi‐ventral symmetry, fruit shape, and epidermal configuration – show variability, reducing their reliability at the sectional level. Cluster analyses further reveal incongruence with traditional classifications, supporting the need for taxonomic revision. The observed infraspecific variation suggests ongoing evolutionary divergence. Overall, an integrative approach combining morphological and molecular data is essential for a robust and phylogenetically meaningful classification.
Portulaca L. is a monophyletic, cosmopolitan genus of succulent plants comprising ca 153 species, with particularly high diversity in xerophytic ecosystems in tropical and subtropical regions. Based on morphological evidence, we describe and illustrate two new species from the Brazilian Pampa, Portulaca guaritensis and Portulaca guenoa . The descriptions are accompanied by photographs, a line drawing, and notes on taxonomy, phenology, distribution, habitat, conservation status, and etymology. In addition, we provide an identification key to the species of Portulaca found in the Brazilian Pampa grasslands. The new species are distinguished from closely related taxa by a combination of vegetative and reproductive characters, including root morphology, leaf blade shape, number of involucral leaves, petal length and color, stamen number and color, stigma shape, and capsule morphology. These discoveries increase the number of Portulaca species recorded for Brazil to 25 and reinforce the need for fieldwork in the Pampa grasslands, which are increasingly threatened by rapid land‐use change.
A new species, Centaurea baghmalekensis Negaresh (Asteraceae) in C. sect. Microlophus (Cass.) DC., is described and illustrated from the Khuzestan Province, southwestern Iran. The new species is morphologically most similar to Centaurea pabotii Wagenitz, a recently described species from the Khuzestan Province. However, it clearly differs from the latter by having a perennial habit, stems several and branched from the middle to above, branches overtopping relative main axis, undivided leaves with arachnoid indumentum, smaller involucres, median phyllaries ending in a minute mucro usually 0.5-1.0 mm long, yellow flowers, and shorter achenes with loosely hairy indumentum. The ecology, habitat, and conservation status of the new species are also described. The geographic distribution of the new species and closely related species is presented and mapped. In addition, the name Centaurea masjedsoleymanensis Ranjbar and Askari is treated as a taxonomic synonym of C. pabotii. Finally, a taxonomic key to species of C. sect. Microlophus in the Khuzestan Province is provided.
Penstemon digitalis is an early spring-flowering species of the northwest Missouri prairie community, a period often characterized by low and unpredictable bee visitation. We conducted an experimental field study to evaluate how pollinator-mediated pollen transfer and floral longevity interact to influence pollen acquisition and seed production. The study involved the tagging and bagging of plants and flowers to record flower phenology, flower longevity, pollen tube growth to evaluate stigma receptivity, stigma pollen loads, and single visit deposition experiments to flowers by bees to evaluate pollinator effectiveness. Our results demonstrated that flowers were not autonomous but required bee visits for successful reproduction with fertilization dependent on the flowers remaining viable for three days. Single visit deposition experiments performed using Anthophora terminalis, Bombus sp., Ceratina sp. and Hoplitis pilosifrons, resulted in the deposition of relatively few pollen grains per visit indicating that multiple visits during the two-day period of stigma receptivity were likely necessary for successful reproduction. Pollen germinated on receptive stigmas on each of the two days of receptivity and flowers exhibited a fertilization interval of an estimated 48 hours, as evidenced by pollen tube growth through the style via fluorescence microscopy. Although pollen accumulated on stigmas over the two-day period of receptivity, the pattern of seeds produced per flower remained essentially the same for stigmas pollinated on day 2 of anthesis as the combined days of stigma receptivity, day 2 plus day 3. These results suggest that prolonged stigma receptivity functions as a mechanism that safeguards against temporally variable pollinator visitation typical of early spring, more so than increasing per-flower seed production.
The new species Pavonia fretensis is described, illustrated by photographs and mapped. It occurs in coastal localities on both sides of the Bab al Mandab Strait and is known from southern Yemen, Eritrea and northwestern Somalia. The species differs from Pavonia rotundifolia from eastern Ethiopia and northern and central Somalia by having stellate pubescent pedicels, 9-11 epicalyx bracts, longer calyx, white petals and mericarps with narrower wings.
Revisions of herbarium collections reveal a new combination in Strophopappus (Asteraceae, Vernonieae, Lepidaploinae). Strophopappus comprises nine species occurring in South America, eight of which are endemic to Brazil. Currently, Vernonia riedeliana is treated as a synonym of Strophopappus bicolor. However, after morphological analysis of herbarium specimens and study of the protologue, V. riedeliana is hereby re-established as an accepted species and transferred to Strophopappus. A nomenclatural revision with a complete description, distribution map, and taxonomic notes are provided.
Sinningia pampeana is a new rupicolous species from the rocky outcrops of the Pampa biome in southern Brazil and Uruguay. Morphological analyses based on herbarium material, field observations, and detailed illustrations support its recognition as a distinct species from Sinningia sellovii. Sinningia pampeana is restricted to rock outcrops within the Pampa grasslands, where populations are threatened by grazing, habitat degradation, and potential mining activities. Given the current uncertainty regarding its distribution and sampling completeness, a preliminary conservation assessment of 'Data Deficient' (DD) is proposed under IUCN criteria.
In northern Minas Gerais, in the Monte Azul region, the Pico da Formosa mountain remains poorly explored botanically despite recent discoveries of new taxa. During fieldwork at the summit of this mountain, we discovered a distinctive population of Eriope that differs from all known species by a unique combination of morphological characters. We here propose this taxon as a new species, and provide a detailed morphological description, taxonomic discussion, illustrations, habitat documentation, a distribution map, and a preliminary conservation assessment.
Global temperatures have risen ~ 1.1°C since the 1800s and the mean annual air temperature in the Arctic has increased by nearly four times the global average. Temperature has a significant effect on fundamental life‐cycle events of flora and fauna. With temperatures increasing, Arctic plants are expected to shift their active periods accordingly, with a shorter flowering period as later flowering plants converge with flowering timing of early flowering plants. Nearly 120 years of herbarium records and collection data were leveraged to identify flowering shifts in the Arctic–alpine plant Oxyria digyna using climatic data and linear regressions. We found that alpine, boreal Arctic, and Arctic tundra populations of Oxyria digyna differed in their flowering time response to increased air temperature. The boreal Arctic population showed a significant advancement in flowering time as related to mean summer and June temperature increases, while the flowering time of Arctic tundra and alpine populations had a shift in flowering timing in response to June temperature change. Our results identify biodiversity response to climate change and determine which populations have greater adaptive potential to respond to rapidly changing abiotic conditions in the Arctic and beyond.
We describe Canscora agni from the Indian savannas as a distinct species which differs from its allied species Canscora alata in having fewer and shorter leaves, pedicel-wings unequal across the length, bracts with glandular hair on the margins, calyx-wings being four, wider, up to 2.3 mm, with distinct reticulate venation and having ovary length up to 5 mm. We provide detailed notes on the habitat and ecology of this species including factors that predict plant diversity at the type locality. Finally, we highlight the importance of frequent fires in the mesic savannas of India, and advocate for better appreciation of this ancient force of nature for conservation of savanna biodiversity.
Melliferous vegetation in Bulgaria plays a key role in maintaining biodiversity and providing ecosystem services such as pollination. The diversity of melliferous vegetation is essential for the sustainable development of honeybee Apis mellifera colonies. Here we present the design of a register that has been developed to collect and systematise information on melliferous vegetation in Bulgaria. A database structure has been developed based on 56 indicators characterising melliferous plants, including distribution, flowering period, abiotic environment, landscape structure, and others. We reviewed 153 scientific literature sources (monographs, encyclopaedias, and articles) published between 1896 and 2023, of which 50 were identified as primary because they reported species-level data on traits, flowering phenology, nectar/pollen resources, and/or distributions. The review covered native and introduced species. Melliferous plants in Bulgaria were found to be represented by 996 species of 88 families, including 89 species protected by the Bulgarian Biodiversity Act. These species form the basis of the designed register, which will be continuously validated and enhanced through field observations and supplemented with information from newly published literature sources. Ecological data on 258 of the species have already been verified in field studies in Vratsa Region, Northwest Bulgaria (312 km2) from 2019 to 2023. The development of targeted conservation efforts for both melliferous plant species and their associated pollinator communities should rely on a detailed overview such information. The data can support the following: Strategically placing apiaries, picking suitable native species for restoring and improving habitats, and making informed decisions in agricultural and conservation planning.
Guapira Aubl. (Nyctaginaceae, Pisonieae) comprises dioecious shrubs and trees widely distributed in the Neotropics and occupying diverse habitats. In the Brazilian Cerrado, the genus occurs in several phytophysiognomies, including Campos Rupestres, a montane rock ecosystem with high levels of endemism but still marked by significant gaps in botanical knowledge. The northern portion of the Espinha & ccedil;o Range in Minas Gerais in Brazil is one such poorly explored region, despite recent floristic efforts and numerous new species discoveries. Here, we describe a new species of Guapira endemic to Campos Rupestres of the Espinha & ccedil;o Range based on morphological evidence. The species is illustrated with a detailed morphology plate and habitat photographs, and we provide taxonomic comments, a distribution map, and a preliminary conservation assessment.
The genus Actinostemon has undergone several changes in its circumscription due to persistent difficulties in its taxonomic placement. The taxonomic history of the genus is controversial and marked by nomenclatural issues, particularly involving its type species, Actinostemon grandifolius Klotzsch, including incorrect synonymizations and the publication of a nomen nudum. Based on the analysis of herbarium specimens, protologues, and original material, we reestablish Actinostemon grandifolius (M & uuml;ll.Arg.) Pax and propose Actinostemon macrophyllus Oliv.-Souza & K & uuml;lkamp as its new name, which had been previously recognized as a posterior homonym and synonymized under Actinostemon klotzschii (Didr.) Pax. We provide a diagnosis, morphological descriptions, a distribution map, illustrations, notes on phenology, preliminary conservation status, taxonomic comments, and a detailed discussion of the taxonomic implications, assigning a lectotype to the reestablished species.
Cybianthus anthuriophyllus (Primulaceae) was previously known from eastern Ecuador and northern Peru. Here we document the first confirmed occurrences of this species in Colombia and develop a distribution model based on collections from the Andean-Amazonian foothills of Caquet & aacute;, Cauca, and Putumayo departments, in order to clarify its conservation. Specifically, to refine its potential distribution and inform conservation efforts, we developed a species distribution model (SDM) using MaxEnt and assessed its extinction risk following IUCN Red List Criteria. The model identified high suitability in the northwestern Amazon, particularly along the Andean foothills, and response curves indicated that annual precipitation and isothermality were the primary predictors of habitat suitability. The species qualifies as 'Endangered' (EN B2ab(iii)) due to its limited area of occupancy, few known locations, and ongoing habitat loss. These findings extend the distribution known range of C. anthuriophyllus, close the floristic gap in the subgenus Comomyrsine, highlight the conservation importance of the Andean-Amazon foothills corridor, and provide evidence for the continued need to prioritize biological inventories in this area.
Scabiosa trenta Hacq. was first described in 1782 by Balthasar Hacquet, with its specific epithet referring to the Trenta Valley in Slovenia. Since then, S. trenta has been the focus of numerous mountaineering and botanical expeditions, particularly by the alpinist Julius Kugy during the Golden Age of Alpinism, a period in the second half of 19th century in which climbers explored remote mountain areas solely with the use of rudimentary equipment. The 'hunt' for S. trenta began in 1877 when Kugy was 19, sparking his lifelong passion for botany and alpinism. Among his companions was Albert Bois de Chesne, who founded the Juliana Alpine Botanical Garden in 1926, a key facility for plant conservation and natural science communication in the Julian Alps. However, despite extensive efforts of many botanists, the species has never been located. Having examined Hacquet's herbarium specimen, currently stored in the Slovenian Museum of Natural History, Anton Kerner von Marilaun proposed in 1893 that S. trenta was not a distinct species but an ecotype of Cephalaria leucantha (L.) Roem. & Schult., otherwise typically found at lower elevations. Over time, the taxonomic inaccuracy that caused the publication of S. trenta ignited the interest in botany in many explorers and mountaineers. This species became a symbol of the unreachable in Slovenian folklore, inspiring studies on the alpine flora.
Vitex L. is a pantropical genus of Lamiaceae comprising 209 taxa. Brazil harbors 35 species, representing nearly 50% of the genus richness in the Neotropics, with the Amazon showing the highest richness, followed by the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado domains. Nevertheless, most taxonomic studies of the genus have been conducted in Africa and Asia. After herbaria consultation and literature review, we propose two new species: Vitex oreadica, from Cerrado, and Vitex umbellata, from Atlantic Forest. Vitex oreadica can be distinguished by the dense hirsutullous indument, large flowers (corolla tube 12-13 mm long), and calyces with triangular and acute lobes. Vitex umbellata has a unique synflorescence, consisting of a congested umbel formed by two cymes with a long peduncle (9-10 cm long) and surrounded by elliptic bracts. We provide full descriptions, a digital plate, illustrations, distribution maps, and preliminary conservation assessments based on IUCN Red List guidelines. Both species are assessed as threatened, being provisionally categorized here as 'Endangered' (EN). Our findings reinforce the need for continued studies on Brazilian Vitex and highlight the importance of documenting and conserving the flora of the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest.
