The genus Cynophalla (Capparaceae) is commented, and Cynophalla amazonica, a new species from Brazil and Bolivia, is described, illustrated and its morphological similarities with the closely related C. flexuosa are discussed. The conservation status of Cynophalla amazonica is assessed as Least Concern.

In the course of preparing our unpublished synopsis of the New World Cleomaceae, we found it desirable to make a number of changes in classification. Consequently, the genus Corynandra Schrad. ex Spreng., an earlier name for Arivela Raf., is re-established with Corynandra chelidonii (L. f.) Cochrane & Iltis Cleome chelidonii L. f.], C. felina (L. f.) Cochrane & This Cleome felina L. f.], C. flava (Banks ex DC.) Cochrane & Iltis [equivalent to Cleome flava Banks ex DC.], and C. viscosa (L.) Cochrane & this Cleome viscosa L.]. Also, one infraspecific combination is made, namely Corynandra viscosa subsp. nagaTjunakondensis (Sundararagh.) Cochrane Cleome viscosa var. nagaljunakondensis Sundararagh.], and lectotypes are designated herein for Polanisia leschenaultii DC. and P. viscosa DC. var. grandiflora Benth.

New combinations are made for 16 mostly Mesoamerican Cleomaceae previously included in the genus Cleome L., s.1., and one species transferred from Gynandropsis DC. These are now considered to belong in the genera Andinocleome iltis & Cochrane, which is newly described herein, Mitostylis Raf., Physostemon Mart. & Zucc., Podandrogyne Ducke, and Tarenaya Raf., as follows: A. lechleri (Eichler in Mart.) Iltis & Cochrane, A. magnifica (Briq.) Ibis & Cochrane, A. pilosa (Benth.) This & Cochrane, M. macrorhiza (C. Wright in Sauvalle) lids, M. procumbens subsp. obtusa (Britton) Iltis, M. procumbens subsp. wrightii (Urb.) This, M. procumbens subsp. wrightii var. arenaria (Urb.) Cochrane, Physostemon humilis (Rose) Iltis, P. lanceolatum Mart. subsp. oaxacensis (Iltis) Iltis, P. lanceolatum subsp. paraguensis (Iltis) Iltis, P. stenophyllum (Klotzsch in Urb.) Iltis, Podandrogyne pulcherrima (Standl) Cochrane, T. costaricensis (Iltis) Iltis, T. longipes (Lamb. ex DC.) Iltis, and T. parviflora (Kunth in Humb., Bonpl. & Kunth) Iltis. Typifications are newly provided for Cleome pilosa var. costaricensis Donn. Sm. (lectotype), C. applanata Posada-Ar. (neotype), C. humilis Rose [equivalent to Physostemon humilis (Rose) Iltis] (lectotype), and C. stenophylla Klotzsch in Urb. [equivalent to Physostemon stenophyllum (Klotzsch in Urb.) (lectotype).

Capparidastrwn tafallanum a new species of Capparaceae from the wet forests of Andean slopes at northwestern Ecuador is here described and illustrated. The status of endangered, EN B1ab(iii), is assigned to this taxonomic novelty.

Qualitative and quantitative data are given for wood anatomy of six of the 11 recognized species of Forchhammeria (Mexico, Central America, West Indies), a genus formerly placed in Capparaceae. Though still in Brassicales, the genus has been excluded, along with several other genera, from the major recognized families of that order on the basis of molecular data. Liquid-preserved material of several species permitted detailed histological accounts of the successive cambia and their development in the stems of Forchhammeria. Successive cambia have a curious distribution in Brassicales that may represent homoplasies. Most wood features of the genus do not appear highly xeromorphic, but presence of tracheids as a wood background tissue and abundance of starch and perhaps water storage in ray parenchyma and conjunctive tissue can be cited as mechanisms likely to resist embolism formation. Forchhammeria retains green leaves throughout the dry season. Forchhammeria tamaulipana, known only from Tamaulipas State, Mexico, the single species of a new subgenus, Pauciflora, is newly described. Its embryos have nearly equal cotyledons and germinate epigeously, whereas all remaining species of the genus are pseudomonocotylous and hypogeous. These and other distinctive features of F. tamaulipana may prove significant in providing links to other brassicalean genera. The family name Stixaceae Doweld is now appropriate for Forchhammeria, Neothorelia, Stixis, and Tirania.

Two new combinations in Capparaceae are here provided for Flora Mesoamericana: Preslianthus panamensis, an endemic to eastern Panama, and Steriphoma paradoxum subsp. macranthum, widely distributed along southern Mexico (Chiapas) and Mesomerica to Colombia.

A new violet species of Viola Sect. Andinium, Viola lilliputana, is described from a single dry puna locality on an extensive intermontane plateau southeast of Cerro Palla Palla in the high Andes of Ayacucho Department in southern Peru. This diminutive rosulate violet is evidently among the smallest in the world and probably one of the smallest terrestrial dicots. It belongs to a distinctive species group with pinnatifid leaves that is endemic to central and southern Peru, including V. hillii, V. membranacea and V. weibelii. The new species is similar to V. weibelii in its large, strongly adnate stipules, elongate leaf lobes and dilated unappendaged style with ventral stigmatic orifice. It differs conspicuously from all other members of the pinnatifid-leaved group in its conduplicate leaf blades, straight, mostly nonoverlapping, oblong-lanceolate to broadly elliptical lobes with obtuse to rounded apices, and large basally fused pedicel bractlets. Despite many new collections of vascular plants from the high Andes of Peru and northern Bolivia in recent decades, this distinctive new species is still known only from its type locality, collected on the Iltis-Ugent expedition from November 1962 to January 1963.

A new species and a new subspecies of Salvia, Salvia vazquezii and Salvia vazquezii subsp. tancitaroensis, from the Jalisco-Colima border and Michoacán, Mexico, respectively, are segregated from the S. gravida complex. They are described, illustrated and compared. A key to the three taxa and a translated and expanded circumscription of S. gravida are provided.

Two new genera and three new combinations are proposed herein for Neotropical Capparaceae: Caphexandra, a monospecific genus of shrubs or small trees from southern Mexico to Panama, distinguished by the branchlets with subterminal small cataphylls on the raceme axis, calyces with closed aestivation in bud with the outer pair of sepals enclosing the dimorphic inner pair, asymmetric corollas with large unguiculate petals, long (2–5 mm) narrowly-lanceolate floral nectaries, and six stamens arranged in one whorl, which at anthesis forms adaxially an hemiorbicular arc opposite to the gynophore. Caphexandra is represented only by the new combination C. heydeana, a species of horticultural interest herein transferred from Capparis, and Preslianthus, a genus of shrubs or trees from Nicaragua to Brazil, characterized by a stellate pubescence, and flowers with stamens conspicuously accrescent just before anthesis. Preslianthus comprises the following two species, herein proposed as new combinations, also transferred from Capparis: Preslianthus detonsus and Preslianthus pittieri. Capparis schunkei is synonymyzed under P. pittieri. The new genera are illustrated and their relationships discussed.

Abstract Molecular data support the recognition of three monophyletic families, Capparaceae s. str., Cleomaceae, and Brassicaceae, instead of an all-encompassing Brassicaceae or a paraphyletic Capparaceae s.l. This view is reinforced with many figures showing two basic and ubiquitous differences in cleomoid seed structure. First, the more or less strongly incurved seed, varying from reniform to horseshoe-shaped, coiled or conduplicate, uniformly and in all species, results in a deep invagination of the testa (the cleft) projecting into the interval between the two ends, or claws, of the embryo (this invagination is absent or rarely reduced and atavistic in Brassicaceae, and infrequent in Capparaceae s. str., i.e., in some Capparis L. species and Crateva L., sister genus to all remaining Capparaceae s. str.). Second, the uniformly semicylindric, strictly incumbent cotyledons are small and narrow, but are never foliaceous and interfolded, circinate or convoluted, or massive and thick, as in the often accumbent, rarely incumbent Capparaceae, or as variable as in Brassicaceae. An illustrated glossary of Cleomaceae seed morphology, as well as depictions of Capparaceae, Cleomaceae, and Brassicaceae seeds and their sectional views, and a key to all three families, are included.

We describe and illustrate Capparidastrum tuxtlense, a narrow endemic, known only from the eastern slopes of Volcán San Martín, (10–450 m), Veracruz, Mexico. Capparidastrum tuxtlense is similar to Capparidastrum discolor, but differs by foliar, floral, and fruit characters. A discussion of putative relatives and a key to the Central American species of Capparidastrum are included.

Abstract Cynophalla and Uterveria (Capparaceae) are lectotypified here. Uterveria is placed in synonymy under Cynophalla and Cynophalla amplissima (Lam.) Iltis & Cornejo is proposed as a new combination.

Three new species of Capparidastrum (subgen. pulviniglans) are here described and illustrated: Capparidastrum grandiflorum, from the wet forests of Dept. Antioquia, Colombia; C. huberi, known only from the cuenca del Río Manapiare in the Territorio Federal Amazonas, Venezuela; and, C. megalospermum, restricted to the lowland wet forests of northwestern Ecuador.

Hispaniolanthus (Capparaceae), a new genus segregated from Capparis, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by short simple hairs, minute stipules, spiral phyllotaxy, juvenile individuals with linear leaf blades, mature individuals with their young leaves conduplicate, flowers axillary and subterminal, solitary and/or rarely paired, without peduncles and on remarkably long-pedicels. The calyx is decussate with closed aestivation, bearing sepals similar in size to that of the petals, four erect to divergent nectary scales, and ca. 30 to 45 stamens on short filaments, 1.5–2.0 cm long. Hispaniolanthus is a monospecific genus known only from dry forests of western Haití, facing the Island of Gonaïves. It is represented by the new combination herewith transferred from Capparis: Hispaniolanthus dolichopodus. Its putative relationships with the morphologically closer genera of Capparaceae are discussed.