Species of the section Junceae (Lespedeza, Fabaceae) have been used in tradi-tional medicine, and their extracts have been investigated as medicinal resources in Korea.However, their morphological similarities may lead to misidentification and misuse. In thisstudy, we analyzed the chloroplast genomes of Lespedeza inschanica and Lespedeza junceato obtain more evidence to assist with the classification of this section. Both genomes areapproximately 149 kb long, comprising large single-copy, small single-copy, and invertedrepeat regions, with a total of 128 genes. The genomes in Lespedeza exhibit shared features,including the loss of infA and rpl22 genes, the loss of rpl2 and rps12 introns, and inversionof the trnD-Y-E cluster. A phylogenetic analysis supported Junceae as a monophyletic sec-tion that includes two clades. One clade comprised Lespedeza cuneata, L. inschanica, and L.juncea, whereas the other includes Lespedeza davurica and Lespedezafloribunda. This studyprovides foundational data pertaining to the taxonomy of Lespedeza.

Caryophyllaceae is a large angiosperm family, with many species being utilized as ornamental or medicinal plants in Korea, in addition to several endangered species that are managed by the government. In this study, we used DNA barcoding for the accurate identification of Korean Caryophyllaceae. A total of 78 taxa (n = 215) were sequenced based on three chloroplast regions (rbcL, matK, and psbA–trnH) and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS). In the neighbor-joining tree, a higher accuracy of identification was generally observed when using ITS (>73%) rather than chloroplast regions (<62%). The highest resolution was found for rbcL + ITS (77.6%), although resolution varied according to the genus. Among the genera that included two and more species, five genera (Eremogone, Minuartia, Pseudostellaria, Sagina, and Stellaria) were successfully identified. However, the species of five other genera (Cerastium, Gypsophila, Dianthus, Silene, and Spergularia) showed relatively low resolutions (0–61.1%). In the cases of Cerastium, Dianthus, and Silene, ambiguous taxonomic relationships among unidentified species may have been a factor contributing to such low resolutions. However, in contrast to these results, Gypsophila and Spergularia have been identified well in previous studies. Our findings indicate the need of taxonomic reconsideration in Korea.

Petrorhagia nanteuilii (Burnat) P. W. Ball & Heywood (Caryophyllaceae), native to western Europe and western North Africa and an introduced or alien plant in South America, Australia, and Japan, was newly found in Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. Petrorhagia is clearly distinguished from other genera by a bract at the base of calyx, which differs from Gypsophila L., and commissures at the sepals, which is different from Dianthus L. Petrorhagia nanteuilii grows on slopes and roadsides, suggesting that it is likely to have been introduced through the installation of green sites and road construction. A precise description, illustration, photographs, and a key to related genera and species is provided.

We determined the complete chloroplast genome sequence of the peatmoss Sphagnum subsecundum Nees from Mt. Halla in Korea. The total size of the chloroplast genome was 140,136 bp, and it consisted of a large single-copy region (LSC) of 98,064 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 21,388 bp, and two copies of inverted repeat (IRa and IRb) regions of 10,342 bp each. The genome encoded a set of 130 genes, comprising 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. This species formed a monophyletic clade with S. orientale and S. lenese as the result of ML phylogenetic analysis based on whole gemone sequence of 15 species including one outgroup species.

Desmodium paniculatum (Fabaceae), native to North America and an alien plant in Japan, was newly found in Hwaseong-si and Daejeon-si, Korea. This species is distinguished from Korean-related taxa based on certain morphological features. Specifically, it is a perennial herb, with a 4-5 jointed loment, and with the basal suture moderately incised between the articles. In the field, D. paniculatum grows around rivers and roadsides, suggesting that it is likely to have been introduced through river improvement work and road construction. On the phylogenetic tree based on an internal transcribed spacer, Korean individuals forms a Glade with a Japanese individual. Here, we report a morphological description, photographs, an illustration, and the locality of D. paniculatum.

In this study, we report a unrecorded plant on the Korean peninsula, Potamogeton × anguillanus Koidz. from Yeondangcheon (stream) in Yeondang-ri, Nam-myeon, Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do province. Potamogeton × anguillanus is a natural hybrid between P. wrightii Morong. and P. perfoliatus L. It is distinguished by its characteristic that the petiole is shorter than P. wrightii and that the leaf blade is narrower and longer than P. perfoliatus also, it didn't fully wrap the stem. Considering that P. × anguillanus is a natural hybrid, the name is given to it as ‘Eol-chi-gi-dae-ga-rae’. We provide descriptions of the morphological characteristics, photographs, and key to allied taxa in Korea of P. × anguillanus.

The genus Orobanche is mainly distributed in the northern hemisphere and consists of about 170 species. The present study focuses on a cytological study of Korean endangered species Orobanche filicicola and morphologically similar species Orobanche coerulescens and its morphotype, which was previously referred to as O. coerulescens f. alba but was taxonomically treated as a synonym of O. coerulescens. Chromosome numbers of 13 individuals in six populations of two Korean Orobanche taxa (O. coerulescens and O. filicicola) and morphotype of O. coerulescens were examined to understand the karyotype diversity. A chromosome number of 2n = 2x = 38 was uniformly observed for all the Orobanche taxa in Korea despite individuals of two different color types (typical purple and whitish yellow) being included. The karyotypes of O. filicicola were metacentric to submetacentric, and the length of chromosomes ranged from 2.08 to 4.74 μm, resulting in a haploid karyotype length of 60.92 μm. Investigations of meiotic configuration of O. filicicola, O. coerulescens, and its morphotype were constantly stable. In those species, all homologous chromosome pairs have formed regular bivalents as previously documented in other species of the genus Orobanche.