The genus Cardamine (Brassicaceae) exhibits remarkable species diversity and endemism in the Hengduan-Himalayan Mountains (HHM) of East Asia; however, its phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history remain unclear. Here, we conducted a phylogenomic analysis of 50 species, including 45 East Asian Cardamine taxa and five Loxostemon species, based on complete chloroplast genomes and 1,081 single-copy nuclear genes. Our results indicate that: (1) Cardamine is not monophyletic, with Loxostemon nested within the genus; moreover, the diagnostic morphological characters traditionally used to delimit Loxostemon have evolved repeatedly and independently, supporting its synonymization under Cardamine. (2) Divergence time estimation and ancestral range reconstruction suggest that the core HHM clade originated approximately 4.34 Ma and rapidly radiated between 4.34 and 1.86 Ma, temporally coincident with major uplift events of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau (QTP). Integrative analyses of gene tree discordance, hybridization signals, and ploidy variation further demonstrate that this rapid diversification was driven by reticulate evolution involving incomplete lineage sorting and frequent hybridization. This study provides the first genome-scale phylogeny framework for East Asian Cardamine, highlights the central role of hybridization in generating plant diversity in the HHM, and offers a robust molecular foundation for future taxonomic revision.

Cardamine macrophylla Willd. and Cardamine tangutorum O.E.Schulz are both widely distributed plants of the genus Cardamine L. in East Asia, and they are regarded as the same species in Flora of China. In this study, through literature and specimen research, morphological measurement and phylogenetic analyses, the results show that the traditional distinguishing characters cannot distinguish the two species. Cardamine tangutorum O.E.Schulz inserted into the branch of Cardamine macrophylla Willd. in the molecular phylogenetic tree. Therefore, based on the results of this study, Cardamine tangutorum O.E.Schulz was treated as the synonym of Cardamine macrophylla Willd.

Cardaminemacrophylla Willd. and Cardaminetangutorum O.E.Schulz are both widely distributed plants of the genus Cardamine L. in East Asia, and they are regarded as the same species in Flora of China. In this study, through literature and specimen research, morphological measurement and phylogenetic analyses, the results show that the traditional distinguishing characters cannot distinguish the two species. Cardaminetangutorum O.E.Schulz inserted into the branch of Cardaminemacrophylla Willd. in the molecular phylogenetic tree. Therefore, based on the results of this study, Cardaminetangutorum O.E.Schulz was treated as the synonym of Cardaminemacrophylla Willd.

Cardamine zhangjiajieensis, a new species from Hunan Province, China, is described and illustrated. Cardamine zhangjiajieensis is similar to C. circaeoides. From the latter, C. zhangjiajieensis is readily distinguished by the terminal leaflet of the cauline leaf 4.5–7 cm (vs. 2.5–4.5 cm), mostly round or oblong (vs. oblong-oval to triangular-oval), margin undulating sinuses (vs. crenate or subentire), seed apically narrow wing (vs. wingless).

Bupleurumjeholense Nakai (Apioideae, Apiaceae), originally found in the Wuling Mountain of China, was initially described as a species but later treated as a variety of B.sibiricum Vest ex Spreng. However, researchers have recently found that it is more closely related to B.chinense DC. In this study, we conducted morphological and phylogenetic analyses as well as chromosome counting to determine the taxonomic status of B.sibiricumvar.jeholense (Nakai) Chu. Our results showed that B.sibiricumvar.jeholense and B.chinense share common features (i.e., bracteoles 5 and stem solid) that distinguish both from B.sibiricumvar.sibiricum. The chromosome number of B.sibiricumvar.jeholense was found to be the same as in B.chinense (i.e., 2n = 12), whereas the chromosome number of B.sibiricumvar.sibiricum was 64. A phylogenetic tree based on complete chloroplast genome data revealed a close relationship between B.sibiricumvar.jeholense and B.chinense. Finally, B.sibiricumvar.jeholense and B.chinense were mainly found to differ in plant height, number of stems, and middle stem leaves. Based on this evidence, we propose a new combination: Bupleurumchinensevar.jeholense (Nakai) Q.R.Liu & L.H.Wang.

Rubus (Rosaceae), one of the most complicated angiosperm genera, contains about 863 species, and is notorious for its taxonomic difficulty. The most recent (1910-1914) global taxonomic treatment of the genus was conducted by Focke, who defined 12 subgenera. Phylogenetic results over the past 25 years suggest that Focke's subdivisions of Rubus are not monophyletic, and large-scale taxonomic revisions are necessary. Our objective was to provide a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the genus based on an integrative evidence approach. Morphological characters, obtained from our own investigation of living plants and examination of herbarium specimens are combined with chloroplast genomic data. Our dataset comprised 196 accessions representing 145 Rubus species (including cultivars and hybrids) and all of Focke's subgenera, including 60 endemic Chinese species. Maximum likelihood analyses inferred phylogenetic relationships. Our analyses concur with previous molecular studies, but with modifications. Our data strongly support the reclassification of several subgenera within Rubus. Our molecular analyses agree with others that only R. subg. Anoplobatus forms a monophyletic group. Other subgenera are para- or polyphyletic. We suggest a revised subgeneric framework to accommodate monophyletic groups. Character evolution is reconstructed, and diagnostic morphological characters for different clades are identified and discussed. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, we propose a new classification system with 10 subgenera: R. subg. Anoplobatus, R. subg. Batothamnus, R. subg. Chamaerubus, R. subg. Cylactis, R. subg. Dalibarda, R. subg. Idaeobatus, R. subg. Lineati, R. subg. Malachobatus, R. subg. Melanobatus, and R. subg. Rubus. The revised infrageneric nomenclature inferred from our analyses is provided along with synonymy and type citations. Our new taxonomic backbone is the first systematic and complete global revision of Rubus since Focke's treatment. It offers new insights into deep phylogenetic relationships of Rubus and has important theoretical and practical significance for the development and utilization of these important agronomic crops.

Argyreia subrotunda, a new species from Yunnan Province, China, is described and illustrated. The new species resembles A. fulvocymosa and A. wallichii, but differs from these in the flowers with an entire or shallowly lobed corolla, as well as smaller elliptic bracts, lax flat-topped cymes and shorter corolla tubes. An updated key to the species of Argyreia from Yunnan province is also provided.

The chloroplast genome sequences of Chinese Boraginaceae species, Onosma fuyunensis Y. He & Q.R. Liu, were reported in this study. We sequenced O. fuyunensis using the Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform. The total length of O. fuyunensis chloroplast genome is 150,612 bp, including a large single-copy region of length 82,853 bp, a small single-copy region of length 17,281 bp, and a pair of 25,239-bp inverted repeat regions. The chloroplast genome of O. fuyunensis has 133 genes, including 84 protein-coding, eight ribosomal RNA, and 37 transfer RNA genes. The overall GC content of the whole genome was 43.3%. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that O. fuyunensis is closely related to Borago officinalis and Plagiobothrys nothofulvus.

Lappula sinaica was recently transferred to the monotypic genus Pseudolappula based on phylogenetic studies, while the related species, L. occultata, has remained in the genus Lappula. In this study, morphological, molecular, and palynological evidence supports that L. occultata should be transferred to the genus Pseudolappula. Both L. occultata and P. sinaica share a combination of nutlets features that distinguish them from Lappula: a longer adaxial keel and a linear attachment scar. Phylogenetic analysis based on ITS and trnL-Fstrongly supports L. occultata as the sister taxon of P. sinaica. In addition, pollen grains of these two species are 3-syncolporate with 3 alternating pseudocolpi, which is significantly different from the grains of Lappula taxa. Based on the above evidence, the new combination Pseudolappula occultata is proposed.

Critical examination of herbarium specimens and living plants has shown that Onosma mertensioides, O. tenuicaulis, O. zayuensis, O. xiangchengensis are conspecific with O. wardii, so the previous four names are here relegated to the synonymy of the latter.

槭叶铁线莲(Clematis acerifolia Maxim.)隶属于毛茛科铁线莲属,为多年生直立小灌木,高20～60 cm.单叶对生,叶片近五边形,掌状5浅裂;花2～4朵与叶一同自茎顶端芽中生出,仅具长花梗,无花序梗和苞片;萼片5～8,白色,略带粉红,水平开展,无毛;子房有柔毛.花期4-5月,果期5-6月.本种生境独特,主要生长于石灰岩山地低山地区海拔100～600 m的悬崖峭壁,模式产地为北京百花山,长期以来一直被认为北京特有,后来在河北、山西、河南等地的太行山区均有发现,实为中国北太行山区的特有植物.

Trigonotis motuoensis, a distinct new species endemic to Xizang, China, is described and illustrated. It can be easily distinguished from all other known congeneric species by the ebracteate inflorescences, broadly spatulate calyx lobes and obliquely trigonous-tetrahedral nutlets that have flat bottom surface and triangular abaxial surfaces. Our molecular phylogenetic analysis based on nrITS confirmed that it belongs to Trigonotis sect. Elongatae. An updated key to the species of Trigonotis from Xizang is also provided.

Aim/Background: Boraginaceae is famous for the production of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) and some of these PAs are carcinogenic and also cause liver failure. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify the presence or absence of hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the tribe Lithospermeae (Boraginaceae). If any are found, it may indicate excluding members of this tribe from the herbal formulation or from use on patients with liver problems. Materials and Methods: Plant samples of Onosma hispida Wall. ex G. Don, Onosma paniculatum Bureau & Franch., Onosma hookeri var. longiflorum (Duthie) A.V. Duthie ex Stapf, and Maharanga emodi (Wall.) A. DC. from Boraginaceae-Tribe Lithospermeae were collected from various regions of Pan Himalaya and brought to Beijing Normal University for further experimentation. We used acetonitrile-water gradient with 0.1% formic acid as the mobile phase and Zorbax SB-Aq column to analyze samples. Furthermore, we also searched the literature to find the ethnomedicinal importance of these plants. Results: The results showed that these plants are used orally for the treatment of various human ailments, and, therefore, we further investigated these plants for toxic PAs. High-performance liquid chromatography results showed that leaves of these plants were PA positive, and out of four PA standards, three: Heliotrine (2), Lycopsamine (3), and Echimidine (4) were detected. Conclusions: In this study, we present a new report about the presence of toxic PAs in the leaves of O. hispida, O. paniculatum, O. hookeri var. longiflorum, and M. emodi from the Pan-Himalaya region. These plants are used in traditional medicine mostly in Pakistan, Nepal, and China, and the presence of hepatotoxic PAs limits the use for medicinal purposes.

Examination of specimens, literature and critical field survey has shown that Onosma liui is conspecific with O. maaikangensis, an endemic species distributed in Western Sichuan and Eastern Xizang, China. Therefore, we place the former in synonymy with the latter.

Examination of specimens and literatures show that Onosma dolichoutum W.T.Wang, described from Jilong County in southern Xizang, China, matches perfectly the type of O. bracteatum Wall., a common species distributed in subalpine and alpine zones in Western Himalaya. Therefore, we place the former in synonym of the latter. We also designate the lectotype for O. bracteatum . This species is a new record for China.

Family Boraginaceae has drawn the attention of many botanists for many years because of its systematic position and the presence of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). Some researcher used these alkaloids as chemotaxonomic markers at the family and subfamily level in several botanical families. Therefore, this explorative study carried out with an aim to determine the distribution of selected PM and their chemotaxonomic significance in the tribe Lithospermeae. For this, Lithospermeae species along with other Boraginaceae members from different parts of Pan-Himalayan regions in Pakistan and China were brought to Beijing Normal University in Beijing, China. For HPLC fingerprint analysis, dried silica gel aerial parts (500 mg) of twenty-four mature flowering species of Lithospermeae and the available PM: supinine, heliotrine, lycopsamine, europine, and echimidine were used as chemotaxonomic markers. In the laboratory, the plants of Lithospermeae were investigated for pyrrolizidine alkaloids by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Five pyrrolizidine alkaloids were identified qualitatively in 24 species of tribe Lithospermeae from Pan-Himalaya. The results of the study support the previous research that PM can be used as a taxonomic marker. The PM lycopsamine and echimidine were common in all Onosma species except O. sinicum Diels, O. waddellii Duthie, and O. griffithii Vatke. So we proposed that lycopsamine and echimidine can be used as taxonomic markers for Onosma species from Pan-Himalayan regions. In the case of the genus Maharanga, M. emodi (Wall.) A. DC. and M bicolor (Wall. ex G. Don) A. DC. show the same composition of PM lycopsamine and echimidine. But these two species could be easily distinguished from each other; heliotrine is present in M. emodi but absent in M. bicolor. Arnebia guttata Bunge was the only species in the genus Arnebia which was detected for only europine. A. benthamii (Wall. ex) G. Don. I.M. Johnst. and A. euchroma (Royle) I.M. Johnst. were similar in PA composition for heliotrine, lycopsamine, and echimidine. These two species can easily be distinguished from each other: europine is present in the former genus but absent in the latter one. Moreover, the result of HPLC fingerprint analysis shows that supinine is distributed throughout all investigated species from the Pan-Himalayan regions except Lithospermum arvense L. So we proposed that supinine could serve as a chemotaxonomic marker in the tribe Lithospermeae.

A new species of Boraginaceae, Onosma lhokaensis, is described and illustrated from Xizang, China. The new species closely resembles O. waddellii and O. waltonii in having azure corollas, coherent anthers and glabrous filaments, but differs in having particularly bristly indumentum, observably narrow corolla, longer calyxes and anthers, and remarkable nutlets with stipitate cicatrix. An updated key to the species of Onosma known from Xizang is also provided.