Primula filchnerae (Primulaceae) is an endangered endemic herb species in China. In this study, we characterized the complete chloroplast genome of P. filchnerae based on next generation sequencing (NGS). The chloroplast genome of P. filchnerae was 151,547 bp in size, containing a large single-copy (LSC) region of 82, 662 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,749 bp. These two regions were separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs), each of 25,568 bp. A total of 130 functional genes were encoded, consisted of 86 protein-coding genes, 36 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes.

In the Qinba mountainous area of Central China, pig farming has a significant impact on the growth of the rural economy and has substantially increased farmer incomes. Traditional knowledge plays an important role in the selection of forage plant species for pig farming by local people. This study aimed to identify the forage plants used for pig feeding and to catalog indigenous knowledge regarding their use. During 2016 and 2017, ethnobotanical surveys and inventories were conducted in Zhuxi County, Hubei Province, China. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, key informant reports, free listings, guided field walks, and participatory observations with 77 households in 16 villages in 13 towns/townships. The obtained data were analyzed using a relative frequency citation (RFC) index. Overall, 145 wild forage plants from 91 genera and 31 families were recorded. The most cited families were Asteraceae, Polygonaceae, Urticaceae, Amaranthaceae, Fabaceae, Cruciferae, Caryophyllaceae, and Lamiaceae. Whole plants (75.9%) and tender leaves (12.4%) were the most frequently used parts of the plants. Most of the forage plants were herbaceous (88.9%). Almost all forage plants could be collected throughout the year (62.7%). Raw and cooked were the two main preparation methods. The most frequently cited species were Taraxacum mongolicum , Bidens pilosa , Sonchus oleraceus , Pilea verrucosa , and Pilea pumila var. obtusifolia . A total of 14 species were identified as the top forage plants in Zhuxi County based on their RFC values (RFC value greater than 0.5). Local people possess rich traditional knowledge about the utilization and management of forage plants for pig feeding. However, the maintenance of this traditional knowledge may be seriously threatened by changes in pig feeding modes and the lack of successors. Appropriate strategies and action plans have been suggested for the conservation of traditional knowledge associated with biodiversity and the sustainable use of forage species resources. These include 1) taking targeted measures to protect forage resources and associated traditional knowledge; 2) strengthening research on the forage plants with the highest RFC values for nutritional value, digestibility, other functions, and ecological status; and 3) enhancing the identification of poisonous forage plants.

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A new species of Impatiens L. from Hubei, China, Impatiens zhuxiensis Q.L. Gan & X.W. Li, is described and illustrated. Impatiens zhuxiensis resembles I. nasuta Hook. f. and I. compta Hook. f. and these are the only species in I. sect. Impatiens with a long abaxial rostrum on the midvein of the dorsal petal. However, the flowers of I. zhuxiensis are yellow while those of I. nasuta and I. compta are deep purple‐red and pale purple‐blue, respectively; I. zhuxiensis has the midvein of the dorsal petal abaxially elongated into a pointed rostrum near the apex, whilst the rostrum of I. nasuta is elephant‐trunk‐shaped near the middle, and that of I. compta is recurved near the apex. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of Impatiens based on ITS, atpB‐rbcL and trnL‐F supported these three species as closely allied and that they belong to I. sect. Impatiens.

A new species of Impatiens L. from Hubei, China, I. dasyvexilla Q. L. Gan & X.W. Li, is described and illustrated in this paper. This species is closely allied with I. blepharosepala E. Pritz. in having leaves that are crowded at the upper part of the stem and lateral sepals that are ciliate at the margin. However, I. dasyvexilla is distinctive in its hirsute dorsal petal, conical glands at the leaf base, densely pubescent pedicel, and distal lobe of united petals cleft at the inner side. This new species should belong to Impatiens sect. Impatiens.