Three novel species of Russula Pers. subg. Compactae (Fr.) Bon from southern China are described with morphological evidence and phylogenetic analyses based on ITS and the concatenated partial LSU, mtSSU, rpb1, rpb2 and tef1 gene sequences. All three species possess sparse and broad lamellae. Russula latolamellata Y.Song & L.H.Qiu, sp. nov., is characterized by its cracking, black-tan pileus, scarlet-turning context on bruising and absence of pileocystidia and caulocystidia. Russula nigrocarpa S.Y.Zhou, Y.Song & L.H.Qiu, sp. nov., can be distinguished by its off-white lamellae, small basidiospores, hymenial cystidia and pileocystidia of various forms, often with forked apices and by its gelatinous pileipellis. Russula ochrobrunnea S.Y.Zhou, Y.Song & L.H.Qiu, sp. nov., is characterized by its cracking, grayish brown pileus with striate margin, light-brown lamellae whose edges turn dark-brown when mature, small basidiospores and slightly flexuous ormoniliform hymenial cystidia. Their detailed morphological features and phylogenetic positions are discussed and compared among closely related species.

Parasitic plants often show changes in chloroplast genome size and gene content. Here we obtained the complete chloroplast genome of Tolypanthus maclurei, a hemiparasitic shrub of Loranthaceae, using genome skimming method. It is 123,581 bp in length and contains a 72,910 bp large single copy region, a 9,731 bp small single copy region and two 20,650 bp inverted repeats. 119 genes, consisting of 77 protein-coding genes, 34 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes, were predicted. All the ndh genes except ndhB are lost and five protein-coding genes are pseudogenized. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Tolypanthus is sister to Macrosolen within Loranthaceae. ARTICLE HISTORY

Abstract— Populations of Balanophora from southern China are often identified by local botanists as B. laxiflora based on their long cylindric male inflorescence, subsessile male flowers with slender rudimentary bracts, and subdiscoid synandria. In this study, we clarify the identity of seven such populations based on morphological characters and phylogenetic analysis using nuclear 18S and ITS ribosomal DNA sequences. We confirmed the occurrence of dioecious populations of B. yakushimensis and two previously unrecognized species, which we describe here as B. parajaponica and B. appressa. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that B. parajaponica, B. yakushimensis, B. appressa, B. laxiflora, and the agamospermic B. japonica, formed a well resolved clade, viz. the B. laxiflora clade. The four dioecious species, although highly similar in the morphology of male inflorescence and flowers, can be separated by leaf morphology and arrangement, ovary color, and arrangement of female flowers. The species limit of B. laxiflora, however, remains unresolved.

Abstract— Balanophora subgen. Balania (Balanophoraceae), whose members differ from those of the other subgenus in having three-merous male flowers, includes B. flava, B. involucrata, B. tobiracola, the B. harlandii assemblage, and the agamospermic species B. japonica. Species limits of B. flava, B. involucrata, and the B. harlandii as currently circumscribed (B. harlandii assemblage) have long been controversial. Here, species limits in subgen. Balania are explored based on morphological characters and phylogenetic analysis using nuclear 18S and ITS ribosomal DNA sequences. Subgen. Balania was monophyletic if B. japonica is excluded. Balanophora harlandii assamblage was polyphyletic and three lineages, B. harlandii, B. kawakamii, and B. henryi, were recovered in the assemblage. Molecular and morphological divergence, distribution, and phenology provided strong support for the recognition of these lineages as distinct species, namely B. harlandii, B. kawakamii, and B. henryi. The findings also suggested that B. flava should be reduced to synonym under B. involucrata, thus supporting Hansen’s treatment of both dioecious and monoecious populations as members of a single species.

Macrothelypteris torresiana is a reputed medicinal fern. Its complete chloroplast genome was determined by Illumina paired-end sequencing. The genome is 151,150 bp in length with 43.1% overall Guanine+Cytosine (GC) content, which is divided into four distinct parts such as a small single copy (SSC, 21,772 bp), a large single copy (LSC, 82,422 bp), and two inverted repeats (IRs, 23,478 bp each). It contains 132 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, 35 tRNA genes, and three pseudogenes. Maximum likelihood (ML) tree revealed that M. torresiana was closely grouped with Christella appendiculata with 100% bootstrap value.