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 clade with a Japanese individual. Here, we report a morphological description, photographs, an illustration, and the locality of D. paniculatum.

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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</i 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.

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.