Two new species, Hedychium muanwongyathiae and H. phuluangense (Zingiberaceae), are described and illustrated from Thailand. Relationship with other closely related species is also discussed.

Embelia arunachalensis R. K. Choudhary, R. C. Srivastava & A. K. Das, sp. nov. (Myrsinaceae) is described from Upper Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh, India.

A new species, Omphalodes akiensis Kadota (Boraginaceae), is described from Hiroshima Pref., western Japan. Omphalodes akiensis is similar to O. prolifera Ohwi in having decumbent scapes with plantlets at the axil of inflorescence but is distinguished from the latter by thicker, dimly lustrous basal leaves with longer petioles, forked inflorescence, shorter, shallowly lobed calyx-tubes with narrowly ovate-lanceolate lobes obtuse at apex. Omphalodes akiensis is distributed in Hiroshima Pref. and the southwestern part of Tottori Pref. and grows rather commonly on rich soils in open valleys. A white-flowered form of Omphalodes akiensis is also described.

For quality assessment of Prunus sibirica L. and P. mandshurica (Maxim.) Koehne (Rosaceae), compared to P. armeniaca L., P. armeniaca L. var. ansu Maxim., prescribed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as Kuxingren (苦杏仁), HPLC analysis of the chief con-stituent groups, i.e., (A) a group of polar ones containing amygdalin, and two groups of fat component: (B) triacylglycerols and (C) free fatty acids, were carried out. Based on the comparison of these chromatogram patterns, no remarkable difference was observed among the species. Furthermore, the suitability of P. sibirica and P. mandshurica as Armeniacae Semen was confirmed in the identification test describing in the current Japanese Pharmacopoeia （XV supplement I）.

The purity test for Atractylodes rhizome by the molecular biological method based on ARMS was established in the general information on the first supplement of the Japanese Pharmacopoeia 15th ed., to stop commingling of Atractylodes lancea rhizome with Atractylodes rhizome. The ARMS requires rigorous experimental conditions. Therefore, we established a new, simple, quick and stable method based on PCR-RFLP for discrimination between Atactylodes rhizome and Atractylodes lancea rhizome.

Three new white-flowered forms of Lesepdeza found in Japan are described: L. pilosa (Thunb.) Siebold & Zucc. f. virginea H. Ohashi from Kagawa Pref., L. cyrtobotrya Miq. f. virginea H. Ohashi from Ibaraki Pref., and L. thunbergii subsp. thunbergii f. miyagialba H. Ohashi & K. Ohashi from Miyagi Pref.