J The peduncle (pedunculus in Latin) was first used by Linnaeus in 1751 as a botanical term for ‘the stem bearing flowers and fruits’ and the pedicel (pedicellus in Latin) for any ‘part of the peduncle.’ These terms have been defined in somewhat modified expressions by successive authors. Nowadays, each definition of the peduncle and the pedicel used in previous references has one of the following meanings: ① a stalk of a single flower; ② a stalk of an inflorescence; or ③ a stalk either of a single flower or of an inflorescence. The Japanese terms of the peduncle and pedicel include the three different meanings which were derived from the English definitions. Due to polysemy of the botanical terms, many synonymous terms have been produced so far for both the peduncle and pedicel in Japanese. The peduncle was first translated to Japanese by Yôan Udagawa（ 宇田川榕菴） from Dutch, Bloem-Steel (with pedunclus in Latin) into Kakô（ 花梗） meaning the stalk of flower(s) in 1834. He divided the Kakô into Sôkakô（ 総花梗） meaning a stalk of an inflorescence and Kakukakô（ 各花梗） meaning each stalk of a flower in the inflorescence. Based on English terms of peduncle and pedicel in 1874 Motoyoshi Ono modified Udagawa’s usage of the term Kakô for the peduncle including Sôkakô and proposed a new term Akô（ 椏梗） for the pedicel instead of Kakukakô（ 各花梗）．At present there are such synonymous terms of Kakô（ 花梗） as Kahei（ 花柄）, Kajyohei（ 花序柄）, Kô（ 梗）, Sokahei（ 総花柄）, Sokakô（ 総花梗） and Sokô（ 総梗）. Also, Akô（ 椏梗） has the following synonymous terms: Kahei（ 花柄）, Kakô（ 花梗）, Kakukakô（ 各花梗）, Saikakô（ 細花梗）, Saikô（ 細梗）, Shôkahei（ 小花柄）, Shôkakô（ 小花梗）, and Shôkô（ 小梗）. To avoid confusion from the use of such many Japanese synonymous terms as above for the peduncle and the pedicel, Kajyohei （ 花序柄） should be used exclusively hereafter for the peduncle, meaning the stalk of an inflorescence, and Kahei（ 花柄） for the pedicel, the stalk of a single flower. In compound inflorescences or panicles that repeat the same type of branching, the stalk of the primary (first-order) axis producing branches is Kajyohei（ 花序柄peduncle） and the stalk of the first-order branch (second-order axis) should be called Niji-Kajyohei（ 二次花序柄the secondorder peduncle）, and so on. In Compositae or Gramineae and Cyperaceae, the stalk of a head (capitulum) or a spikelet should be called Kajyohei （花序柄peduncle） instead of Kahei （花柄= Spedicel）, because it is an inflorescence even if its flowers are evolutionarily reduced to one.

The ecology of lignicolous myxomycetes on fallen dead wood has never been clearly demonstrated in an intact forest. We compared the occurrence of myxomycete sporocarps on the dead wood of deciduous broad-leaved trees (BW) and coniferous trees (CW) to determine species preferences for tree types and wood decay stages. Surveys of sporocarps were performed during summer and autumn 2011–2013 in a conserved forest of the Northern Japan Alps. We recorded 89 taxa (87 species, two varieties): 60 species on BW and 64 species on CW. Between seasons, the percentage similarity of myxomycete occurrence was low (0.239), while between tree types it was higher (0.463). Ordination of the assemblages using non-metric multidimensional scaling demonstrated that myxomycete occurrence changed seasonally and exhibited tree type preference. Fortynine species (55% of the total) exhibited seasonal and/or tree type preferences. A majority of the species occurred on the intermediate decay stage of both tree types, but 38 species were correlated with particular decay stages of either CW or BW. The tree types contain wood parts at various decay stages, creating microenvironments that seasonally provide heterogeneous microhabitats for myxomycetes. Such diverse microhabitats on a local scale can promote myxomycete diversity in a natural forest.

Comprehensive study on fruit morphology and anatomy of Persicaria chinensis was carried out to understand the ontogeny of pericarp and seed coat. The pericarp clearly differentiated into three histological zones: exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp. The exocarp cells are much higher than wide in cross and longitudinal sections with sinuate anticlinal walls and narrow unbranched lumina. The young seed coat comprises of both testa and tegmen, however, mature one comprises 3−4 layers of discontinuous cells. The pericarp becomes hard and takes over the seed protection, while the seed coat is reduced and partly disintegrated or disappears during development. The gross surface appearance is of faintly reticulate pattern. This pattern consists of depressions in the periclinal walls of the exocarp cells and is bordered by ridges covered with numerous tubercles. The reticulate surface pattern with numerous tubercles and narrowly elongated-rectangular exocarp cells with undulating anticlinal walls in P. chinensis resembles other species of genus Persicaria particularly P. nepalensis, P. sieboldii and P. hastatosagittata.

A new species of Camellia (Theaceae), C. quangcuongii from Vietnam, is described and illustrated. A key to Vietnamese species of Camellia sect. Theopsis is also provided.

Camellia quangcuongii is similar to C. forrestii and C. tsaii, but differ from them in having glabrous branchlets, cylindrical ovary and asymmetrically ovoid capsule curved to one side.

Lectotypes for Aeschynanthus hookeri C. B. Clarke, A. mannii Kurz ex C. B. Clarke and A. monetarius Dunn are designated.

Two names of genus Impatiens L. (Balsaminaceae), namely I. bracteata and I. scapiflora are typified and correct author for these two species are clarified.

The Hengduan Mountain region is one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. We aimed to examine the karyotypes of nine seed plants from the alpine subnival belt of this region in the present study. By using the plant root tip cytology research method, the results showed that karyotype formulae and karyotype asymmetry were: Eriophyton wallichii with 2n = 2x = 16 = 4m + 12sm, 2B; Marmoritis complanatum with 2n = 2x = 18 = 10m + 8sm, 4A; Lamiophlomis rotata with 2n = 2x = 22 = 12m + 10sm (2SAT), 3A; Codonopsis bulleyana with 2n = 2x = 16 = 8m + 8sm (2SAT), 3A; Pedicularis elwesii with 2n = 2x = 16 = 2m + 14sm (2SAT), 3A;

P. rupicola with 2n = 2x = 16 = 4m + 12sm (2SAT), 2A; the two populations of Rheum nobile as follows 2n = 2x = 22 = 18m (2SAT) + 4sm, 3A and 2n = 2x = 22 = 16m (2SAT) + 6sm, 4A; Senecio muliensis with 2n = 4x = 40 = 32m (2SAT) + 8sm, 3A; Soroseris hookeriana with 2n = 4x = 32 = 22m (4SAT) + 10sm, 4A. The chromosome numbers and karyotype of Eriophyton wallichii, Marmoritis complanatum, Codonopsis bulleyana, Pedicularis elwesii, P. rupicola, Senecio muliensis were reported for the first time. Except for Senecio muliensis and Soroseris hookeriana, all of the sampled endemic species were diploid, and showed that polyploidy may not play an important role in the way of adapted extreme alpine subnival belt environment of these plants from the Hengduan Mountains.

It is well documented that some mycoheterotrophic plants have distinct color variations. Here, I describe a new form of Cyrtosia septentrionalis from Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan. Ecological significance of this yellow form of Cyrtosia septentrionalis is also discussed.