A history of The Journal of Japanese Botany (the Japanese title: 植物研究雑誌, reading ‘Shokubutsu Kenkyu Zasshi’ in Romanized Japanese, or Anglicized Romaji) is reviewed on the occasion of its centenary. The Journal has published various items in systematic botany and pharmacognosy including morphology, chemotaxonomy, research history, natural history, and miscellaneous notes on related fields. Traditionally, the Journal has been opened equally to papers written by research specialists or amateurs. Although its history is continuous with gradual developments since its inception, it may be divided into five periods in accordance with those of the Editor-in-Chief. The Makino era (1916–1933) saw the beginning and creation of its style and concept as his private journal. The Journal had been supported by Jusha Tsumura, who was the owner of Tsumura Juntendo Co. since vol. 3 in 1926 (Jusha Tsumura the second and then the present Tsumura & Co. have given it continued financial support). The Asahina era (1933–1975) started with changes in the previous concept of the Journal to modify its issues for the publication of taxonomy and medicinal sciences in vol. 9, 1933. The Journal reached its maximum growth from 1934 to 1942, but it faced difficulty in publication from the effects of the Pacific War (World War II) between 1944 and 1950. Then, the Journal stabilized with vol. 26 in 1951. Successively, the Hara era (1975–1987) kept this stable condition and consistently published 12 issues per volume from vol. 62 to 81. In the Shibata era (1987–2007), the Journal changed its issues from monthly to bimonthly and its book size from A5 to B5 from vol. 66 in 1991. In the Ohashi era (2007–) the Editorial Board of the Journal was formally organized in 2008 and changed its copyright policy to have ownership to the Editorial Board of the Journal together with individual author when the article published in the Journal in and after 2008. The Journal launched digital archives for all papers published in the Journal [http://www.jjbotany.com/] in 2016.

Although he had already written many papers for the Botanical Magazine Tokyo, Dr. Tomitaro Makino began the periodical The Journal of Japanese Botany in 1916. Dr. Tomitaro Makino (1862–1957) was one of the pioneer botanists in Japan. He reported not only an enormous number of new plant species but also many of the understandable reports written in Japanese for the people who loved plants and established and assisted many Plant Lovers’ Clubs in many prefectures in Japan.

The Journal of Japanese Botany was launched by Tomitaro (often as Tomitarô or Tomitarō) Makino in 1916. Tomitaro Makino (1862–1957), a self-taught botanist, was born in Tosa Province (now Kochi Prefecture) as the elder son of a locally established merchant. He began research on the Japanese flora at the Botanical Institute, the University of Tokyo. Throughout his life he described many new species of vascular plants. At 54 years of age he shifted his focus toward encouraging and supporting amateur and semi-professional botanists in various areas throughout Japan.

Not only in western countries, but also in Japan, botany developed from herbal studies that were based on the use of plants as medicine. In Japan, traditional medical studies extended to the fauna, but they were particularly focused on the flora. Even at the time Makino launched his Journal, the influence of herbal studies was still widespread. Makino provided various news and topics for his readers, not only on botany, but also on herbals. Many of the subscribers were interested in both fields. Makino also targeted and encouraged school teachers, particularly those who were due to take the examination for approval by the Ministry of Education.

Makino was reduced to extreme poverty when he prepared the first issue of the Journal, but he received financial aid from several persons, including Tomoo Oikawa, Hajime Ikenaga, Haruji Nakamura, and Jusha Tsumura. The financial and other support from Jusha Tsumura 1st (1871–1941), the founder of Tsumura Juntendo Inc., was especially important. It was also within the Tsumura Laboratory that Yushiro Kimura established a publishing department to produce the Journal. Through the interests and involvement of Jusha Tsumura the Journal has been able to survive to the present. (View PDF for the rest of the abstract)

Tomitaro Makino launched The Journal of Japanese Botany in 1916 to encourage broad understanding and interest in botany in Japan. Jusha Tsumura the first to establish Tsumura Juntendo Inc. (currently Tsumura & Co.), built the Tsumura Laboratory and the medicinal plant garden attached to his company in 1924. He hoped to popularize accurate knowledge on traditional Kampo medicines for selection, use and production. The Tsumura Laboratory began to sell correct samples of crude drugs in 1925. When Makino’s Journal could not continue publication, Tsumura began to support its publication through the Tsumura Laboratory in 1926. Probably they cooperated through The Journal of Japanese Botany in order to expand accurate knowledge on plants and herbal medicines to the general public at that time. I presume that this was the implicit promise between Makino and Tsumura. Since their cooperation The Journal of Japanese Botany has continued to publish many fruitful results in botany and pharmacognosy.

We recently found many glass photographic plates that belonged to the late professor Bunzo Hayata (1874−1934) in the herbarium of the University of Tokyo (TI). Among them was a plate with a photograph of Dr. Tomitaro Makino (1862−1957) that was taken with several students. The photograph was supposedly taken on 27 April 1930 at Shimura in Musashi Province (currently Itabashi-ku in Tokyo) when Dr. Makino led his students of Botany, the Tokyo Imperial University, on a field excursion.

Prof. Yasuhiko Asahina was born in 1881 in Tokyo and graduated from Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo). After study in Europe for ca. 3 years, he took the post of assistant professor at the University. He was promoted to professor in 1918 and researched chemical constituents of Japanese traditional medicines and lichen substances until his retirement in 1941. He continued his research of lichen substances after retirement. His unique method, microchemical analysis of lichen substances, is well known as “Asahina’s microcrystal method” worldwide.

He was the chief editor of “The Journal of Japanese Botany” from 1933 to 1975. He published the results of his studies on lichen substances in this Journal under the title “Lichenologische Notizen” (a total of 254 reports). Vol. 43, Nos. 10–11 (1968) of this Journal is the “Jubilee number commemorating the 88th anniversary of Dr. Yasuhiko Asahina”.

He died in 1975 at the age of 94 after a long life.

Russian botanist Carl Johann (Ivanovich) Maximowicz came to Japan as an experienced and known scientist. He worked here more than three years (1860–1864) and brought significant botanical collections to St. Petersburg. He decided to write the critical “Japanese Flora” and wanted to gather all possible herbarium materials. In addition to his own herbarium he used other earlier materials already existing in St. Petersburg, as well as materials received from different collectors (Tschonoski, Siebold, American (Wright, Small), English (Wilford, Oldham), French (Savatier), Japanese and others). Scientific communication with European botanists, based on a common interest in the Japanese flora, helped him to receive valuable herbarium collections from them. In the 1880’s, he established scientific correspondence and started a dialogue with Japanese botanists, who sent him their herbarium materials for determination. Many Japanese botanists looked to him as their teacher and surely, we can say that Maximowicz is one of the founders of the Japanese school of plant systematic, thus greatly influencing the development of science in Japan. Thus, from 1860–1890 Maximowicz’s effort created the most valuable herbarium collection of plants from Japan, the so-called “Japanese Maximowicz’s herbarium collection”, which is kept in the Herbarium of the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LE) in St. Petersburg. The collection is original, unique and critical for modern systematics studies.

A preliminary list of vascular plants is provided for the southern Yankicha and northern Ryponkicha islets of Ushishir, the middle Kuril Islands, based on herbarium specimens. The list represents 45 families, 114 genera, and 158 species for the whole of Ushishir. Only two species of non-native plants have been recorded from Ushishir-Yankicha. The main dominant families in Ushishir are Asteraceae, Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Caryophyllaceae. Although the entire flora of Ushishir does not show distinguishing features different from those of adjacent Ketoi and Rasshua, a clear contrast of floristic composition was confirmed between Yankicha and Ryponkicha in Ushishir. Notably, a higher number of species and collections of Cyperaceae in Ryponkicha than in Yankicha was confirmed. A Ryponkicha bias is evident in several taxa, for example Rubus chamaemorus, Vaccinium uliginosum var. alpinum, Carex rariflora, and C. stylosa. The floristic contrast mainly reflects the common occurrence of herbaceous meadows on Yankicha and the presence of a shrubby heath community on the terrace of Ryponkicha. A clear difference of flora and vegetation between Yankicha and Ryponkicha may be due to the different topographical and geological features of the two islets.

Two major modes of speciation exist in the evolution of endemic plants of oceanic islands: cladogenesis and anagenesis. The former is where an immigrant population becomes established and then disperses into different ecological zones on the same, or neighboring, island. Over time and in isolation, these different lineages diverge and adapt to their new environments, such that eventually they are regarded as distinct species. These cladogenetic radiations have been chronicled in considerable detail in Hawaii, Galápagos, and the Canary Islands. Anagenesis is a process of transformation of species. After establishment, an immigrant population grows in size but does not split into divergent lines due to a lack of ecological opportunity. Gene flow is maintained among subpopulations, and genetic variation accumulates due to mutation and recombination. The highest known level of anagenesis in the endemic flora of any oceanic island occurs in Ullung Island, Korea. This small island lies 137 km east of the Korean Peninsula. It is of volcanic origin, with no known connections to the mainland. Here, ca. 33 endemic species occur that represent transformational evolution from original immigrants during the past not more than 1.8 million years. A number of studies in this island have been done on isozymic genetic variation in natural populations and more recently also using AFLP and SS R molecular markers. The results from isozymes show a pattern of very limited genetic variation within these endemic species. More comprehensive AFLP and SS R markers, however, reveal much higher levels of variation in some species, even to the extent of approximating that seen in progenitor populations on the continent. The studies in Ullung Island show that anagenetic species can be expected to harbor high levels of genetic variation similar to that of the progenitor population. The individuals in subpopulations on the island appear to be held together genetically by gene flow such that no geographic partitioning of the genetic variation occurs over the landscape.

As the result of field explorations to northwestern Myanmar, a total of five species of the genus Agapetes (Ericaceae) were collected. Of these, two species were hitherto undescribed taxa. They were recorded with citation of voucher specimens and a photograph of each species was provided. Two new species were described as Agapetes oxycoccoides and A. pentastigma. Agapetes oxycoccoides is similar to A. bracteata, but distinguished by the corymbose inflorescence without distinct bract, and more strongly reflexed longer corolla lobes. Agapetes pentastigma is morphologically similar to A. hillii, but differs in having a greenish-yellow collora with ladder-like red stripes, and a short peduncle.

Melanoseris henryi (Dunn) N. Kilian (Asteraceae-Cichorieae) is reported for the first time for the Bolaven Plateau of southern Laos (Champasak province). Hitherto this rare species was only known from the type collection made at Pu’er, in southern Yunnan, China, at the end of the 19th century, where it has not been recollected since. This is also the first record for the genus Melanoseris from Laos. The phylogenetic analysis based on DNA sequences of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) confirms the placement in the Flora of China of this species with 3–6-flowered capitula in the revived Melanoseris. Within the Melanoseris lineage, M. henryi clusters into a clade together with Melanoseris atropurpurea, M. likiangensis, and M. macrantha, all species with many-flowered capitula, which is sister to a clade of two species with 3-flowered capitula, M. tenuis and M. graciliflora. In our molecular phylogeny statistical support of the relationships within the Melanoseris lineage is, however, weak. A description and illustrations of Melanoseris henryi, which is also rare in southern Laos, are provided. The presence of Melanoseris in southern Laos provides new clues to illuminate the history of the geographical distribution and the evolution of this lineage, and even the relationships between the floras of southwestern China and southern Laos.

A male Ginkgo tree at Kami Yagisawa, Minobu-cho, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, is shown to possess a small, localized, branch that produces ovules that mature into viable seeds. This tree is recognized as an Ohatsuki Icho because of the occasional production of pollen sacs on otherwise normal vegetative leaves, but most of the abundant male cones that it produces are of normal morphology. Localized sex conversion, such as that seen in the Kami Yagisawa tree, by which part of otherwise male Ginkgo tree switches to producing seeds, may be more common than has previously been noted. Dioecy in extant Ginkgo biloba most likely evolved from monoecious ancestors that had ovulate and pollen cones on different parts of the plant. This change from monoecy to dioecy has also been accompanied by the differentiation of a ZW system of sex chromosomes (heterogametic females ZW, homogametic males ZZ) in which the W chromosome is slightly larger. The molecular developmental basis for sex conversion in Ginkgo is unknown, but in certain angiosperms a specific transcription factor regulates the expression of the female phenotype. A microRNA, which seems to be male specific, negatively affects this transcriptional regulator, resulting in the suppression of female characters and expression of the male phenotype. Further studies are needed to determine whether a similar or different mechanism operates in Ginkgo, and whether localized disruption of the male specific microRNA is responsible for ovule production on a plant that is otherwise morphologically male.

Arisaema (Araceae) is one of the most diversified genera in Japan (ca. 60 taxa). A paucity of distribution records and misidentification seem to have prevented advance of taxonomic and phylogenetic studies on Japanese Arisaema species. First, the author revised the taxonomy of the A. undulatifolium group based on morphometric analysis and chromosome counts. From the results, six taxa have been recognized in this group, most of them having the same chromosome counts, 2n = 26. Second, from the observation of the seedling morphology and the ovule number of the Japanese Arisaema species, the author found that a plumular leaf shape almost corresponded with the ovule number in sect. Pistillata except A. ringens, and the combination of the two characters seems to be applicable for group delimitation. Many Japanese Arisaema species (25 taxa) are currently faced with extinction. For conservation of these endangered taxa we need to gather more data on their population characteristics (phenology, sex ratio, genetic diversity, pollination, and dispersal). Such information might also give us further insight into the taxonomy and evolution of Japanese Arisaema.

Recollection of Ooia grabowskii at the Type locality in Kalimantan Selatan, Indonesian Borneo, has revealed the name to have been comprehensively misapplied to five taxonomically new Bornean Ooia species, here described as: Ooia altar S. Y. Wong & P. C. Boyce, sp. nov., O. basalticola S. Y. Wong & P. C. Boyce, sp. nov., O. glans S. Y. Wong & P. C. Boyce, sp. nov., O. secta S. Y. Wong & P. C. Boyce, sp. nov., and O. suavis S. Y. Wong & P. C. Boyce, sp. nov. Ooia grabowskii is endemic to the southern portion of the Meratus Mountains, Kalimantan Selatan. Clarification of O. grabowskii additionally reveals Rhynchopyle havilandii Engl. [≡ Piptospatha havilandii (Engl.) Engl.; Schismatoglottis havilandii (Engl.) M. Hotta], until now treated as a heterotypic synonym of O. grabowskii, to be a distinct species of Ooia: the combination Ooia havilandii (Engl.) S. Y. Wong & P. C. Boyce, comb. nov. is made. Newly observed spathe senescence mechanics of O. grabowskii and O. basalticola are strikingly in agreement with those of Piptospatha manduensis Bogner & A. Hay. Combined with the highly atypical (for Piptospatha) fragrant inflorescences, pubescent staminate flowers, and deciduous non-pistillate flowers, and typical (for Ooia) creeping/rooting stems and pendulous infructescences occurring in P. manuduensis prompts removal of P. manduensis from Piptospatha and incorporation into Ooia – the combination Ooia manduensis (Bogner & A. Hay) S. Y. Wong & P. C. Boyce, comb. nov. is made. These novelties and transfers, taken together with pre-existing species, brings Ooia to 10 species. All species are illustrated from living plants, with Ooia grabowskii additionally figured from the Berlin Holotype, and from Engler’s Araceae Exsiccatae et Illustratae No. 196. An identification key to all described Ooia species is provided.

Colocasia yunnanensis C. L. Long & X. Z. Cai (Araceae) is described as a new species record for the flora of Vietnam based on material collected from the mountainous region of Sa pa, Lao Cai Province. Characters that distinguish C. yunnanensis from other Colocasia species are noted and illustrated with photographs. Information on habitat, distribution, variability, seedling germination, and DNA variation are also provided. The possible significance of inter-species hybridization for taxonomic identification is noted.

Poa muktinathensis Rajbh. (Poaceae), a new species collected from Mustang District, Central Nepal, is described.

The genus Trollius (Ranunculaceae) in Japan is taxonomically revised. Plants belonging to the genus predominantly grow in grasslands of montane and alpine zones (higher than 1500 m) in Japan. However, in the lowlands of Hokkaido, northern Japan, Trollius plants were also found along rivers. Among such fluvial plants two species are newly recognized; T. soyaensis Kadota in the Dohoku area and T. teshioensis Kadota extending from the Dohoku to the Doto areas. A new section, sect. Yezoinsulicola Kadota, is proposed based on the two species; T. soyaensis and T. teshioensis. Plants from Rebun Island, northern Hokkaido, have been frequently attributed to the Asian continental species, T. ledebourii Rchb. or T. ledebourii Rchb. var. polysepalus Regel & Tiling, mainly due to the petals being longer than the stamens. However, the petals are somewhat fleshy and are equipped with well-developed nectary pits. The sepals are many in number (7–13) and ascending incurvedly, hence the flowers are bowl-shaped. On the contrary T. ledebourii has patent sepals and the flowers are flat and saucer-shaped. Thus the plants from Rebun Island represent an undescribed species belonging to sect. Insulaetrollius Drosz. distributed in Far East Asia. This new species is described as T. rebunensis Kadota. The plant called ‘Shinano-kinbai’ in Japanese is a representative of Japanese alpine plants. The name Trollius japonicus Miq. has been adopted for this plant. It happens that the type specimen derived from ‘Jeso’ (= Hokkaido, Japan) has follicles with short and straight beaks and developed keels. Thus the type specimen of T. japonicus should be ascribed to T. riederianus Fisch. & C. A. Mey. Consequently a new name, T. shinanensis Kadota, is proposed for ‘Shinano-kinbai’ based on the collection from Mt. Asahi-dake, Itoigawa-shi, Niigata Pref., central Honshu, Japan. In total four sections and eight species are recognized in the genus Trollius in Japan.

Chamaecrista mimosoides (L.) Greene has a unique even-pinnate leaf with crenate-crested protuberances on the adaxial side of the rachis between leaflet pairs, which is one of the important characteristics for distinguishing it from other species with leaf rachises canaliculate. The present study clarified anatomical and developmental features of the leaves with the crenate-crested rachis in C. mimosoides in comparison with those with a canaliculate rachis in C. nomame (Makino) H. Ohashi. Transverse sections showed that the crenate-crested rachis has a protuberance constructed by continuous parenchymatous tissues composed of cells rich in chloroplasts, whereas the canaliculate one has two ridges constructed by two independent parenchymatous tissues. Developmental observations showed that the crenate-crested rachis is initiated as a single swelling of tissues, whereas the canaliculate one initiated as two parallel swelling of tissues. Both rachises have commonly two ridge bundles divided from the main vascular bundles in the petiole, but the two ridge bundles are fused into one bundle in the proximal half of the crenate-crested protuberance between leaflet pairs, and then divided into two again in the distal half. In contrast, the two ridge bundles remain separated throughout the length in the canaliculate rachis. The fused ridge bundles in the crenate-crested protuberance, moreover, branch a small bundle into the protuberance. At the distal part of the petiole there is an extrafloral nectary (EFN) in both species. The vascular bundles are supplied to the EFN from each of two ridge bundles in the petiole in C. mimosoides, whereas from the main vascular bundles in C. nomame. The repetition of fusion and separation of two ridge bundles in the crenate-crested leaf rachis seems to support the idea that the rachis is produced by fusion of two ridges of the canaliculate rachis. The chloroplast-rich cells observed in the crenate-crested protuberance as well as many stomata in the epidermis suggest that the protuberance may improve the ability of photosynthesis.

Astragalus sikokianus has been known as endemic to the Korea-Japan region but is taxonomically confused with A. koraiensis from Korea and A. bhotanensis from Bhutan and western China. To clarify its taxonomic boundary and distribution, we examined external morphological characters and nrITS sequence data. Morphologically, A. koraiensis and A. sikokianus are hardly distinguishable from each other but they differ from A. bhotanensis of Bhutan and southwestern China in their leaves, leaflets, peduncles, corollas, calyx, and legumes. In contrast, the diagnostic characters of plants known as A. bhotanensis from northwestern China match those of A. sikokianus. Our TCS network and ML tree based on ITS sequence variations also recognized the plants from northwestern China, Korea, and Japan as being an independent evolutionary lineage that is distinct from the other group of A. bhotanensis from southwestern China. Therefore, this morphological and molecular evidence leads us to conclude that A. koraiensis is synonymized with A. sikokianus and, as delimited here, the latter species also includes plants from northwestern China. It is also possible that this disjunct distribution of newly circumscribed A. sikokianus can be explained by historical geographic changes and long-distance dispersal in East Asia.

Amphicarpaea is newly circumscribed based on the structure of the pollen apertures having linear grooves or slight colporus-like furrows instead of distinct colpori. Three species are recognized as the members of the genus: A. edgeworthii and A. ferruginea in Asia and A. bracteata in North America. Amphicarpaea africana having distinct tricolporate pollen grains is returned to Shuteria, and Amphicarpaea lineata in China is regarded as identical to Shuteria hirsuta. Amphicarpaea ferruginea Benth. is lectotypified.

Key words: Amphicarpaea, colporus-like furrows, Fabaceae, Phaseoleae, pollen aperture, pollen colporus, pollen morphology, Shuteria, Shuteria africana, typification.

Phylogenetic relationships of East Asian representatives of the genus Filipendula Mill. (Rosaceae-Rosoideae) as revealed by the analyses of nrITS markers do not completely coincide with either of the existing taxonomic systems of the genus. The NW American F. occidentalis (S. Watson) Howell is a strongly isolated species which is not closely related to the Asian representatives of the genus. This study confirms close phylogenetic relations between F. tsuguwoi Ohwi (endemic to S Japan) and F. kiraishiensis Hayata (endemic to Taiwan), as well as their relationships to F. multijuga Maxim. (endemic to Honshu Island, Japan). This clade also includes the Himalayan species F. vestita Maxim. Two widely distributed species, F. camtschatica (Pall.) Maxim. and F. glaberrima Nakai, appear to be related to members of the sect. Albicomae. Filipendula formosa Nakai, a narrow endemic to S Korea, seems to be basal to this clade. Filipendula yezoensis H. Hara, endemic to Hokkaido Island, Japan, which is usually synonymized with F. glaberrima, appears to be weakly differentiated from the latter more widely distributed species.

Pollen morphology in 89 of 127 Malesian Phyllanthus species (Phyllanthaceae) was investigated. Thirty-four pollen types are recognized. They are grouped into five pollen classes. These pollen classes are I. Colporate pollen, II. Incomplete synaperturate pollen, III. Synaperturate pollen, IV. Clypeate pollen, and V. Porate pollen. A key for the pollen classes and types is provided. Evolutionary trends in pollen morphology and infrageneric classification in Phyllanthus are discussed.

Diospyros kaki Thunb. (Ebenaceae) is an economically important tree cultivated throughout Japan. Two species, D. lotus L. and D. japonica Siebold & Zucc., are closely related to D. kaki. The history of their taxonomic recognition and nomenclature, and phylogenetic relationship are reviewed. To reveal their geographical distributions the specimen data examined of D. japonica and D. lotus are presented. A variety of D. lotus, var. laevis H. Ohba & S. Akiyama, is proposed based on the specimen collected in Japan.

This paper reports the distribution and the present habitats of Utricularia dimorphantha (Lentibulariaceae). The species is endemic to Japan where it occurs in Honshu between Aomori and Wakayama Prefs. excluding Kitakami Mountains, Abukuma Mountains, Kanto District, Hida Mountains, Kiso Mountains and Akaishi Mountains. It grows in ponds scattered on lowlands and hills, rarely on mountains, between 0 m and 490 m in elevation. The specimens of the species examined were collected from 84 ponds at 81 habitats in 18 prefectures. The species is regarded as an endangered in EN category but fortunately the author confirmed the occurrence and healthy growth of the plants in 10 ponds in five prefectures in August 2015.

From a re-examination of the germane text and illustration in Van Rheede’s Hortus Malabaricus, it is concluded that the hitherto unplaced genus Rumphia L. is most likely referable to Canarium L. (Burseraceae), R. amboinensis L. being C. strictum Roxb.

A new species of Selliguea (Polypodiaceae), Selliguea nepalensis, is described from Nepal. The new species is carefully described and its generic position is resolved by its characteristic features. Although some phenetic features suggest a resemblance of this new species to Goniophlebium amoenum, its actual position is within the genus Selliguea.

Gollania parva Higuchi, sp. nov. (Hypnaceae) is described from Taiwan. This species is characterized by (1) small plants, (2) no differentiation between stem leaves and branch leaves, (3) stem leaves with longer costae and recurved basal margins, (4) prorate laminal cells and (5) slightly differentiated alar cells. Macrothamnium setschwanicum Broth. is transferred to Gollania. This species is rarely found in temperate to subalpine forests of southwestern China and Nepal. This recent study shows that Gollania ruginosa is widely distributed in the southern part of the Russian Far East.

Diplophyllum kinabaluense Furuki & M. Suleiman is described as a new species of the Scapaniaceae, Marchantiophyta, from Mt. Kinabalu in Borneo, Malaysia. This is the second report of the genus Diplophyllum from Malesia in tropical Southeast Asia. The species is compared to the closely related North American Diplophyllum apiculatum (A. Evans) Steph. and the Australasian Diplophyllum domesticum (Gottsche) Steph. It is clearly distinguished from those species by its small, rectangular dorsal leaf lobe with recurved apex, dorsal margin of the dorsal lobe not extending to the opposing one, nearly straight keel of leaves, irregularly crenate margin of leaves with unicellular projections, long perianth with serrate margins. Plants are autoicous.

The lineage of colonial green algae consisting of Tetrabaenaceae, Goniaceae, and Volvocaceae (TGV-clade) belongs to the clade Reinhardtinia within Volvocales (Chlorophyceae). Reinhardtinia is closely related to some species in the unicellular genera Chlamydomonas and Vitreochlamys. Although 18S rRNA gene sequences are preferred phylogenetic markers for many volvocalean species, phylogenetic relationships among the TGV-clade and its relatives have been examined mainly based on chloroplast genes and ITS2 sequences. To determine the candidate unicellular sister, 18S rRNA gene sequences of 41 species of the TGV-clade and its relatives were newly determined, and single and 6-gene phylogenetic analyses performed. No unicellular sister was determined by 18S rRNA gene analyses, but 6 unicellular clades and 11 ribospecies were recognized as candidates. Five of the candidate lineages and 27 taxa of the TGV-clade were examined by 6-gene phylogeny, revealing one clade including Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlamydomonas debaryana, and Vitreochlamys ordinata to be more closely related than that containing Vitreochlamys aulata and Vitreochlamys pinguis.

A new species of Parlibellus, P. latirostris, was observed forming a large tubular colony on the sands at a depth of 10 meters on the central Pacific coast of Japan. Its morphology was examined by light and scanning electron microscopy; details are described herein. This new species is morphologically most similar to P. protracta and P. protractoides in having a lanceolate valve outline, constricted valve apices and a straight raphe, but differs from the latter taxa in its broader rostrate apices, tiny central area, dense striae and parallel and evenly spaced striae arrangement.

The genus Sargassum, widely distributed along the Japanese coast, forms a seaweed bed that plays an important role in the marine ecosystem. However, this genus is difficult to classify taxonomically, as its morphology is complicated. The genus Sargassum has more species than any other macro-algal genera, with more than 500 listed species. For the first time, Sargassum species distributed in Japan were studied on the basis of samples collected in Nagasaki Pref., Japan. Additionally, these samples were identified as belonging to three species, including Sargassum thunbergii, which was first described in 1815 by European researchers. The Japanese researcher conducting taxonomic studies on the genus Sargassum was Dr. K. Yendo, who listed 40 species, firstly in 1907. Subsequently, several researchers have studied the genus distributed in Japanese coastal areas, and more than 60 species of the genus distributed over Japan have been identified. The genus Sargassum needs further taxonomic examination, included DNA analysis.

Two new species, Ramalina intestiniformis Kashiw. & K. H. Moon and R. sphaerophora Kashiw. & K. H. Moon, are described from Korea. Ramalina intestiniformis, a maritime species, resembles R. almquistii Vain., but it differs by having irregularly but totally inflated lobes throughout the branches, continuous medullary hyphae, and shortly fusiform ascospores. Ramalina sphaerophora resembles R. kurokawae Kashiw. and R. yasudae Räsänen, but it differs in having semi-corticate spherical nodules instead of soralia. Both species are known only from Korea up to now.

Three species of the lichen genus Cladonia are described as new: Cladonia fragosa Ahti & Sohrabi (type from Prov. Jilin, China), C. sinoaltaica Ahti & Davydov (type from Xinjiang, China), and C. sumatrana Ahti (type from Sumatra, Indonesia). In addition, the recent records of C. awasthiana Ahti & Upreti from outside the Himalayas are referred to C. rei Schaer., and C. tixieri Abbayes (type from Vietnam) is reduced to synonymy of C. cartilaginea Müll. Arg.

Kampo (traditional Japanese) herbal medicines originated from ancient Chinese medicines, are almost all based on plants. During the Edo period in particular, many medicinal plant gardens were created in Japan and the domestic Kampo herbal medicines from these gardens were used for human health care. However, domestic production has decreased recently in Japan due to an inflated economy. Therefore, we studied the economic production techniques used for growing some medicinal plants. We identified some suitable cultivation techniques, such as the systematic and efficient seedling production of Japanese Angelica (Angelica acutiloba, “Toki”) and ginseng (Panax ginseng), that could be used to domesticate these plants in Japan. A combination of genetic analysis (based on combined cpDNA and ITS sequences) and conventional methods can be used to practically and accurately authenticate Angelica species. Our method will be useful during raw material production processes and for quality control of “Toki” produced for use in Kampo herbal medicines. Further studies are required to identify an efficient cultivation system for ginseng; however, our results showed that the period of cultivation could be shortened if environmental controls were introduced. In this review, we describe efficient production methods and environmental controls for Japanese Angelica root and ginseng, which are the natural resources for Kampo herbal medicines. Our research suggests that the domestic production of Kampo herbal medicines from cultivation to utilization will be significant in the future and will form an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

Chinese medicinal authentication is the first and most fundamental step for standardizing Chinese medicinals for global markets and research. Many issues related to authentication have remained unresolved since ancient times. Determining the authenticity and quality of Chinese medicinals remains as much a frontier as it is an essential science in guaranteeing the safety and efficacy of Chinese medicinals in clinical use. In this review, a path of inheritance and innovation of macro-/microscopic identification techniques is explored, featuring the establishment of the dynamic Chinese medicinal database and the research Centre for Standardization of Chinese Medicines (CSCM).

Scientific names of original plants of crude drugs in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP) are often different from those used for the same species in plant taxonomy. In JP, author names of basionyms are deleted and sir names of authors are written in full spell. A table showing the difference between the two styles of scientific names are shown. Also in JP, plant family names follow Engler’s system. Recently classification system of Angiosperms based on molecular phylogeny is given by APG. It is desired that JP should follow plant classification system by APG in the near future.