Boesenbergia isanensis Saensouk & P. Saensouk, sp. nov. (Zingiberaceae) is described from northeastern Thailand. Description, photograph, illustration, vernacular name, distribution, ecology, uses and phenology of this species are provided.

We found a small population of Malus (Rosaceae) in Nakatsu City, Oita Pref. Based on the comparison of morphology and distribution with related species as well as cultivated trees of Malus hupehensis (Pamp.) Rehder derived from its former habitat in Kumamoto Pref., we identified the population of Nakatsu City as M. hupehensis. This is the only extant population of this species in Japan. Genetic polymorphism in microsatellite loci was recognized neither from this population nor that of Kumamoto Pref. This result suggests genetic vulnerability of the remaining population in Japan.

The systematic position of Desmodium craibii H. Ohashi (Leguminosae/Fabaceae), originally described as Murtonia kerrii Craib endemic to Thailand, has been problematic. To solve the problem, the chloroplast DNA and nuclear DNA of the species were examined by phylogenetic methods. New and robust phylogenetic trees of tribe Desmodieae are presented incorporating the DNA data of D. craibii. The species forms a distinct clade among the genera of tribe Desmodieae in the phylogenetic trees. The clade is sister to the clade composed of Desmodiopsis-Oxytes subclade and Desmodium subclade in the cpDNA tree. In the nrDNA tree it forms a separate clade with the Daprainia kingiana clade, which is sister to the clade consisted of the Desmodiopsis-Oxytes subclade and Desmodium subclade. Desmodium craibii is, therefore, returned to Murtonia, as M. kerrii Craib. The genus is supported morphologically in having small lateral branches at the axils of leaves bearing an inflorescence and stipular bracts with scales at nodes on inflorescence axis.

A new species Arisaema kayahense J. Murata is described from Kayah State, eastern Myanmar. This species was growing sideway from crevices of steep limestone rock under evergreen forests at about 1400 m elevation.

In Daisen-shi, Akita Pref., northern Tohoku, Honshu, Japan, we found a putative natural hybrid between Isodon japonicus (Burm. f.) H. Hara and I. trichocarpus (Maxim.) Kudô (Lamiaceae). This plant is similar to the putative parental species in characters of stems and leaves, but is intermediate in various characters such as shape and color of corolla, shape of fruiting calyx and hairiness of nutlets.This plant differs from I. japonicus by the acute calyx lobes and short hairs on the apex of the nutlet, and from I. trichocarpus by the stamens and style usually exserted from the corolla. From these facts, we concluded that this plant is a hybrid between I. japonicus and I. trichocarpus which has not been reported previously. We named this hybrid Isodon ×akitaensis Fujiw., Yu. Abe & Y. Matsuda, and Michinoku-hikiokoshi as a Japanese name. We provided the distribution maps of the hybrid and the putative parental species in northern Tohoku.

The type locality “Hakone” in Maximowicz’s protologue of Carex scita Maxim. (Cyperaceae) has been puzzling for Japanese botanists as the species has not been collected from Mt. Hakone until now. Based on circumstantial evidence, the type locality “Hakone” for C. scita should not be accepted unquestioningly. Shinano Province [= Nagano Pref.] is a more likely type locality for this species. The type locality and collection year of Carex plocamostyla Maxim. described in the same paper are also uncertain and should be clarified in the future.

Zingiber flavofusiforme M. M. Aung & Nob. Tanaka (Zingiberaceae), is reported here for the first time from India. A detailed description based on the new specimens along with photographs of diagnostic features is provided.

Lectotypes have been designated for Gentiana recurvata C. B. Clarke, G. sikkimensis C. B. Clarke and G. stylophora C. B. Clarke. The choice of lectotypes are discussed and photograph of each type has also been provided.

We found that the sheet TNS111013 that has been treated as the holotype of Lecanorchis kiusiana Tuyama (Orchidaceae) comprises more than one gathering and even more than one taxon. The fruiting individual on the left side of the sheet, with larger habit, distinctly longer capsules and thicker stems, can be identified as L. japonica Blume. Therefore, the fruiting individual are excluded from the type material. The flowering stalks and dissected flowers on the sheet also do not belong to the gathering that Tuyama (1955) cited as the type, since they were collected on a different date. Nonetheless, since the figures and description of floral parts in the protologue are based on the specimen of flowering plants and dissected flowers, flowering plants and dissected flowers could be considered as paratypes. Consequently, the center- and right-hand fruiting individuals on the sheet TNS111013 should be designated as the holotype.

As a result of our expeditions to Myanmar, we report five new records of Leguminosae for Flora of Myanmar, viz., two native taxa, Crotalaria medicaginea Lam. var. luxurians (Benth.) Baker and Stylosanthes fruticosa (Retz.) Alston, and three naturalized taxa, Aeschynomene americana L., Macroptilium atropurpureum (Moc. & Sessé ex DC.) Urb. and S. humilis Kunth. Macroptilium (Benth.) Urb. and Stylosanthes Sw. are new generic records. They are reported with their morphological descriptions, ecological notes and photos.

Two new forms of Rubus (Rosaceae) are described from Japan. They are R. palmatus Thunb. f. satoryui Naruh. & Yu. Abe from Akita Pref. and R. parvifolius L. f. enomotoi Naruh. from Okayama Pref.