Desmodium and Oxytes of Oceania were examined by molecular phylogenetic analyses together with morphological characteristics for construction of a new classification of the Desmodium group of Leguminosae tribe Desmodieae. New robust phylogenetic trees of tribe Desmodieae including the Oceanian species are presented based on chloroplast and nuclear ribosomal datasets. Four species from a polyphyletic Desmodium of Oceania were transferred to Maekawaea or Oxytes: Maekawaea H. Ohashi & K. Ohashi, gen. nov. with M. macrocarpa (Domin) H. Ohashi & K. Ohashi, comb. nov., M. rhytidophylla (F. Muell. Ex Benth.) H. Ohashi & K. Ohashi, comb. nov. and M. tenax (Schindl.) H. Ohashi & K. Ohashi, comb. nov. and Oxytes kaalensis (Guillaumin) H. Ohashi & K. Ohashi, comb. nov. Oxytes was confirmed its generic status with new molecular evidence of O. brachypoda, O. deplanchei and O. kaalensis.

The Ogasawara Islands are oceanic islands that harbor a unique flora with many endemic taxa. Four endemic species of Pittosporum inhabit the islands: P. boninense Koidz., P. beecheyi Tuyama, P. chichijimense Nakai ex Tuyama, and P. parvifolium Hayata. Each species has been considered to have rapidly diverged within the islands. To investigate this issue, we assessed the phylogenetic relationships among 55 species of Pittosporum, including the four Ogasawara endemics and their close relatives occurring in Japan and other countries, based on nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. The four endemics formed a robust monophyletic group, and their sister groups in East Asia consist of P. tobira (Thunb.) W. T. Aiton, P. illicioides Makino, and P. glabratum Lindl. ITS sequence differentiation among the four endemics was quite low. These findings suggest their recent and rapid speciation, derived from a single ancestor.

Hirsutiarum hirsutum (S. Y. Hu) J. Murata & Ohi-Toma (Araceae) is reported from the Karen Hills in eastern Myanmar as a new record of the genus and species for Myanmar. This species is characteristic in having a completely pedate leaf whose lateral leaflets are folded downwards in parallel (Arisaema type aestivation) and shoot organization of stem type A reported by Sriboonma et al. (1994). In the species of Sauromatum s.l. recognized by Cusimano et al. (2010), the completely pedate leaf and stem type A are also shared in four species, Sauromatum brevipilosum (Hett. & Sizemore) Cusimano & Hett., S. tentaculatum (Hett.) Cusimano & Hett., S. meghalayense D. K. Roy, Talukdar, B. K. Sinha & Dutta Choud. and S. nangkarense A. Nangkar & H. Tag. In considering these morphological distinction and molecular phylogeny by Cusimano et al. (2010) and Ohi-Toma et al. (2010), Hirsutiarum is recircumscribed with the following five species and necessary new combinations are made: Hirsutiarum brevipilosum (Hett. & Sizemore) J. Murata & Ohi-Toma, H. hirsutum (S. Y. Hu) J. Murata & Ohi-Toma, H. meghalayense (D. K. Roy, Talukdar, B. K. Sinha & Dutta Choud.) J. Murata & Ohi-Toma, comb. nov., H. nangkarense (A. Nangkar & H. Tag) J. Murata & Ohi-Toma, comb. nov. and H. tentaculatum (Hett.) J. Murata & Ohi-Toma, comb. nov.

Tabularia sinensis Y. Cao & al. (Fragilariaceae), described from the inland Poyang Lake in China, was found in Fukuoka and Okinawa Prefectures for the first time in Japan and the structure of the cingulum was described for the first time. The cingulum is composed of a plain valvocopula and four bands with a row of areola. Tabularia sinensis was classified into group II of genus Tabularia, which has cribra with heavily silicified cross-members and several copulae.

Lasiococca comberi Haines (Euphorbiaceae) is reported as a new generic and specific record of Euphorbiaceae for the flora of Lao PDR. Description and photographs are provided.

Leptopus australis (Zoll. & Moritzi) Pojark. (Phyllanthaceae) is reported here as a new record of a genus and a species for the flora of Lao PDR. Distribution and illustrations of the new record are provided.

Hegemone micrantha (C. Winkl. & Komarov) Butkov (Ranunculaceae) is reported from Nepal and China (Xizang) for the first time. This is also the first record of the genus from Nepal. The specimen collected in China (Xizang) is the easternmost occurrence of this species.

Dinckleria singularis (Schiffn.) M. A. M. Renner, Schäf.-Verw. & Heinrichs, a species so far known from Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan, Australia, and Vanuatu, is added to the Indian liverwort flora from Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Himalaya. This also constitutes the first Indian record of the genus Dinckleria Trevis., which differs from other genera of the family Plagiochilaceae in the presence of papillae on the leaf-cell surfaces. A detailed description of Dinckleria singularis is provided, and an illustration based on the Indian plants.

Loranthus tanakae Franch. & Sav. (Loranthaceae) is recorded from Hokkaido, Japan for the first time. This new locality was found in deciduous broad-leaved forest at Sōbetsu-cho, along the south shore of Lake Tōya, southwest Hokkaido. The individuals were parasitic to only a single tree of Ulmus davidiana Planch. var. japonica (Rehder) Nakai. The discovery of this new locality revealed the new northern limit of its distribution in Japan.

The Botanical Survey of India (BSI) held its fourth Botanical Nomenclature Course on 27–31 January 2020 at BSI-Eastern Regional Centre (BSI-ERC), Shillong. The course drew 66 participants from across the country, including 45 from outside BSI (Fig. 1A). Ashiho A. Mao, director of BSI, was the convener of the course; P. Lakshminarasimhan, ex-joint director of BSI, and Nripemo Odyuo, head, BSI-ERC, served as the coordinator and facilitator, respectively. Kanchi N. Gandhi served as the course director. Prior to the commencement of the course, there was an Inaugural Function, anchored by Chaya Deori (BSI-ERC). Odyuo gave a welcome speech, followed by remarks from Lakshminarasimhan, Gandhi, and chief guest Mao. Rajalakshmi Prasad and Anupama Jayasimha (Gandhi’s biographers and former students at National College, Bengaluru) were the guests of honor. Gandhi began the course with a historical review of botanical nomenclature (Fig. 1B). He provided a detailed review of the Shenzhen Code and discussed the Code Articles, with special emphasis on correct names and solving nomenclatural problems of the participants. Each day ended with an interactive discussion with the participants (Fig. 1C).

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