Veronica ornata（Plantaginaceae）, a perennial herb endemic to Japan, is listed as a threatened species at the national and prefectural levels and requires effective habitat conservation efforts across its range.　This study investigated the topography and vegetation of habitats of V. ornata in the Tango Sand Dunes, Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan.　Six survey lines were placed from the seashore to the inland sides of the dune, and topographic surveys were conducted along these lines.　A total of 127 plots, each 1 m × 4 m in size, were set along the lines, and a vegetation survey was conducted.　The topography of the surveyed area was classified into three types: gentle slope, coastal terrace slope, and coastal terrace ridge, arranged from the seashore to the inland sides of the dune.　Veronica ornata was significantly more common on coastal terrace slopes than elsewhere.　The vegetation of this topographic type is characterized by a high occurrence of inland (non-coastal) perennial species.　In contrast, the vegetation of the gentle slope-type is characterized by the presence of coastal beach dune species such as Calystegia soldanella, Leymus mollis, and Vitex rotundifolia.　The coastal terrace ridge-type vegetation is characterized by the abundant growth of inland trees and lianas, such as Neolitsea sericea, Celtis sinensis, Hedera rhombea, and Cocculus trilobus.　Sand movement on the gentle slope and reduced light availability on the coastal terrace ridge may restrict the establishment of V. ornata.　The conservation of V. ornata in the Tango Sand Dunes requires monitoring of its population and habitat status, with emphasis on the coastal environment.

Vegetation management in abandoned coppice forests is important for nature conservation in suburban areas.　We clarified the relationships between species composition, surface geology, and microtopography in a conservation area located in the hilly area of western Tokyo, where a summer-green coppice forest that has been abandoned for >50 years coexists with artificial forests of Chamaecyparis obtusa and Cryptomeria japonica.　The Quercus serrata-dominated coppice forests were identified as a Castaneo-Quercetum serratae association and divided into four sub-units.　In the Quercus forests, where periodic logging had ceased, differences in species composition according to surface geology and microtopography were maintained.　The subunits characterized by summer-green woody plants indicating dry soil conditions, summer-green herbaceous plants indicating wet soil conditions, and dwarf bamboo （Pleioblastus chino） were distributed on ridges, along valleys, and in areas with residual loam on the surface, respectively.　The floristic composition of the Chamaecyparis plantation forests overlapped with that of secondary Quercus forests.　In contrast, the Cryptomeria plantation forests, which were established on the talus and valley floors in the conglomerate area, had a species-rich subunit that harbored ferns and orchids different from Quercus forests.　The uniqueness of the component species of the Cryptomeria plantation along the valleys greatly contributed to plant species richness throughout the conservation area.　In both secondary and plantation forests, Eurya japonica, an evergreen shrubs species, often dominated the shrub layer.　E. japonica coverage was negatively correlated with the species richness in the herb and shrub layers of the forests.　The effect was stronger on summer-green plants than on evergreen plants.　Therefore, an increase in E. japonica promoted succession to evergreen forests as well as homogenized the variation in species composition along the topographical gradient.　These results showed that differences in species composition that correspond to surface geology and microtopography, and the species richness of Cryptomeria plantation forests along the valleys should be considered to conserve secondary vegetation in hilly areas.　Additionally, to prevent species composition homogenization, removal of E. japonica from the shrub layer is required.

Several semi-natural grasslands used for agricultural purposes have been abandoned due to changes in the agricultural systems in Japan. The conservation and restoration of species-rich semi-natural grasslands are major objectives for maintaining floristic diversity in Japan. Hay transfer is considered an useful method for enhancing species richness in grasslands, and has been applied in various cases for the restoration of meadows and fens in Europe. However, examples of hay transfer for grassland restoration remain scarce in Japan. In this study, we aimed at introducing an experimental hay transfer practice and assess its efficacy in target plant species introduction into river embankment grasslands. Our study site was located on a bank along the Tama River in the western part of Tokyo, central Japan. The donor grassland was species-rich and contained several threatened species such as Lysimachia barystachys and Vincetoxicum pycnostelma. The dominant grassland species were Miscanthus sinensis and Imperata cylindrica. Since 2006, hay transfer has been continued at the recipient site near the donor site every autumn for 3 years. We monitored the change in species composition and dominance every year until 2009 using 64 of 2-m square quadrats in the recipient site and 16 quadrats of the same size at the control site without hay transfer management. We identified newly established native semi-grassland species, such as Vicia unijuga, Thalictrum minus var. hypoleucum and Adenophora triphylla var. japonica. As the long-distance dispersal ability of these species is not paticulary high, we supposed that the individuals in the recipient site originated from the seeds brought with the hay. We observed no seedlings of threatened species. Our results suggest that hay transfer is a useful method for semi-natural grassland restoration in Japan. We recommend the use of this method in other restoration practices of semi-natural grasslands.

Veronica ornata Monjuschko （Plantaginaceae）, a perennial herb endemic to Japan, is listed as a threatened species at the national and prefectural levels and requires effective habitat conservation efforts across its range.　In this study, we conducted a bagging experiment on inflorescences to assess V. ornata fruiting characteristics and self-compatibility and performed seed germination tests to clarify its germination characteristics in terms of light conditions and temperature.　The indoor bagging experiment showed that fruit set did not occur when pollinators were excluded, nor did it occur during geitonogamous pollination using pollen from the same individual, suggesting that V. ornata is self-incompatible.　The outdoor bagging experiment also demonstrated that both the proportion of fruiting inflorescences and fruiting rate per inflorescence were significantly lower in the bagged treatment than in the unbagged treatment.　In the germination tests, the final germination rate tended to be higher under alternating light/dark conditions than under continuous darkness, indicating that V. ornata seeds require light for germination and may form a soil seed bank when buried.　In addition, V. ornata seeds exhibited a final germination rate of 81% under alternating light/dark conditions without pretreatment, indicating that the seeds did not undergo primary dormancy.　This suggests that V. ornata seeds germinate soon after dispersal during autumn and before overwintering when dispersed in sunny places.

Native riparian forests along the mainstem of the Ina River, one of the largest native habitats for the endangered willow Salix hukaoana in Japan, are threatened by the invasion and establishment of the non-native Robinia pseudoacacia.　We examined upstream-to-downstream trends in R. pseudoacacia distribution along the Ina River mainstem in relation to several riverine environmental characteristics （river width, density of river crossing structures, and changes in sediment deposition）, and considered which environmental characteristics might help mitigate the expansion of R. pseudoacacia.　We found that R. pseudoacacia was more abundant in the middle and upper reaches than in the lower reaches.　Coincidentally, the river was narrower, and the extent of newly created sand and gravel areas greater, in the middle and upper reaches than in the lower reaches.　These environmental factors may have contributed to the spread of R. pseudoacacia.　Accordingly, it is considered that management to maintain river width where floodplain extends may help in controlling the expansion of R. pseudoacacia along the mainstem of the Ina River.