Search

Stemodia verticillata (Mill.) Hassl. (Scrophulariaceae) was found in the lowlands of northern Taiwan. This represents a new naturalization not only for this species but also for the genus on this island. A taxonomic account of S. verticillata is treated in this study. A line-drawing, distribution map and photographs of this species are also provided to aid in identification.

The first collection of Quercus aliena Blume var. acutiserrata Maxim. Ex Wenz. In Taiwan was made by Y. Shimada in 1924 from Hongmao. Since then, no other specimen had ever been collected. Recently, this species was rediscovered from Fengshan (3 km south of Hongmao) in Hsinchu County. On closer studies it was found to be the typical variety of Q. aliena Blume rather than the name recognized by Shimada. The population of Q. aliena is quite small at that limited location, and is vulnerable to human impacts. Therefore, it is necessary to take steps to conserve the habitat as soon as possible. The taxonomic treatment, morphological descriptions, photographs and notes of the species are given here. A key to distinguish it from the other three closely related Taiwanese species is also provided.

We report a species, Cissus elongata Roxb. which was collected from center and northern Taiwan. Cissus elongata is easily distinguished by the presence of five leaflets compared to the simple leaf in the other species of Taiwan. The populations from Hsinchu represents the northern distribution limit of C. elongata, which was previously known with the distributional range from Mainland China, Vietnam, India, Bhutan and Sikkim.