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China has an exceptional diversity in Begonia, holding the second largest number of described species in this genus at the national level. Many new taxa need to be explored and described. This paper reports two new species, Begonia ruchengensis (B. sect. Reichenheimia) and B. auritalata (B. sect. Platycentrum), from Hunan province and Guizhou province, respectively. Besides the detailed morphology description, color illustrations, and line drawings, the diagnoses of these two species distinguished from their allied taxa are provided. Their conservation statuses are evaluated according to The Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stachys yingzuijieensis, a new species from western Hunan, China, is described and illustrated. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on three nuclear ribosomal DNA loci (ETS, ITS and 5S-NTS) recovered S. yingzuijieensis within the Stachys clade and as a sister group of S. arrecta. The two species can be easily distinguished by the morphology of lamina, corolla and nutlet. A key to all species of Stachydeae from China is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiradiclis liboensis L. Wu & W. J. Liu, a new species in tribe Ophiorrhizeae of Rubiaceae from limestone mountain areas of Guizhou, south-western China, is described and illustrated. It is similar to S. guangdongensis and S. jingxiensis, but differs from the latter two by the following traits: stipule triangular, inflorescence sessile or with peduncle up to 0.5 mm long, pedicel 0.8-2.2 mm long, corolla white, salverform, corolla tube 1.6-2.2 cm long, corolla tube of long-styled morph inside with a villous ring and stigmas positioned at the throat of the corolla tube. The conservation status is assessed as "Vulnerable" (VU) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Rubiaceae, Spiradiclis detianensis is described from a limestone karst area of southwestern China. This new species is morphologically similar to S. cordata and S. spathulata. All of them have rosetted habit and long peduncles, but it differs from the former by the cuneate leaf bases (vs. basally cordate) and much longer corolla tubes (1.8-2.2 cm long vs. ca. 5 mm long), and from the latter mainly by its tubular-funnel shaped corolla (vs. slenderly salver shaped), 4.5-6.8 (vs. 1.5-2) mm in diam, inside throat and corolla densely puberulent (vs. glabrous except a ring of long hairs at the middle). It also resembles to S. tubiflora, but differs clearly by its subrosulate habit (vs. procumbent to creeping), longer leaf blades (7.0-10.5 cm vs. 0.5-2.5 cm) and longer corolla tubes (18-22 mm vs. 14-16 mm). At same time, color photos, illustrations, detailed descriptions and conservation status of the new species are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiradiclis tubiflora, a new Rubiaceae species, is described from a limestone area of southern China. It is similar to Spiradiclis glandulosa and S. umbelliformis, but differs from the latter two in its linear stipule, short peduncle and tubular-funnelform corolla with a distinctively enlarged tube. The colour photograph, illustrations, detailed descriptions and conservation status of the new species are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiradiclis karstana, a new species of Spiradiclis (Rubiaceae) collected from Yunnan, China, is described for the first time. It is morphologically close to S. jingxiensis, but differs from the latter mainly by its inflorescences with 5-9 flowers, its 1.5-2.4 mm long peduncles, its stipules shorter than 1 mm and the 5-12 pairs of secondary veins. The conservation status is assessed as "Vulnerable" (VU) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]