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Pugionium (Brassicaceae) is a small genus that occurs in central Asian deserts. The interspecific delimitation and taxonomic treatments of this genus are disputed and its phylogenetic origin remains unknown. In the present study, we examined these issues based on morphological and molecular data obtained for the first time. We used statistical methods to examine inter- and intraspecific morphological variations. The results suggest that only two species, namely P. dolabratum and P. cornutum, can be warranted for all examined populations and specimens, whereas three species (P. calcaratum, P. cristatum, and P. pterocarpum) should be incorporated into P. dolabratum. This delimitation was further supported by the molecular data: all populations of P. dolabratum, P. calcaratum, P. cristatum, and P. pterocarpum shared the same internal transcribed spacer genotype, whereas those from P. cornutum had another type. Phylogenetic analyses of Pugionium and representative genera of Brassicaceae based on ndhF sequences suggest that this genus is sister to the genus Megacarpaea, which, together, comprise a well-supported lineage with Farsetia, Lobularia, Iberis, and Ionopsidium, whereas the two other genera that were previously suggested to be closely related to this genus (Isatis and Bunias) were placed in the other lineages. We further discuss the origin of Pugionium and suggest that it probably originated in central Asia when the climate became drier from the late Miocene.

The third series of “Floristische Notities” contains, with a few exceptions, additions to the flora of the Netherlands from the years 1955 and 1956. No. 52 of this series is written by Dr. A. G. de Wilde, Sassenheim, no. 57 by Mr. E. W. Clason, Groningen. The series contains the following notes: 35, 44, 45, 46, 51, and 56. Amaranthus polygonoides L., Psoralea americana L., Trifolium cernuum Brot., Trifolium rubens L., Gilia multicaulis Benth. var. peduncularis (Eastw.) Jepson, and Verbesina encelioides (Cav.) Benth. & Hook. var. encelioides. First records of these aliens for the Netherlands, found in various localities; the numbers 35 and 45 near wool factories at Tilburg. 36, A specimen of Caltha palustris L. with flowers of the size of those of Ranunculus acris L. could possibly belong to var. ranunculiflora Schur. 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 47,'and 49T ' Didesmus bipinnatus (Desf.) DC., Diplotaxis erucoides (L.) DC., Iberis parviflora Munby, Lebidium draba L. subsp. chalebense (L.) Thell. var. auriculatum (Boiss.) Thelh, Malthiola cf. oxyceras DC., Sisymbrium septulatum DC., Hippocrepis unisiliquosa L., Trigonella caelesyriaca Boiss., and Pimpinella puberula (DC.) Boiss. First records of these aliens for the Netherlands; all found along the river Meuse in the province of Limburg, near Obbicht, Grevenbicht and Meers, together with a large number of other adventitious species. It is not unlikely that diaspores of them at least partly have come from the wool factories along the Vesdre in Belgium. 48. Specimens of Oenanthe aquatica (L.) Poir. with purple flowers from the coast of the former Zuyderzee (IJselmeer). Possibly an autumnal form. 50. Cuscuta australis R.Br. found for the first time in the Netherlands, on Polygonum bungeanum Turcz. Earlier records of the species for this country appeared to refer to Cuscuta campestris Yuncker, as Van Ooststroom pointed out in Ned. Kruidk. Arch. 52, 1942, p. 165. The present authors do not agree with Hjelmqvist’s view that the greater part of the Netherlands specimens of C. campestris — 0 r r , . should belong to C. australis R.Br. var. cesatiana (Bert.) Yuncker. They are of the opinion that the Swedish findings, mentioned by Fljelmqvist as belonging to this variety, fall within the variability of C. campestris, , as do the plants that according to Hjelmqvist have been introduced in Sweden from Holland. Differential characters are given between C. australis and C. campestris. 52. Euphrasia borealis Townsend (by A. G. de Wilde). First record for the Netherlands. Discussion of differences between this species and E. brevipila Burnat & Gremli, E. stricta Host and E. suecica Murb. & Wettst. 53 and 54. Verbascum nigrum L. var. gymnostemon Rchb. and Anthemis cotula L. f. discoidea Baguet. First records for the Netherlands. 55. Tragopogon dubius Scop., a native of South and Central Europe was twice found in the southern part of the Netherlands. It seems not unlikely that this species will soon become naturalized with us. 57. Potamogeton X decipiens Nolle ex Koch (by E. W. Clason). First record for the Netherlands of this hybrid the putative parents of which are P. lucens L. and P. praelongus Wulf. 58. A number of plants escaped from cultivation.

SOLANACEAE WAS the first family in which the genetics of self-incompatibility was properly understood. The oppositional or personate system of self-incompatibility was first described, with substantiating data, by East and Mangelsdorf (1925) for Nicotiana species. Later, work on different species of Petunia (Harland and Atteck, 1933) and Solanuim (Pal and Pushkarnath, 1942) also revealed the same oppositional system of self-incompatibility. Similarily in the families in which more than one genus was investigated, the same system was found operating in the different genera of the same family (e. g.; in the genera Antirrhinum, Nemesia and Veronica of the Scrophulariaceae). From these observations in one or a few genera of each family, various authors concluded that only one system of self-incompatibility was prevalent in one family. The discovery of a new system of selfincompatibility in three genera of Compositae (Parthenium-Gerstel 1950; Crepis-Houghes and Babcock 1950, and Cosmos-Crowe 1954a) and Cruciferae (Iberis, Brassica and Raphanus-Bateman 1955) strengthened this belief. The recent findings of another system of self-incompatibility in the 3 genera investigated (Secale cereale-Lundquist 1954; Festuca pratensis-Lundquist 1955; Phalaris coerulescens-Hayman 1956) in the family Gramineae also seems to confirm this. However, the latest discovery in Trifolium uniflorum (Pandey 1957a) of a new S locus which is non-allelic to the S genes found in other Trifolium species suggests that there may be important deviations from the system in the same family. Menzel (1951), working with a number of Physalis species (Solanaceae), found no evidence of self-incompatibility. However, she reported that J-,gged flowers of P. ixocarpa Brot. (= P. aeguata Ja.q. and P. capscicifolia Rydb.) and P. viscosa did not set fruit, whereas a number of other species set abundant fruits with normal or near normal number of seeds under the same conditions. Preliminarv selfing experiments with a few plants of P. ixocarpa grown in the greenhouse in the summer of 1955 revealed that this species is highly self-incompatible. A study of the genetics of self