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Pteropyrum is a small genus of Polygonaceae with four species from the arid regions of Iran and adjacent countries. Pteropyrum spp. are not precisely delimitated and are difficult to identify because of their high plasticity in morphological characters. Pteropyrum (C3) has a close affinity to Calligonum (C4) and is therefore a suitable case for C4 evolutionary studies. We investigated the morphology and micromorphology (including pollen morphology) of Pteropyrum and elucidated the phylogenetic relationships with Atraphaxis and Calligonum using nuclear ITS sequences. Characteristics of the photosynthetic tissues such as volume and number of layers of primary carbon assimilation tissues (PCA) and photosynthetic carbon reduction tissue (PCR) were studied. In addition, the leaf and cotyledon anatomical characters of Pteropyrum (C3), Atraphaxis (C3) and Calligonum (C4), and their δ 13C values were compared to look for evolutionary changes in assimilating organs. The molecular phylogenetic tree identifies two strongly supported clades in Pteropyrum and its close relationship with Calligonum, confirming previous studies. Some morphologically similar species belong to different clades, which is probably due to convergent evolution and homoplasy. Leaf anatomical studies show that Atraphaxis has a multilayered mesophyll tissue, whereas Calligonum has one-layered mesophyll cells. The volume and layer number of mesophyll tissue cells decreases, whereas water storage tissue area significantly increases from Atraphaxis to Pteropyrum and Calligonum. This phenomenon confirms previous studies in other lineages with C4 salsoloid anatomy that have evolved through increasing of water storage tissue and succulence of assimilating organs. In the taxonomic part of the paper, a key to identification of accepted taxa of Pteropyrum, description of species and distribution maps are presented based on numerous herbarium specimens and our own rich collections from the field. Four new species are described based on a combination of morphology of seedlings and mature plants, pollen morphology and molecular data. A subspecific classification is suggested to show morpho-geographical variation of Pteropyrum aucheri s.l.

The ongoing paradigm shift in taxonomy from individual contributions to a truly collaborative and forward-looking endeavour results in a number of challenges related to distributed data management. Examination of physical specimens remains a key task, but searching for specimen data, literature, and name information is now mostly done online. In the past, these research steps involved many physical visits to collections and libraries. Although these infrastructures were and are still freely accessible and supportive for research carried out by individuals, the amount of characters, specimens, and the complexity of current analytical approaches limit what can be achieved by individual workers. Monographing is challenged because: larger genera remain unstudied and become fragmented in regional treatments; long-term availability of detailed (unpublished) primary research data is often not addressed; cross-disciplinary interoperability and open data principles are needed; and highly specialised techniques used in phylogenetic and genomic analyses require teamwork by specialists. larger genera remain unstudied and become fragmented in regional treatments; long-term availability of detailed (unpublished) primary research data is often not addressed; cross-disciplinary interoperability and open data principles are needed; and highly specialised techniques used in phylogenetic and genomic analyses require teamwork by specialists. The process towards generating truly community-based integrative dynamic taxonomic treatments is ongoing. In botany, specialist communities and networks have formed for certain plant groups, for example in the families Solanaceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, Melastomataceae-Miconieae, Asteraceae-Cichorieae, and in the order Caryophyllales. Their common aim is to create sustainable information systems according to the FAIR principles, making the information Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. At the same time, the information system is meant to support and document ongoing taxonomic research as an iterative process with tracking of changes, and backlinks to original data sources. This represents a big step forward with respect to the efficiency of the entire field of taxonomy. The Global Caryophyllales Initiative aims at creating a global synthesis of species diversity in this group (Borsch et al. 2015) encompassing about 12,500 species in more than 30 families or about 6% of flowering plants (Fig. 1). Caryophyllales include ecologically diverse, economically important, invasive, and threatened species. The Caryophyllales Network was initiated in 2011 and unites specialists from across the world (to date, 150 scientists from 37 countries). The network is recognized by the World Flora Online (WFO) Council as its Taxonomic Expert Network for Caryophyllales. Advances by the network are presented in the open-access Caryophyllales Portal (http://caryophyllales.org/), aiming to provide up-to-date phylogenetic and taxonomic information. The systematic treatment is powered by the EDIT Platform for Cybertaxonomy (https://cybertaxonomy.eu/), with the generic checklist (http://caryophyllales.org/Checklist) and some family treatments already publicly available (e.g. Cactaceae). The checklist is regularly updated in consultation with family editors. A species-level taxonomic backbone incorporating all names and pertinent nomenclatural acts and evaluations is being compiled. A compilation of the Nepenthaceae (Berendsohn et al. 2018) served as a case study for the accommodation of descriptive and other factual data, and for demonstrating the feasibility of the workflow contributing to the WFO initiative. The taxonomic treatment of Iresine (Borsch et al. 2018) is another example. These studies are fundamental in establishing a general workflow for collaborative online monographs. Several challenges remain, inter alia the genomics perspective in biodiversity informatics, proper attribution and unique identification of taxonomic concepts, review and impact assessment of individual contributions, possibilities to simultaneously display contrasting taxonomical concepts and classifications, and engaging both the wider taxonomic community and the public. The ongoing implementation shows that a dynamic online monograph requires rethinking of editorial workflows. Based on experiences with the Caryophyllales network, the taxonomic and biodiversity informatics communities are ready to meet this challenge.

An account is given of the early reports of Limonium gmelini and the pre-Linnaean names attached to this extremely widespread plant. The uncertainties created by Carl Ludwig Willdenow when validating the name Statice gmelini are clarified and the earlier lectotypification of this name modified because the herbarium sheet cited has been found to represent more than one taxon. One of the elements is selected as the new lectotype and an epitype is designated. Sequences of one nuclear and three plastid markers have been submitted to GenBank. Citation: Malekmohammadi M., Lack H. W., Lomonosova M. & Akhani H. 2017: The discovery, naming and typification of Limonium gmelini (Plumbaginaceae). — Willdenowia 47: 99–106. doi: https://doi.org/10.3372/wi.47.47201 Version of record first published online on 17 May 2017 ahead of inclusion in August 2017 issue.

Oreosalsola, a non-C 4 lineage is described as a new genus segregated from Salsola s.l. (Chenopodiaceae). The phylogenetic position and anatomical structure of the new genus in relation to photosynthetic types are discussed. Anabasis firouzii (Chenopodiaceae) and Salvia shahkuhmahalei (Lamiaceae) are described from Golestan National Park (GNP) and Ghorkhod Protected Area (GPA), NE Iran. The new Anabasis is a C 4 plant according to its Salsoloid Kranz anatomy and carbon isotope composition. Anabasis firouzii grows on species-poor marl outcrops of Kopet Dagh Mountains in GNP and GPA. The phylogenetic relationship of the new species is discussed using ITS sequence data. The position of Anabasis setifera within the genus Anabasis (not Salsola ) is confirmed by updated molecular data. Salvia shahkuhmahalei is closely related to S. rhytidea that is native of Afghanistan and S Iran. Salsola iljinii is transferred to Caroxylon following a new phylogenetic concept of Salsoleae. Seseli tortusosum subsp. kiabii (Apiaceae) is elevated to the species level, which is justified by the recent knowledge. The new species are illustrated; their habitat, plant communities, associated species, threat categories and phytogeographic importance are discussed.