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A taxonomic account of the genus Thyrsostachys for Thailand, where its two recognized species, T. oliveri and T. siamensis, are among the most economically important and widely planted native bamboos, is provided. A second-step lectotypification of the name Thyrsostachys oliveri is proposed and information on the natural distribution of the genus is also included.

Identifying a bamboo taxon from the Asian seasonal tropics is notoriously difficult, if not impossible, especially when the type material is lacking vegetative parts. This is due to the fact that old type material associated with the naming of bamboos often consists of only flowering branches and perhaps just a few leaves, and, as bamboos in the field are vegetative for prolonged periods prior to flowering, they are therefore not easily identifiable much of the time. Investigating one such bamboo, Neohouzeaua mekongensis, we show that previous flowering collections made during the seasonal dry (flowering) season could not have easily included key vegetative parts, such as the culm sheaths, which would have assisted in their recognition at other times. We trace this species back to its type localities and propose an epitype in order that its vegetative characteristics are made available to complement the floral characteristics of the original material.

Among the tropical woody bamboos, the Melocanninae is one of the most clearly recognized subtribes morphologically and has also been consistently well delimited in molecular phylogenetic work. The relationships among those genera in this subtribe, however, have been contentious because of poorly understood generic delimitations, in part due to poor specimen material or insufficiently assessed morphological traits, sometimes exacerbated by poorly accessible provenances. We address the phylogenetic and taxonomic status of two groups which together include the largest number of species in this subtribe: the Neohouzeaua-Schizostachyum complex, distributed from India to South China, Southeast Asia and southwest Pacific, and the endemic Indian genus Ochlandra. Three Neohouzeaua species (including the generic type), 12 Schizostachyum species (including the generic type and several species of uncertain placement), together with five species of Ochlandra and representatives of Cephalostachyum, Melocanna and Pseudostachyum were assessed in a molecular phylogenetic analysis together with members of other well-distinguished subtribes. Members of Neohouzeaua and Schizostachyum align into two main groups that were not completely well-supported statistically but which members possess mostly reflexed culm leaf blades, or mostly erect culm leaf blades. Other characters which provide obvious differences between taxa, such as the number of flowers in a pseudospikelet, fusion of filaments into a staminal tube, and presence of lodicules, were inconsistent between these groups. Neohouzeaua and Schizostachyum cannot be clearly distinguished in either morphological or molecular terms, and thus are united under the latter name, which takes precedence. In reviewing names in Neohouzeaua and their basionyms, several lectotypifications are designated. Three new combinations in Schizostachyum are proposed. On the other hand, Ochlandra forms a distinct clade and its monophyly is demonstrated, supported by clear morphological characters.

As part of a revision of Timonius in Borneo, the types of all relevant names were evaluated. Lectotypes are designated for 14 names in Timonius, including synonyms for accepted names. An erroneous original type citation is corrected and the nomenclatural history of a few names is clarified.

In the most recent revision of the genus Melastoma Linnaeus (1753: 389) across its entire distributional range, seven species were recognized for Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore (Meyer 2001). Our recent studies in Southeast Asian Melastoma have led us to re-examine some of the species defined in that account, including those recorded for Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore (Wong 2015, Wong 2016, Neo et al. 2017).

Canthium longipetalum Y.H.Tan & S.S.Zhou in Yang et al. (2019: 197) is a species of Rubiaceae recently described from northern Myanmar. This species was identified as belonging to the Vanguerieae tribe, and was placed provisionally in the genus Canthium Lamarck (1783: 602) based on morphological characters including the presence of axillary inflorescences, valvate corolla aestivation, two-locular ovaries, and a two-lobed stigma (Yang et al. 2019). However, the suite of characters cited by the authors to support the placement of their species in Canthium define an overly broad and now-superseded concept of the genus.

Societal Impact Statement Research and publication of the planet's remaining plant and fungal species as yet unknown to science is essential if we are to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 “Life on Land” which includes the protection of terrestrial ecosystems and halting of biodiversity loss. If species are not known to science, they cannot be assessed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and so the possibility to protect them from extinction is reduced. Furthermore, until species are known to science they cannot be fully scientifically evaluated for their potential as new foods, medicines, and products which would help address SDGs 1,2,3, and 8. Summary Scientific discovery, including naming new taxa, is important because without a scientific name, a species is invisible to science and the possibilities of researching its ecology, applications and threats, and conserving it, are greatly reduced. We review new scientific discoveries in the plant and fungal kingdoms, based largely on new names of taxa published in 2019 and indexed in the International Plant Names Index and Index Fungorum. Numbers of new species in both kingdoms were similar with 1942 new species of plant published and 1882 species of fungi. However, while >50% of plant species have likely been discovered, >90% of fungi remain unknown. This gulf likely explains the greater number of higher order taxa for fungi published in 2019: three classes, 18 orders, 48 families and 214 genera versus one new family and 87 new genera for plants. We compare the kingdoms in terms of rates of scientific discovery, globally and in different taxonomic groups and geographic areas, and with regard to the use of DNA in discovery. We review species new to science, especially those of interest to humanity as new products, and also by life‐form. We consider where future such discoveries can be expected. We recommend an urgent increase in investment in scientific discovery of plant and fungal species, while they still survive. Priorities include more investment in training taxonomists, in building and equipping collections‐based research centers for them, especially in species‐rich, income‐poor countries where the bulk of species as yet unknown to science are thought to occur.

Background Hydnophytum puffii Y.W.Low, Sugau & K.M.Wong, a linear-leaved epiphytic ant-plant is described as new from Borneo using morphological characters based on specimens preserved in the Sandaka

Evolutionary processes, speciation in woody bamboos are presently little understood. Here we used Dendrocalamus sinicus Chia & J.L. Sun as a model species to investigate dispersal or vicariance speciation in woody bamboos. Variation in three chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments and eight simple sequence repeat markers (SSR) among 232 individuals sampled from 18 populations across the known geographic range of D. sinicus was surveyed. D. sinicus populations exhibited a high level of genetic differentiation which divided them into two groups that are consistent with different culm types. Eleven haplotypes and two lineages (Straight-culm and Sinuous-culm lineages) were identified from phylogenetic analyses, and a strong phylogeographic structure across the distribution range was found. The demographic and spatial expansion times of the Straight-culm lineage were calculated as 11.3 Kya and 20.8 Kya, respectively. The populations of D. sinicus had experienced dispersal and long-term isolation, although this trace was diluted by contemporary gene flow revealed by SSR data. Our results provide an phylogeographic insight to better understand the speciation processes of woody bamboos.

Breeding system characteristics of woody bamboo species are still little known although this knowledge is important for research on genetic improvement and conservation of bamboo forests. The present study is the first report on variation in breeding system from mass and sporadically flowering bamboo populations. The results demonstrate that two Dendrocalamus species have a mixed mating system with self-compatibility, predominant outcrossing, and no agamospermy. Pollen limitation and scarcity of wild pollinators influence sexual reproduction in sporadically flowering populations of both species., An understanding of the breeding systems and pollination of agriculturally important plants is critical to germplasm improvement. Breeding system characteristics greatly influence the amount and spatial distribution of genetic variation within and amongst populations and influence the rarity and extinction vulnerability of plant species. Many woody bamboos have a long vegetative period (20–150 years) followed by gregarious monocarpy. Relatively, little is known about their pollination and breeding systems. We studied these characteristics in wild Dendrocalamus membranaceus populations and cultivated Dendrocalamus sinicus populations distributed in the Yunnan Province of China. Floral morphology, flower visitors and breeding system were studied from 2013 to 2015. Both bamboos were protogynous, but flowering periods of florets overlapped providing opportunities for self-pollination amongst florets, especially in D. membranaceus. There was no agamospermy in either species. Seed set of D. sinicus was low (0.42 ± 0.42 %) under natural pollination but higher (8.89 ± 2.55 %) after artificial xenogamy. Seed set of D. membranaceus was higher (7.49 ± 0.82 %) in mass flowering populations and 2.14 ± 0.25 % in sporadically flowering populations. The Asian honeybee Apis cerana could provide cross-pollination of D. membranaceus and D. sinicus, and flower visitation peaked at 1000–1200 h. Pollination limitation due to lack of pollinators or pollen was detected in the cultivated populations of D. sinicus and sporadically flowering populations of D. membranaceus. Pollination limitation was not obvious within mass flowering populations. Hand pollination could significantly increase seed set of these two bamboo species. Dendrocalamus membranaceus and D. sinicus were self-compatible and have a mixed-mating system with outcrossing being pre-dominant. Their seed production was limited by the quantity of pollen and pollinator activity. Honeybees were observed as effective pollinators.

International audience; In this study we investigate the large and diverse Rubiaceae-Gardenieae and closely related tribes Bertiereae, Coffeeae, Cremasporeae, Octotropideae, and Pavetteae. Some of the tribes or groups have been shown to be monophyletic and strongly supported, but the phylogeny of this large complex is still far from being satisfactorily elucidated particularly for Gardenieae, both in terms of intertribal relationships as well as tribal delimitations. We reconstruct the phylogeny of the complex using an extensive sampling of 108 genera and five plastid DNA regions. Phylogenetic relationships demonstrate that Gardenieae sensu Andreasen & Bremer is polyphyletic, as Burchellia, Didymosalpinx, Monosalpinx, and Mantalania are closer to Octotropideae-Cremasporeae. In addition, Pavetteae and the investigated members of Aulacocalyceae are nested in a supported but partially unresolved Gardenieae-Pavetteae clade. Within this clade, several strongly supported groups are resolved: an Aidia group, an Alibertia group, a Gardenia group, Pavetteae including Pelagodendron, a Porterandia group, a Randia group, a Rothmannia group (including Aulacocalyx and Heinsenia), a Sherbournia group, and the two isolated genera Massularia and Schumanniophyton. The latter genus presented a high rate of genetic substitutions, which resulted in perturbations of the phylogenetic reconstruction. A revised tribal circumscription is given for Gardenieae, the Alibertia group is recognized at tribal level as an emended Cordiereae, and a new tribe, Sherbournieae, is described to accommodate the members of the Sherbournia group.

The significance of leaf micromorphology in distinguishing species and higher taxa has been well established in several plant groups, but has not been well studied in Timonius. This deserves some attention because (1) leaves are most commonly represented in herbarium specimens; (2) leaf micromorphology may facilitate the recognition of male and female specimens of the same species in dioecious taxa with sexually dimorphic inflorescences and flowers, such as Timonius, and (3) silvery lower leaf lamina surfaces occur in several Timonius species. The micromorphology of the lower lamina surface of 12 Timonius species was examined using scanning electron microscopy to establish the taxonomic utility of lower lamina micromorphology and to investigate if species with silvery leaf undersides share similar leaf micromorphological traits. For all Timonius species examined, the leaf hairs are unbranched and non-glandular. Hair morphology and density were found to be uniform within species but vary substantially between species. The silvery leaved species are typically characterised by one or more of the following leaf traits—long hair length, high hair density, and the presence of lanate hairs. Nevertheless, different combinations of these three traits result in much leaf micromorphological diversity, enabling distinction among the silvery leaved species based on leaf hair characters.

Nine new species of Timonius (Rubiaceae) from Kinabalu Park are described: T. abanii , T. beamanii , T. bullatus , T. kinabaluensis , T. leopoldii , T. ophioliticus , T. pannosus , T. stenolobus , and T. tambuyukonensis . Of the nine species, six are likely to be endemic to the Kinabalu massif, and four appear to occur exclusively on ultramafic soils.

Background: Seed production, germination, and seedling survival are crucial processes during community masting events in dipterocarp-dominated rain forest in South-east Asia. Aims: We examine how these processes function in fragmented remnants of dipterocarp forest in Singapore. Methods: Fruits were captured in seed traps and seed fates on the ground were tracked up to 5 months after fruiting for four dipterocarp species during a masting event in 2014; camera traps under each tree recorded seed predators. Results: Long-tailed macaques were the major seed predators, claiming 34% of pre-dispersal seeds. Insect seed predation, primarily by moth larvae, played a relatively minor role, claiming only 9% of seed pre-dispersal and 0.7% post-dispersal. The mean proportion of seeds that escaped post-dispersal predation but failed to germinate was between 5% and 37% for the four species. Conclusions: The non-viability of dipterocarp seeds can be at least as great a concern for forest regeneration as the rate of vertebrate pre-dispersal predation.

The paleotropical woody bamboo subtribe Bambusinae has not been satisfactorily circumscribed and remains a major taxonomic problem. Genera such as Holttumochloa, Mullerochloa and Temburongia have not been confidently assigned to this subtribe. The phylogenetic relationships among genera hitherto placed in or near the Bambusinae, together with the related subtribes Racemobambosinae and Melocanninae, were investigated using three chloroplast DNA markers (rps16-trnQ, trnC-rpoB and trnD-T intergenic spacers) and a nuclear DNA marker (granule-bound starch synthase I, GBSSI) for a sample of 51 ingroup species and 2 outgroup species. Phylogenetic analyses revealed four distinct lineages among the members of the currently recognized Bambusinae: (1) the Bambusa-Dendrocalamus-Gigantochloa (BDG) complex, (2) the Holttumochloa-Kinabaluchloa clade, (3) the Dinochloa-Mullerochloa-Neololeba-Sphaerobambos (DMNS) clade and (4) Temburongia simplex. The BDG complex, which comprises the core of the Bambusinae, appears to have a complex evolutionary history as indicated by incongruence between the cpDNA and the nuclear gene topologies. Introgressive hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting are possible underlying causes for this complexity. The distinction of the climbing-scrambling bamboo lineages from the core Bambusinae and Racemobambosinae suggests directions for investigating the possible existence of further subtribes with increased taxon and geographical sampling. Possible biogeographic scenarios associated with the Holttumochloa-Kinabaluchloa clade and the DMNS clade are discussed.

We assessed the variability of chloroplast DNA sequences in populations of the dipterocarp forest tree, Shorea curtisii. This species is widely distributed in hill and coastal hill dipterocarp forests of the Malay Peninsula, whereas isolated populations are found in the coastal hills of north Borneo. Two chloroplast DNA regions (1555 bp of trnH-psbA-trnK and 925 bp of trnL-trnF) were sequenced from 123 individuals collected from six Malay Peninsula and two Bornean populations. There were 15 chloroplast haplotypes derived from 16 polymorphic sites. A haplotype network revealed two distinct haplogroups that correlate with two geographic regions, the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. These two haplogroups differed by a number of mutations, and no haplotypes were shared between populations from the different geographic regions. This suggests an ancient diversification of these haplogroups, and that long-distance seed dispersal was unlikely to have occurred during the Pleistocene when the Sunda Shelf was a contiguous landmass. Phylogenetic analysis of the haplotypes together with those found in other Shorea species showed that two haplogroups in S. curtisii appear in different positions of the phylogenetic tree. This could be explained by the persistence of ancestral polymorphisms or by ancient chloroplast capture. Low levels of genetic differentiation were found between populations within each geographic region. Signature of a bottleneck followed by demographic expansion was detected in the Malay Peninsula haplogroup. The presence of two distinct evolutionary lineages in the different regions suggests that they should be managed independently to conserve the major sources of genetic diversity in S. curtisii.

Many monotypic genera with unique apomorphic characters have been difficult to place in the morphology-based classifications of the coffee family (Rubiaceae). We rigorously assessed the subfamilial ...

Dendrocalamus giganteus Munro is a high-value woody bamboo widely grown in Southeast Asia and China’s Yunnan Province. We investigated its genetic diversity in Yunnan as a prelude to considering effective breeding programs and the protection of germplasm resources. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to assess the genetic structure and differentiation of seven populations. Seven ISSR primers generated 140 bands, of which 124 were polymorphic (88.57%). Genetic diversity within populations was relatively low, averaging 11.33% polymorphic bands (PPB), while diversity was considerably higher among populations, with PPB = 88.57%. Greater genetic differentiation was detected among populations (G ST = 0.8474). We grouped these seven populations into two clusters within an UPGMA dendrogram—one comprised the Xinping and Shiping populations from central Yunnan, the other included the remaining five populations. Mantel tests indicated no significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances among populations. Breeding system characteristics, genetic drift, and limited gene flow (N m = 0.0901) might be important factors for explaining this differentiation. Based on the overall high genetic diversity and differentiation among D. giganteus populations in Yunnan, we suggest the implementation of in situ conservation measures for all populations and sufficient sampling for ex situ conservation collections.

A new species, Urophyllum malayense (Rubiaceae) is described, endemic to the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore). It has resemblances to Urophyllum trifurcum but differs notably in the extent of inflorescence branching and flower size.

Phai Liang, a recent bamboo cultivar originating in Thailand and widely introduced to many parts of Malaysia and Singapore, has yet to be diagnosed scientifically. In this study, the partial nuclear Granule Bound Starch Synthase I (GBSSI) gene of Phai Liang was cloned and sequenced to investigate its hybrid origin. Its morphological characteristics were compared with those of its putative parental taxa. Based on both molecular and morphological evidence, Phai Liang is recognized as representing a new nothogenus and nothospecies, ×Thyrsocalamus liang. This circumscribes a hybridization complex with variable morphological characters which reflect different degrees of intergradation between the parental species, Dendrocalamus membranaceus and Thyrsostachys siamensis.

Phylogenetic relationships among core taxa of the paleotropical bamboo clade placed in subtribe Bambusinae, comprising Bambusa s.l. (including Bambusa s.str. and its subgenera Leleba and Lingnania) and its allies (including Dendrocalamopsis, Dendrocalamus,Gigantochloa, Melocalamus and Thyrsostachys), and with Neosinocalamus and Oxytenanthera, were examined by separate and combined cladistic analyses of the nuclear GBSSI gene and plastid psbA-trnH, rpl32-trnL and rps16 intron sequences using maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference analyses. The taxa were strongly supported as a monophyletic group, which represents subtribe Bambusinae. Melocalamus and Thyrsostachys were confirmed as good genera. In the combined analysis, Bambusa s.l. and Dendrocalamopsis formed one of two clades with reasonable support, and Dendrocalamus clustered with Gigantochloa, Neosinocalamus and Oxytenanthera in the other. The topology also identified several taxa that were misplaced in Bambusa or Dendrocalamus. Sinocalamus (currently a subgenus of Dendrocalamus) appeared to be heterogeneous and contained taxa allied to Bambusa or Dendrocalamus. Except for Oxytenanthera, the alliance of Bambusa and allies appeared well characterized by a broadly conical, solid and typically hairy ovary summit. The taxonomic significance of rachilla and floret characters, considered useful in distinguishing subsets of genera, remains uncertain.

WONG, K. M. & M.H. DIEP (2015). Bambusa gurgandii K. M. Wong & M. H. Diep (Poaceae, Bambusoideae), a new species of bamboo from Vietnam. Candollea 70: 211-218. In English, English abstract. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15553/c2015v702a6 Bambusa Schreb. (Poaceae, Bambusoideae) is a large and complex tropical and subtropical Asian genus that is currently being taxonomically remodeled through morphological and molecular phylogenetic approaches. The type and type alliance of the genus is, however, morphologically well distinguished. Preliminary documentation suggests there could be some 60-70 species of Bambusa in Vietnam, although confirmation requires more rigorous herbarium-based vouchering. A new species of bamboo belonging to the type alliance, Bambusa gurgandii K. M. Wong & M. H. Diep, is described, known only from cultivated specimens in Vietnam. It belongs to the group of unarmed Bambusa species including Bambusa burmanica Gamble, Bambusa farinacea K. M. Wong, Bambusa nutans Wall. ex Munro, Bambusa polymorpha Munro, Bambusa teres Buch.-Ham. ex Munro and Bambusa tulda Roxb. but is distinguished by details of the pseudospikelets and flowers.

Tree biodiversity data is presented for a 1-ha permanent study plot on a low slope position of the Kuala Belalong valley in Temburong District, Brunei, Borneo. This is the first study in the region to document the tree flora of a low slope. All trees � 5 cm at 1.3 m were mapped, measurements of dbh and height taken, and identified to species and morpho-species level. The total and relative values of each family for density, diversity, dominance and Importance Value Indices were calculated. A total of 1062 stems were recorded on the plot (1019 live, 43 dead) with a total of 278 species representing 110 genera in 49 families. The most ecologically significant family as determined by the Family Importance Value (FIV) was Euphorbiaceae with a value of 40 and the most significant species, using the Importance Value (IV), was morpho-species Fordia splendissima with an IV of 29. The total basal area of all living trees was 31.43 m 2 . Forest structure was marked by a few tall (>45 m) emergents, for example, Koompassia excelsa, Crypteronia griffithii and two species of the Dipterocarpaceae family, however, lower understorey and sub- canopy species dominated the plot with the average height of all individuals over the hectare being 11 m.

Christisonia is a little-documented and poorly studied root-parasitic genus in the Orobanchaceae occurring in India, China, Indochina and part of the Malesian region. Recent collection of a Christisonia taxon in Kinabalu Park in Sabah, Borneo, taxonomically identical to earlier Sabah collections that have hitherto not been recorded in the literature, led to an assessment of the taxonomic identity of the species against Christisonia scortechinii, C. siamensis, C. sinensis and related species. Some taxa in China, Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, and the Philippines are morphologically identical to the Borneo taxon except in the number of calyx lobes, but differ by several distinctive characters from other well-distinguished species in the region. Studies of dried herbarium specimens, augmented by photographic images of different stages of fresh flowering material and a scrutiny of available descriptions confirmed that the calyx has two primary lobes in the bud that may separate into 3–5 portions, giving a variable number of apparent lobes in specimen material collected at different localities. This new scrutiny of the calyx also permitted an improved description of the calyx differences that separate Christisonia and the closely related Aeginetia, which have not been clearly elucidated in the past. Christisonia scortechinii Prain (Orobanchaceae), the only species that was described as having an initially spathaceous calyx among species of this root-parasitic genus, is newly recorded for Borneo (including Kinabalu Park, where its presence has been overlooked). The range of the species in mainland Southeast Asia, previously extended from Peninsular Malaysia to Thailand and Vietnam, is here further extended to Laos and China. Christisonia wightii Elmer (relevant to the Philippines) and C. sinensis Beck (China) are reduced to synonymy.

Melastoma kemamanense is here described as a new species. It is characterised by broad, scabrid leaves, twigs with closely appressed scales, flowers in compact cymes, and anisomorphic stamens. It is similar to Melastoma imbricatum but differs from it by the thickly overlapping hypanthium scales and larger mature fruits. This new species is so far only known from northeast Peninsular Malaysia.

Schizostachyum cambodianum is a new species of woody bamboo from the Cardamom Mountains in Cambodia. It is instantly recognized by a very large suborbicular projection at the base of the culm sheath. The only other bamboos which are known to consistently show such similar suborbicular projections are the Chinese species Schizostachyum hainanense, S. auriculatum, and S. dumetorum. In these species, however, the projections are less than one cm wide, whereas in S. cambodianum, it is particularly impressive, developing to about 3 cm wide. S. cambodianum can further be distinguished from its Chinese relatives by forming lax clumps due to its long-necked rhizomes and largely glabrous culm sheaths with only scattered pale hairs.

Background - The still highly incomplete floristic knowledge of ultramafic outcrops in Borneo has been emphasised. Specialised investigation often turns in novel discoveries and in Kinabalu Park, Malaysian Borneo, the recent completion of a floristic inventory has facilitated such research. Methods - Normal practices of herbarium taxonomy have been applied (using material from K, L, MSC, SING and the Kinabalu Park Herbarium). Results - Eriobotrya balgooyi (Rosaceae) is a new species described from Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. It is an obligate endemic to ultramafc soils on a hill near the eastern ridge of Mount Kinabalu and on nearby Mount Tambuyukon, both localities within Kinabalu Park, a World Heritage Site. The new species illustrates a growing list of rarities from the little-documented flora of ultramafc soils that form significant outcrops in northern Borneo, and for which urgent study is needed.

Schizostachyum langbianense is a new woody bamboo from a high mountain, Lang Bian, in southern Vietnam, which is being described and illustrated. It is similar to S. ninhthuanense in having short ultimate inflorescence branchlets on which clusters of a few pseudospikelets are borne. However, it differs in its culm leaves with a horizontal or only slightly concave apical portion, culm leaf blades that are narrowly lanceolate, and a palea that is not apically bifid and dorsally sulcate with 2 keels. Both species occur in the same mountain region, but separated by distinct elevations.

The flowering periods of woody bamboos, seed set, natural regeneration and death after flowering have been rarely observed and evaluated in the field. Dendrocalamus membranaceus Munro, a tropical woody bamboo mainly distributed in the Yunnan, displayed both sporadic as well as gregarious (mass) flowering and fruited from 2006 to 2013 following severe droughts. The aim of this study is to examine potential differences in seed set and natural regeneration between the two flowering patterns in natural D. membranaceus forests. We investigated and analyzed seed set, seed germination, seedling growth and mortality in both mass and sporadic flowering populations. Observations were made over a period of three years to record changes in bamboo seedling density, height and culm diameter. We observed a low natural seed set ranging from 1.76% to 7.49%, and a relatively high seed germination rate in the nursery from 59.6% to 71.0% for both types of flowering populations. Seeds germinated in 5-7 days after sowing and the germination period lasted 10-15 days. Seed set and germination rates in mass-flowering populations were significantly higher than those of sporadically flowering stands. The seedlings within sporadically flowering populations died within two years. In comparison, seedling mortality in the mass flowering population increased over two periods of observation from 64.92% to 98.89%, yet there was good seedling establishment left over, which showed mean height and mean culm diameter increasing by 1053.25% and 410.71%, respectively, in the second year of observations, and 137.10%, and 217.48%, respectively, in the third year. There are significant differences in seed set, natural regeneration ability and sustainability of bamboo populations between the mass flowering and sporadically flowering populations of D. membranaceus. Sporadic flowering populations failed to produce effective regeneration, while mass flowering populations were able to regenerate successfully. This study provides useful insights for conservation and natural forest management of D. membranaceus. We consider the merits of introducing other genetic provenances towards long-term maintenance of the stand features at sporadically flowering sites; meanwhile, the most economic option for mass flowering stands is to allow natural regeneration to take place through protecting such sites from further disturbance.

WONG, K. M. & RAZAFIMANDIMBISON, S. G. 2015. A new combination and a new name in Gynochthodes (Rubiaceae). Reinwardtia14(2): 297 - 298. - The new combination Gynochthodes lanuginosa (Suratman) K. M. Wong & Razafim. and the new name Gynochthodes suratmanii K. M. Wong & Razafim., the latter in place of Morinda wongiana Suratman, are proposed.

Ultramafic outcrops occupy less than 1% of the land surface of the Earth and are renowned as hotspots of plant diversity and endemism. With over 3500 km2 of ultramafic outcrops in Sabah (4.6% of the total landmass of the state) on the island of Borneo and a total of 4252 plant species recorded occurring on this substrate, Malaysia has one of the most species-rich floras occupying these outcrops globally. Over 2542 plant species have been documented on ultramafic outcrops in Kinabalu Park alone, of which a large percentage is endemic to either Kinabalu Park or Borneo. Despite the existence of this species rich flora, the full plant diversity and ecology remains largely unknown because of a lack of focussed research. Furthermore, plant diversity in many areas of Sabah is severely threatened by land-use conversion and, because many plant species occur only in a single or a few ultramafic sites, impacts on the ecosystems that support them could eventually result in their extinction.

Five new species of seed plants are described: Alangium kayuniga K.M. Wong (Cornaceae), Melastoma ariffinii K.M. Wong, Melastoma ashtonii K.M. Wong, Melastoma joffrei K.M. Wong & Y.W. Low (Melastomata