Content Page

Abstract: 
Cryptocarya nitens (Blume) Koord. & Valeton is newly recorded for Singapore.  It was discovered during surveys in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Nee Soon Swamp Forest. A description is given, together with a key based mostly on vegetative characters for all Cryptocarya species occurring in Singapore. A short overview of the Lauraceae of Singapore shows that, in total, 57 species belonging to 14 genera have been recorded, of which 47 species in 13 genera are native. Cryptocarya nitens is lectotypified in addition to two of its synonyms.

Abstract:
Boesenbergia basispicata K.Larsen ex Sirirugsa was recently discovered from a limestone hill in Perak, Peninsular Malaysia. This brings the total number of Boesenbergia species in Peninsular Malaysia to 12. A description, colour plates and notes on this species are provided.

Abstract:
Schizostachyum kuisingii K.M.Wong is a new species of bamboo from Peninsular Malaysia, distinguished from closely related species from adjacent areas in Indonesia, such as Schizostachyum castaneum Widjaja, Schizostachyum lutescens Widjaja and Schizostachyum mampouw Widjaja, by the hairs of the culm internode, glabrescent foliage leaves, leaf ligule form, a palea longer than the lemma and the presence of two lodicules in the flower.

Abstract:
Aralia merrillii C.B.Shang (Araliaceae), Agathis lenticula de Laub. (Araucariaceae), Licuala collina Saw and L. miriensis Saw (Arecaceae), Lithocarpus bullatus Hatus. ex Soepadmo and L. hallieri (Seemen) A.Camus (Fagaceae), Musa lawitiensis var. suratii (Argent) Häkkinen (Musaceae) and Aquilaria microcarpa Baill. (Thymelaeaceae) are newly recorded for the Brunei flora.

Abstract:
Three new species, Loxocarpus burttii T.L.Yao, Loxocarpus littoralis T.L.Yao and Loxocarpus segelamensis T.L.Yao are described from Sarawak, Malaysia.

Abstract:
A new species of Begonia L., Begonia galeolepis Ardi & D.C.Thomas, is described from Seram, Maluku province, Indonesia. The species is endemic to Seram and belongs to Begonia section Petermannia. An identification key to the seven Begonia species known from the Moluccas is provided.

Abstract: 
The typification of Hoya zollingeriana Miq. is discussed and a lectotype is selected from the original material. An earlier typification was based on a specimen belonging to a different taxon and is rejected.

Abstract: 
A revision of the species of Cryptocarya R.Br. (Lauraceae) from Thailand and Indochina (Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) is presented, comprising a key to species, full descriptions, distribution maps, provisional IUCN conservation assessments, ecological information and ethno-botanical notes where appropriate. In this treatment, 16 species are recognised, one species name is validated (Cryptocarya globularia Kosterm. ex de Kok), nineteen names are lectotypified and nine names are placed into synonymy for the first time. Using standard IUCN criteria, most species are considered to be Least Concern, one is assessed as Data Deficient (C. globularia), and six are Endangered (Cryptocarya chanthaburiensis Kosterm., Cryptocarya hainanensis Merr., Cryptocarya laotica (Gagnep.) Kosterm., Cryptocarya pallens Kosterm., Cryptocarya pustulata Kosterm. and Cryptocarya sublanuginosa Kosterm.).

Abstract:
Newmania sessilanthera Lưu & Škorničk., a new species from Phú Yên province in central Vietnam, is described and illustrated here. Notes on this species, the third described to date, and a new key to the species of Newmania N.S.Lý & Škorničk. are provided.

Abstract:
Three additions to the Dipterocarpaceae are presented. Recent collections from southern Vietnam have finally revealed the identity of Dipterocarpus condorensis Pierre, necessitating reduction of D. caudatus Foxw. and nomenclatural adjustment of its subspecies; an unexpected novelty, Dipterocarpus pseudocornutus P.S.Ashton, is described from Tawi-Tawi, SW Philippines; while a new lower montane point endemic, Vatica palongensis P.S. Ashton, is reported from West Kalimantan.

Abstract: 
Herbarium and field study of Xylopia L. (Annonaceae) for the Flora of Peninsular Malaysia and the Flora of Thailand projects has clarified regional diversity patterns within this ecologically significant lowland rainforest genus. Two species groups represented within Southeast Asian floras are delineated, one centred on Xylopia ferruginea (Hook.f. & Thomson) Baill. and the other on Xylopia malayana Hook.f. & Thomson. In the Xylopia ferruginea group, a new species, Xylopia erythrodactyla D.M.Johnson & N.A.Murray, is distinguished from X. ferruginea, and a new combination, Xylopia sumatrana (Miq.) D.M.Johnson & N.A.Murray, is proposed, based on an earlier name for the species currently known as Xylopia stenopetala Oliv. In the Xylopia malayana group, review of the species Xylopia elliptica Maingay ex Hook.f. & Thomson resulted in the recognition of three additional species: Xylopia platycarpa D.M.Johnson & N.A.Murray, from southern Thailand and northwestern Peninsular Malaysia, Xylopia ngii D.M.Johnson & N.A.Murray, from Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo, and Xylopia heterotricha D.M.Johnson & N.A.Murray, from Sumatra and Borneo. The taxon Xylopia malayana Hook.f. & Thomson var. obscura Kochummen is placed in synonymy under Xylopia elliptica sensu stricto. Xylopia fusca Maingay ex Hook.f. & Thomson var. sessiliflora Kochummen & Whitmore is distinguished from Xylopia fusca, and raised to species status as Xylopia sessiliflora (Kochummen & Whitmore) D.M.Johnson & N.A.Murray. We recognise 23 Xylopia species in the Sundaic region of Southeast Asia, and provide evidence that additional collecting and taxonomic analysis in the region is needed.

Abstract:
Morphological variation in the widespread Indo-Pacific Melastoma malabathricum L. is discussed, as well as the possibility of hybridisation or introgression with other species. Hypanthium indumentum is a reliable character to diagnose the group and species. Five rheophytic taxa, including four distinctive species and a variant of the widespread M. malabathricum, which are superficially alike because of their stenophyllous leaf form, are enumerated for Southeast Asia and a key is provided for their identification. Melastoma kahayanense K.M.Wong from Borneo is described for the first time and the Sumatran Melastoma stenophyllum Merr. is considered a distinct species and not synonymous to M. malabathricum. Various putative hybrids or introgression products involving M. malabathricum are identified.

Abstract:
Capparis trifoliata Roxb., the supposed basionym of ‘Crateva adansonii subsp. trifoliata (Roxb.) Jacobs’ and ‘Crateva trifoliata (Roxb.) B.S.Sun’, is shown to represent an illegitimate renaming of Crateva religiosa G.Forst. However, Jacobs effectively excluded the nomenclatural type of Capparis trifoliata, thus avoiding creating a superfluous name, and instead described Crateva adansonii subsp. trifoliata Jacobs validated by the citation of the Latin description of Crateva erythrocarpa Gagnep. Sun also excluded the type of Crateva religiosa, but his effective transfer of C. adansonii subsp. trifoliata to specific rank does not have priority over Crateva erythrocarpa Gagnep., which is therefore the correct name for this taxon when it is considered a distinct species. The name Crateva nurvula Buch.-Ham. is formally lectotypified.

Book Review:
A Guide to Begonias of Borneo. Ruth Kiew, Julia Sang, Rimi Repin & Joffre Ali Ahmad. 2015.

Book Review:
Forest Trees of Southern Thailand, Volume 1 (A–Es). Simon Gardner, Pindar Sidisunthorn & Kongkanda Chayamarit. 2015.

Book Review:

Content Page

Abstract: 
The genus Hanguana (Hanguanaceae – Commelinales) was until recently believed to be represented in Singapore by a single species, Hanguana malayana. Recent extensive surveys, coupled with the detailed study of fresh and herbarium material, however, suggests the presence of six species. In addition to the recently described Hanguana neglecta, three additional species, H. corneri, H. rubinea and H. triangulata, are described here as new to science. Of the three newly described species, Hanguana rubinea and H. triangulata are native, while H. corneri is believed to have been introduced from Peninsular Malaysia to Singapore and planted in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in the 1930s. Hanguana nitens is recorded for the first time from Singapore and is also certainly native. While a large helophytic species of Hanguana, currently interpreted to be Hanguana malayana, is cultivated as an ornamental plant in Singapore, no native populations have been observed by us in the wild and neither do any herbarium records exist to suggest that this species was ever native to Singapore. Colour plates and a key to all Hanguana species are provided. Notes on habitats and preliminary IUCN assessments are also included for all native species to better facilitate conservation efforts of Hanguanaceae in Singapore. The existence and taxonomic potential of scale structures sheathing the inner staminodes in female flowers, named here as staminodial scales, are highlighted here for the first time. The importance of seed characters is also discussed.

Abstract:
We report the discovery of Dischidia acutifolia Maingay ex Hook.f., a new record for the Singapore flora. The species is only known from a single locality in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and is therefore considered Critically Endangered in Singapore. A lectotype for the name is selected.

Abstract:
Ancistrocladus sagittatus Wall. ex Planch. (Ancistrocladaceae) is the name of a plant species solely based on a sterile collection made by Nathaniel Wallich in Singapore in 1822. Since 1875, this name has been treated as a variety or synonym of Tetramerista glabra Miq. (Tetrameristaceae). However, the original material is actually referable to Tristaniopsis (Myrtaceae), and Ancistrocladus sagittatus is here lectotypified and reported as a synonym of Tristaniopsis merguensis (Griff.) Peter G.Wilson & J.T.Waterh. for the first time. The new determination of the Wallich collection means that the record of Tetramerista glabra in the native flora of Singapore requires reassessment. It is concluded that Tetramerista glabra, the genus Tetramerista and the family Tetrameristaceae should all be excluded from inventories of the native flora of Singapore.

Abstract:
A variety and a species of Vittaria in Peninsular Malaysia are synonymised and the new combination Haplopteris sessilifrons (Miyamoto & H.Ohba) S.Linds. is made.

Abstract:
Bothriospermum zeylanicum (J.Jacq.) Druce (Boraginaceae), a species native to Asia, has recently become naturalised in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia. A description of the genus and species together with colour photographs are provided. It is the only representative of Boraginaceae sensu stricto (i.e. subfam. Boraginoideae) in Peninsular Malaysia.

Abstract:
A brief introduction to research and botanical documentation of the Brunei flora, and the collaborative programme for a continuing botanical survey of the country, is given. An outline of the key biogeographical features of the Brunei area supports the premise that distinct geo-ecological enclaves occur which are special units of species richness, within which a significant level of undocumented plant diversity still exists. Jarandersonia yahyantha K.M.Wong, Joffre, Ariffin & Y.W.Low (Malvaceae), a new tree species so far only known in Brunei, is described.

Abstract: 
Begonia jamilahana Y.W.Low, Joffre & Ariffin is described and illustrated here as a new species based on a collection from Ladan Hills Forest Reserve, Tutong, Brunei Darussalam. This new taxon is closely related to B. conniegeriae S.Julia & Kiew and B. papyraptera Sands, but differs in a suite of morphological characters. Begonia jamilahana is placed in Begonia section Petermannia, the largest of all the sections recognised.

Abstract: 
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 (Melastomataceae), and Lasianthus jangarunii Y.W.Low (Rubiaceae). New plant records for the ongoing Brunei floristic inventory include Planchonea valida (Blume) Blume (Lecythidaceae), Melastoma velutinosum Ridl. (Melastomataceae), and Gardenia costulata Ridl. (Rubiaceae).

Abstract:
In this paper we document the discovery of a new Hoya species from Borneo, H. undulata S.Rahayu & Rodda. The leaves of the new species form domatia, specialised structures harbouring ants, previously only observed in Hoya mitrata Kerr and H. darwinii Loher. The corona is unique among Bornean Hoya species as its lobes develop two lateral hooked appendages, also present in H. griffithii Hook.f, a species from mainland Asia. A lectotype for Hoya darwinii is also selected.

Abstract:
A new species of Begonia sect. Reichenheimea, B. bimaensis Undaharta & Ardaka, is described from Mt Muria in Bima District, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia. The species is a narrow endemic, currently known from only one population, and has been assessed as Vulnerable using IUCN criteria.

Abstract: 
A new species, Paraboea maculata C.Puglisi, is described. It is compared to similar species and the habitat on granite rocks, unusual for the genus, is highlighted.

Abstract:
Nine orchid species, Bulbophyllum capnophyton J.J.Verm. et al., Dendrobium macrostachyum Lindl., D. praecinctum Rchb.f., Habenaria reniformis (D.Don) Hook.f., Liparis distans C.B.Clarke, L. resupinata Ridl., Micropera thailandica (Seidenf. & Smitinand) Garay, Oberonia obcordata Lindl. and Stereosandra javanica Blume, are reported as new for Myanmar. Of particular interest is the Stereosandra as it is the first record of this genus in the country.

Abstract:
Zingiber nitens M.F.Newman from Lao P.D.R. is described and illustrated.  

Abstract:
A general introduction to Zingiber is provided, along with an outline of the materials and methods used in this paper and which are to be used in our subsequent taxonomic studies on Zingiber in China. Based on an investigation of the protologues, and on comparisons of both the type specimens and living materials collected from the type localities and their immediate vicinities, Zingiber stipitatum S.Q.Tong and Z. menghaiense S.Q.Tong are here reduced to synonymy under Z. kerrii Craib. A previous lectotypification of Zingiber kerrii is discussed and amended. The existence of mixed collections among the isotypes of Zingiber stipitatum is highlighted and a proposal to exclude the vegetative parts belonging to Z. neotruncatum from the type material is made. A description and a colour plate of Zingiber kerrii based on a collection from China are provided.

Abstract:
A new orchid species, Pennilabium labanyaeanum C.Deori, N.Odyuo & A.A.Mao, is described and illustrated from Meghalaya, India. A key to the species of Pennilabium in India is provided.

Abstract:
Tripogon bimucronatus Thoiba & Sunil, a new species of grass from the Nelliyampathy Hills, Palakkad District of Kerala, South India is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to Tripogon vellarianus Pradeep but differs by having adaxially scabrid, linear-acuminate leaves; ligules a fringe of hairs to 2.5 mm long; spikelets with 6–8 closely packed florets; lower glume asymmetrical; upper glume awned; lemma awn scabrid; palea elliptic-lanceolate, apex bimucronate and notched at the centre.

Abstract:
The genus Epithema Blume (Gesneriaceae) is revised. A key is given, all species are described and several are illustrated. Twenty species are recognised and two new combinations are made, Epithema philippinum (Hilliard & B.L.Burtt) Bransgrove and Epithema pusillum (C.B.)

Abstract:
Recent research shows that the formerly broadly circumscribed, pantropical genus Acacia Mill. (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae) is polyphyletic and should be treated as comprising at least five genera, namely, Acacia Mill. sensu stricto, Acaciella Britton & Rose, Mariosousa Seigler & Ebinger, Senegalia Raf. and Vachellia Wight & Arn. The indigenous flora of Acacia sensu lato in East and Southeast Asia comprise 52 species: 32 species (38 taxa) of Senegalia, 12 species of Acacia sensu stricto and eight species of Vachellia. These species are listed and their geographic distributions given, showing that Acacia sensu lato is unevenly distributed across the region, with centres of species-richness in Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand. A summary of the classification history of Acacia sensu lato is provided and nomenclatural impacts of the recent retypification of Acacia briefly discussed.

Book Review:
Flowering Plants of the Western Ghats, Volume 1 (Dicots) T.S. Nayar, A. Rasiya Beegam & M. Sibi. 2014 & Flowering Plants of the Western Ghats, Volume 2 (Monocots). T.S. Nayar, M. Sibi & A. Rasiya Beegam. 2014.

Abstract:
An examination of the type material of Gymnostachyum magnum C.B.Clarke (Acanthaceae) from Malaysia reveals that it is a Phlogacanthus rather than a Gymnostachyum due to having two staminodes in addition to the two fertile stamens and muticous anther-thecae. The new combination, Phlogacanthus magnus (C.B.Clarke) Y.F.Deng is therefore proposed.

Abstract: 
Two new species, Ridleyandra bintangensis Kiew and R. nuangensis Kiew, from Kedah and Selangor respectively, and one new subspecies, R. kiewii subsp. magnifica Kiew, from Kelantan and Terengganu, are described from Peninsular Malaysia.

Abstract:
Two new white-flowered Codonoboea species, C. mentigiensis Kiew and C. tembatensis Kiew (Gesneriaceae), are described from Peninsular Malaysia. Following the IUCN Criteria and Categories, C. tembatensis is Critically Endangered by clear-felling of forest prior to the area being flooded for an extension to a hydroelectric dam, while C. mentigiensis, that grows in lower montane forest within Permanent Protection Forest, is of Least Concern.

Abstract:
The previous lectotypification of Zingiber gracile Jack. var. elatius Ridl. is deemed ineffective and a new lectotypification is here proposed. The original varietal epithet ‘elatior’, later also used at specific rank, is corrected here to ‘elatius’, to agree grammatically with the generic name.

Abstract:
A new species of Zingiber singapurense Škorničk., is described and illustrated here. It is compared to other species from the Zingiber gracile (Zingiber sect. Zingiber) alliance. A key to this group of species in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore and a key to all Singapore native and naturalised Zingiber species are provided. The national and international conservation status of the new species and a conservation strategy for it are discussed. Notes on the varietal identity of Zingiber puberulum and the presence of Z. ottensii, previously misidentified as Z. zerumbet, in Singapore are given.

Abstract:
Three new combinations are made here: Haplopteris alternans (Copel.) S.Linds. & C.W.Chen, Haplopteris humblotii (Hieron.) S.Linds. & C.W.Chen, and Haplopteris dareicarpa (Hook.) S.Linds. & C.W.Chen. Lectotypes for Vittaria alternans Copel. and Vittaria humblotii Hieron. are also designated here.

Abstract:
A biotype of the South American fungal rust pathogen Puccinia psidii Winter has become widely naturalised along the east coast of Australia since early 2010, reaching North Queensland in 2012. This pathogen is known globally as Eucalyptus Rust or Guava Rust, and in Australia as Myrtle Rust. It is pathogenic on a wide range of plants in the Myrtaceae. This pathogen constitutes a major threat to myrtaceous plants in natural habitats and in production systems in moister areas of Australia, and potentially on a wide scale in the Malesian region. The risk of spread to the Malesian region, from Australia or other sources, is high, and once naturalised in Myrtaceae-rich biomes, eradication is unlikely.

Abstract: 
The new species Billolivia moelleri D.J.Middleton from Núi Chúa National Park in Ninh Thuận Province in Vietnam is described. A provisional IUCN conservation assessment and a new key to the species of Billolivia are provided.

Abstract: 
Since the transfer of several species of Briggsia to Oreocharis, including the type species Briggsia longifolia, the remaining 16 species of Briggsia have been in taxonomic limbo. We address this unsatisfactory situation by transferring 10 further species into Oreocharis on morphological grounds and by raising a new genus, with two species, based on previously published molecular data and their morphological distinction from other genera. This leaves only four species for which, at present, no satisfactory solution is available but, for pragmatic reasons until further research can be done, we place them in Loxostigma to which they are  morphologically most similar and in which one already has a combination. Several names are lectotypified.

Abstract:
Boesenbergia purpureorubra Mood & L.M.Prince is described and illustrated. Boesenbergia longipes (King & Prain ex Ridl.) Schltr. is noted as a new record for Thailand based on C. Maknoi T38 (PSU, QBG).

Abstract:
Wallich published Monolophus Wall. (Zingiberaceae) in 1832 for two taxa he had described previously in 1820 as Kaempferia linearis Wall. and K. secunda Wall. He also mentioned M. ? elegans Wall., but the “?” indicates that he was not certain that this species belonged to this new genus. Consequently, Monolophus elegans, while validly published, cannot be the lectotype of the generic name. In 1964 Larsen argued against accepting Monolophus and established the alternative Caulokaempferia K.Larsen. Caulokaempferia, typified by the name C. linearis (Wall.) K.Larsen, is, however, superfluous. Monolophus is hereby reinstated with 22 new combinations. Its phylogenetic position is shown in relation to other genera. Based on comparative nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequence data analyses, Jirawongsea Picheans. (previously Caulokaempferia, pro parte) is reduced to Boesenbergia Kuntze with five new combinations.

Abstract: 
Alangium ridleyi King is lectotypified and the conservation status updated from Nationally Extinct to Endangered in Singapore and Endangered in Peninsula Malaysia.

Book Review

Book Review

Abstract: 
There are currently 15 species of Geostachys in Peninsular Malaysia of which 13 are hyper endemic to their localities. Four taxa are categorised as Endangered, eight as Vulnerable and one each as Near Threatened, Least Concern and Data Deficient. Maps showing the Extent of Occurrence and Area of Occupancy for each species are included. Key issues and recommendations on conservation measures, particularly with respect to ecotourism, are discussed.

Abstract:
A new Orchidantha species from Endau-Rompin National Park (Johor, Peninsular Malaysia), O. lengguanii Škorničk., is described and illustrated. It is compared to its morphologically most similar species Orchidantha maxillarioides (Ridl.) K.Schum., which is also illustrated. A lectotype and epitype for Orchidantha maxillarioides are also designated here.

Abstract:
Two new species and one new variety of Aspidistra Ker-Gawl. (Asparagaceae: Nolinoideae) from southern and central Vietnam, A. ventricosa Tillich & Škorničk., A. mirostigma Tillich & Škorničk., and A. connata Tillich var. radiata Tillich & Škorničk., are described and illustrated here.

Abstract:
Siliquamomum alcicorne (Zingiberaceae: Alpinioideae) from central Vietnam is described and illustrated here. It is compared to the other two species so far known in the genus, S. tonkinense and S. oreodoxa. A key to the three species and a map of their distribution are given. The genome size of each species has been estimated by FCM analysis. The occurrence of flexistyly in the genus Siliquamomum is reported here for the first time.

Abstract:
The Warren Golf Club in south-central Singapore, established in 1962 and sandwiched between Dover Road and the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), retained some tree stands that could have unwittingly served as a refugium for some forest species before it was relocated elsewhere in 2000 to make way for the development of University Town, or UTown, an extension of the National University of Singapore. At this locality, Margaritaria indica, a new genus and species record for Singapore, was discovered. The distribution, rarity, and conservation status of this taxon for Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia are discussed.

Abstract:
The new combination Liebigia barbata (Jack) D.J.Middleton is made for the species previously known as either Chirita asperifolia (Blume) B.L.Burtt or Liebigia speciosa (Blume) DC. The complex nomenclatural history of these latter names is discussed. Liebigia barbata is neotypified.

Abstract:
A new species of Euphorbiaceae, Mallotus phongnhaensis, is described from Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam. This new species belongs to Mallotus sect. Axenfeldia and is distinguished from other species in several significant features including its shrubby habit up to 1 m high, submarginal extrafloral nectaries with 6–12 per side, and few flowered, cauliflorous inflorescences.

Abstract:
Cryptocoryne annamica Serebryanyi, an endemic species from Gia Lai province in Vietnam, was first described in 1991. Until recently only two collections were known but a new collection has now been made in the Kon Ka King National Park, Gia Lai province. The species description is elaborated and notes on its biology, distribution, ecology and cultivation are given. A proposed IUCN conservation assessment is given. A key to the Cryptocoryne species of Vietnam is included.

Abstract:

Abstract:
Two new species of Begonia, B. lugrae Ardhaka & Undaharta and B. sendangensis Ardi are described from Bali and Lombok, respectively. The species belong to Begonia section Reichenheimea. A checklist and identification key to the Bali and Lombok species of Begonia are provided.

Abstract:
Marsdenia purpurella Fernando & Rodda, a new species from the Philippines, is described and illustrated. It is distinguished from all known species of Marsdenia from the Philippines in its rotate corolla lacking a corolline corona, simple umbelliform inflorescence, and very short peduncle.

Abstract:
Kunstler’s collections made in Gopeng, Perak, in 1880 had labels wrongly printed with ‘Larut’; herbarium specimens from Ulu Bubong, Ulu Kerling, and Sungai Kul were wrongly localised as from Perak instead of from Selangor; ‘G.M.’ on Kunstler’s labels from his 4th expedition to Gopeng in 1885, which included plants restricted to limestone, refers to Gunung Mesah south of Gopeng (not Gunung Megua or Gunung Malacca, names that do not exist, nor does it refer to Gunung Bujang Melaka, a granite peak south of Kampar, Perak); lastly ‘near G.M.’ probably refers to Gunung Tempurong, Perak. Paraboea capitata Ridl. and P. vulpina Ridl., both strict calcicoles, were not collected from G. Bujang Melaka as was reported by Ridley.

Abstract:
Alocasia alba Schott is a new record for the islands of Bali and Lombok, in the Indonesian Lesser Sunda Islands. An expanded description is given, and the species illustrated from living plants. A key to species of Alocasia for the Lesser Sunda Islands is provided.

Abstract:
A new species of Calanthe (Orchidaceae) from southern Myanmar is described and illustrated. The new species belongs to subgenus Preptanthe (Rchb.f.) Schltr. and is very distinctive with its upright and strongly red-dotted petals. Differences from C. labrosa (Rchb.f.) Hook.f. which appears to be its closest relative are discussed.

Abstract:
Two new species of Curcuma subgenus Ecomata (Zingiberaceae) from southern Vietnam, C. newmanii Škorničk. and C. xanthella Škorničk., are described and illustrated here. Their similarities and differences from their closest allies in the subgenus Ecomata, C. singularis Gagnep. and C. flaviflora S.Q.Tong, are discussed.

Abstract:
The new species Somrania flavida D.J.Middleton & Triboun, from Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani Province, Thailand, is described. It is the third species in this genus which is restricted to karst limestone habitats in Thailand. A key to the species of Somrania is provided.

Abstract:
A taxonomic revision of Didymocarpus (Gesneriaceae) in Thailand has resulted in eighteen species. Three new species are described: Didymocarpus inflatus J.F.Maxwell & Nangngam, D. jaesonensis Nangngam & J.F.Maxwell, and D. payapensis Nangngam & J.F.Maxwell. A key to the Thai species, detailed descriptions, and notes on distribution, ecology, phenology, salient morphological traits, and illustrations are presented.

Abstract:
Monoon bathrantherum I.M.Turner is newly described. It is only known from Brunei on the island of Borneo and is notable for bearing reproductive structures on branched inflorescences confined to the base of the trunk.

Abstract:
Silica gel has become the most common instrument for preserving leaf material in the field for future DNA extraction. This has generally involved leaf material being placed in silica gel in zip-lock type bags. Although effective it often requires a large amount of silica gel and large number of plastic bags to be taken into the field, something which is problematic during long field trips to remote areas. It also has the disadvantage that if the silica gel becomes hydrated or the plant material damp, replacement of the silica gel is difficult and can result in contamination. An alternative method using empty teabags avoids the need to carry large amounts of silica gel and plastic bags into the field and reduces the difficulty of replacing hydrated silica gel during fieldwork and longer term institutional storage.

Abstract:
A new classification of the Fagraea complex (Gentianaceae) based on recent molecular studies and taxonomic considerations now recognises the genera Cyrtophyllum, Fagraea in the strict sense, Limahlania, Picrophloeus, and Utania. The Bornean species of this complex are listed following the new perspective and the remaining necessary new combinations (seven, in Utania) are made.

Abstract:
Marsdenia maingayi, a rare rainforest climber previously thought to be extinct in Singapore, was rediscovered in the vicinity of MacRitchie Reservoir, Central Catchment Nature Reserve in July 2012. This is the second sighting of the taxon in Singapore since it was first collected in Changi in 1885—more than 120 years later. Based on this recent discovery, additional observations on the taxon are provided here and the conservation status of this species is revised to Critically Endangered for Singapore. Marsdenia maingayi is lectotypified here.