Plant species first recognised as naturalised for New South Wales in 2002 and 2003, with additional comments on species recognised as naturalised in 2000–2001

Information is provided on the taxonomy and distribution of 71 taxa of naturalised or naturalising plants newly recorded for the state of New South Wales during the period 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2003. Of these taxa, 32 are new records for Australia (prefaced with a †). These species are: Abutilon pictum, Acanthus mollis, †Aesculus indica (naturalising), Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis, Ajuga reptans, †Anigozanthos flavidus, Aquilegia vulgaris, Arbutus unedo, †Athertonia diversifolia (naturalising), †Bergenia x schmidtii (naturalising), Bromus catharticus subsp. stamineus, Bryophyllum daigremontianum, Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi, Calyptocarpus vialis, †Ceiba speciosa (naturalising), Cereus uruguayanus, †Cestrum x cultum, †Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, Cistus salviifolius, †Clematis montana, †Coprosma x cunninghamii, Coprosma robusta, Cornus capitata, Cotoneaster simonsii, Cotoneaster x watereri group, Crinum moorei, Cupressus lusitanica, †Cylindropuntia fulgida var. mamillata forma monstrosa, †Cylindropuntia prolifera, Cylindropuntia tunicata, Desmanthus virgatus, Drosanthemum candens, †Elaeagnus umbellata (naturalising), †Eragrostis trichophora, †Eupatorium lindleyanum, †Gibasis pellucida, Glechoma hederacea, †Hesperis matronalis, Hieracium aurantiacum subsp. carpathicola, †Inga edulis (naturalising), †Juniperus conferta (naturalising), †Justicia caudata, Lamium galeobdolon, Lathyrus tingitanus, †Lysimachia fortunei, †Maackia amurensis, †Monstera deliciosa, †Murdannia keisak, Odontonema tubaeforme, Oxalis vallicola, Phoenix canariensis, †Physostegia virginiana, Pinus patula, Pittosporum eugenioides, †Pittosporum ralphii, Pittosporum tenuifolium, Plectranthus ecklonii, †Potentilla vesca, †Prunus campanulata, †Rhododendron ponticum, Rosa luciae, Rubus rugosus, Ruellia squarrosa, †Senna multijuga, Stapelia gigantea, Stephanophysum longifolium, Strobilanthes anisophylla, †Tabebuia chrysotricha, †Tabebuia impetiginosa, †Tradescantia pallida and Ulmus x hollandica. Additional notes and name changes are recorded for plants first recognised as naturalised for New South Wales over the period 2000–2001. The identification of several naturalised taxa occurring in New South Wales has been corrected. Plants formerly identified as Pinus nigra var. corsicana are now considered to be Pinus halepensis; Cylindropuntia arbuscula is Cylindropuntia kleiniae, Cylindropuntia tunicata is Cylindropuntia rosea, Abrus precatorius subp. precatorius is now Abrus precatorius subsp. africanus and Cotoneaster ?horizontalis is Cotoneaster microphyllus. Further field studies have revealed that Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, Cylindropuntia spinosior, Hypericum kouytchense and Chamaesyce ophthalmica are more widespread than previously thought

The concluding chapter: Recircumscription of Goodenia (Goodeniaceae) to include four allied genera with an updated infrageneric classification

© 2020. Close scrutiny of Goodenia (Goodeniaceae) and allied genera in the \u27Core Goodeniaceae\u27 over recent years has clarified our understanding of this captivating group. While expanded sampling, sequencing of multiple regions, and a genome skimming reinforced backbone clearly supported Goodenia s.l. as monophyletic and distinct from Scaevola and Coopernookia, there appears to be no synapomorphic characters that uniquely characterise this morphologically diverse clade. Within Goodenia s.l., there is strong support from nuclear, chloroplast and mitochondrial data for three major clades (Goodenia Clades A, B and C) and various subclades, which lead to earlier suggestions for the possible recognition of these as distinct genera. Through ongoing work, it has become evident that this is impractical, as conflict remains within the most recently diverged Clade C, likely due to recent radiation and incomplete lineage sorting. In light of this, it is proposed that a combination of morphological characters is used to circumscribe an expanded Goodenia that now includes Velleia, Verreauxia, Selliera and Pentaptilon, and an updated infrageneric classification is proposed to accommodate monophyletic subclades. A total of twenty-five new combinations, three reinstatements, and seven new names are published herein including Goodenia subg. Monochila sect. Monochila subsect. Infracta K.A. Sheph. subsect. nov. Also, a type is designated for Goodenia subg. Porphyranthus sect. Ebracteolatae (K. Krause) K.A. Sheph. comb. et stat. nov., and lectotypes or secondstep lectotypes are designated for a further three names

Plant species first recognised as naturalised or naturalising for New South Wales in 2004 and 2005

Information is provided on the taxonomy and distribution of 62 taxa of naturalised or naturalising plantsm newly recorded for the state of New South Wales during the period 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2005 and 1 species treated in the 2002 revised Flora of New South Wales Volume 2 but overlooked in an earlier paper of this series. Of these taxa, 17 are new records for Australia (prefaced with a †). The 62 taxa are: Acer palmatum, †Acer saccharinum, Achillea filipendulina, Acokanthera oblongifolia, †Anemone hupehensis var. japonica, Berberis aquifolium, †Bidens aurea, †Brugmansia suaveolens, Brugmansia x candida, Buddleja dysophylla, †Convolvulus farinosus, Cordyline australis, Coriandrum sativum, Corymbia citriodora (Australian species naturalised outside its native range), Crassula ericoides subsp. ericoides, Crotalaria retusa (Australian species naturalised outside its native range), Cyperus prolifer, Echinochloa polystachya, Ficus carica, †Gladiolus dalenii, †Gladiolus cultivar, Hakea laurina (Western Australian species), Hemerocallis fulva var. fulva, Hieracium pilosella, Hydrangea macrophylla, Hydrocleys nymphoides, Hymenachne amplexicaulis, Hypericum calycinum, Impatiens balfouri, Indigofera spicata, Iris laevigata, †Juglans ailantifolia, Lilium lancifolium, Lygodium japonicum, Malephora crocea, Mauranthemum paludosum, Melastoma malabathricum, †Nassella tenuissima, Pelargonium quercifolium, †Phoenix reclinata, Phormium tenax, Pinus contorta, Podranea ricasoliana, †Polygonatum x hybridum, Polypremum procumbens, †Primula malacoides, Rhaphiolepis umbellata, Romneya coulteri, Romneya trichocalyx, Setaria incrassata, †Sideritis lanata, †Sorbus aucuparia, Spartium junceum, Stylosanthes guianensis, Stylosanthes humilis, †Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus, Syzygium paniculatum (Australian species naturalising outside its native range), Tibouchina urvilleana, †Tradescantia cerinthoides, †Utricularia sandersonii, Washingtonia filifera and Zephyranthes carinata. The overlooked species is Eugenia uniflora

Implications of the 2019–2020 megafires for the biogeography and conservation of Australian vegetation

Australia's 2019–2020 'Black Summer' bushfires burnt more than 8 million hectares of vegetation across the south-east of the continent, an event unprecedented in the last 200 years. Here we report the impacts of these fires on vascular plant species and communities. Using a map of the fires generated from remotely sensed hotspot data we show that, across 11 Australian bioregions, 17 major native vegetation groups were severely burnt, and up to 67–83% of globally significant rainforests and eucalypt forests and woodlands. Based on geocoded species occurrence data we estimate that >50% of known populations or ranges of 816 native vascular plant species were burnt during the fires, including more than 100 species with geographic ranges more than 500 km across. Habitat and fire response data show that most affected species are resilient to fire. However, the massive biogeographic, demographic and taxonomic breadth of impacts of the 2019–2020 fires may leave some ecosystems, particularly relictual Gondwanan rainforests, susceptible to regeneration failure and landscape-scale decline

A new species of Myrsine (Primulaceae-Myrsinoideae) from New Guinea

Myrsine exquisitorum Utteridge & Lepschi (Primulaceae-Myrsinoideae) is described and illustrated as a new species endemic to the Western Highlands Province from Papua New Guinea. The new species is unique in the relatively large, almost orbicular leaves with entire margins, and the tetramerous flowers arranged in axillary fascicles without forming short shoots

Plant species first recognised as naturalised for New South Wales over the period 2000–2001

Information is provided on the taxonomy and distribution of 40 species of naturalised or naturalising plants newly recorded for New South Wales during the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2001. These species are: Abrus precatorius subsp. precatorius, Acacia pulchella var. pulchella, Agave vivipara, Alnus glutinosa, Berberis thunbergii, Bryophyllum daigremontianum x Bryophyllum delagoense, Callisia fragrans, Celtis sinensis, Chamaesyce ophthalmica, Cotoneaster ?horizontalis, Cupressus arizonica, Cylindropuntia arbuscula, Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, Cylindropuntia spinosior, Cylindropuntia tunicata, Cyperus teneristolon, Deutzia crenata, Erica arborea, Erica glandulosa, Geranium robertianum, Hieracium murorum species group, Hippeastrum puniceum hybrid, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Hypericum kouytchense, Hypericum patulum, Jacaranda mimosifolia, Jasminum polyanthum, Juglans regia, Justicia betonica, Koelreuteria formosana, Myagrum perfoliatum, Oenothera biennis, Pinus durangensis (naturalising), Pinus nigra var. corsicana, Schinus terebinthifolius, Scorpiurus muricatus, Tillandsia usneoides, Triadica sebifera, Viola riviniana and Vitis vinifera s. lat

Linking abundance, occupancy and spatial structure : an empirical test of a neutral model in an open-forest woody plant community in eastern Australia

Aims: We implemented a neutral model of a positive relationship between abundance and distribution (occupancy) to examine how spatial structure influences abundance–occupancy relationships. The spatially explicit neutral model distributes individuals of species randomly and independently of one another in space to produce a positive abundance–occupancy relationship. Using empirical data, we tested whether abundance–occupancy relationships diverged significantly from the theoretical neutral model, and determined whether significant divergences emerged through intraspecific aggregation or over-dispersion of individuals. Location: Field work was conducted in open-forest vegetation of the Black Mountain region in south-eastern Australia. Methods: At eight floristically similar sites in open-forest vegetation, we established a 20 × 20 m census plot and spatially mapped all individuals of each woody species. The abundance and distribution of each species was determined at each site at three spatial scales within the census plot. Observed abundance–occupancy relationships were compared with the spatially explicit neutral model using linear regression techniques. Monte-Carlo methods using a two dimensional Poisson process were then used to classify the spatial structure of species as random, aggregated or over-dispersed. Results: We found consistent evidence among the eight sites for abundance–occupancy relationships to diverge significantly from the neutral model at the three spatial scales within each community. The direction that the slopes of relationships diverged from the neutral model provided consistent evidence that aggregation of individuals within species was responsible for modifying the form of abundance–occupancy associations in this vegetation, a feature most evident with increasing scale. Main conclusions: Aggregation is not a mechanism that causes positive abundance–occupancy relationships. Under the neutral model of a positive abundance–occupancy relationship, aggregation should be viewed as a mechanism which modifies a pre-existing relationship, rather than causing a relationship which would not have otherwise existed. In other words, in the absence of aggregation a positive abundance–occupancy relationship would still exist.7 page(s

Phylogenetic position and reinstatement of Gayella (Sapotaceae), a monotypic genus endemic to Chile with an Eocene origin in continental Australia

Pouteria splendens is the only native species of Sapotaceae in Chile, a species once placed in the monotypic genus Gayella and known as G. valparadisaea, but for a long time treated as a Pouteria. In a phylogenetic analysis, this species was placed in an Australasian clade, not with its presumed relatives in South America. We used Bayesian inference under a relaxed molecular clock in BEAST, nuclear ribosomal DNA (ETS, ITS), the nuclear gene RPB2, indel information, and 201 terminals to find the closest relative of P. splendens and to estimate the age of the disjunction between Australasia and South America. The taxon has an isolated phylogenetic position, being part of the cladeʼs backbone, and is placed with weak support as sister to Van-royena, another monotypic genus, but endemic to Australia. Our results justify reinstatement of Gayella with its single species G. valparadisaea. Gayella has a unique combination of morphological features including alternate, opposite or 3-whorled leaves, often on the same plant, a usually 6-lobed, rotate corolla with revolute corolla lobes giving the flower a star-like appearance, lacerate to dentate staminodes, and yellow-orange-red fruit with plano-convex cotyledons and an exserted radicle below the cotyledon commissure. The split between Gayella and Van-royena is estimated to the late Eocene at about 40.0 Ma (50.5–25.3 Ma). The hypothesis that the presence of Gayella in South America is a result of vicariance is consistent with the timing of the geological splits of southern Gondwana, as well as with evidence from fossil pollen, but long-distance dispersal is an alternative explanation that cannot be excluded. Gayella is restricted to an area with a Mediterranean-type climate in coastal central Chile, where it occurs in rocky places, ravines, and gullies, usually below 100 m altitude within reach of sea mist. Gayella valparadisaea is a rare plant, listed as Endangered (EN) in Chile, but it does not occur in any protected area. Considering the isolated phylogenetic position of this old lineage, we urge the Chilean authorities to increase the efforts towards protection of this species

Expansion of Lordhowea, and a new genus for scapose, alpine Australian species of Senecioneae (Asteraceae)

© 2020 International Association for Plant Taxonomy The Senecioneae are one of the largest tribes of Asteraceae, with more than 3000 species and a global distribution. They also contain a large number of invasive species such as fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis), cape ivy (Delairea odorata), and ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris). Although sequence data are available for many species, published phylogenies are for the most part restricted to specific subgroups, and the most broadly sampled phylogenies have limited coverage in depth. Fifty-two of 126 native Australian or introduced species remain unsequenced. As a consequence, the phylogenetic relationships of introduced and native Australian taxa remain difficult to assess, hampering research in biocontrol. We inferred ribosomal and chloroplast phylogenies of the Senecioneae incorporating all available data for the four most frequently sequenced gene regions (nrITS, nrETS, psbA-trnH, trnL) and generated sequence data for 32 additional species to inform the assembly of biocontrol test lists. Our results indicate that nine newly sequenced species currently classified as Senecio are phylogenetically distant from that genus. Although initially unexpected, the inferred affiliations of eight of these species are also supported by morphology, biogeography and chromosome numbers, together providing strong evidence in favour of taxonomic changes. Three species are added to previously phylogenetically isolated and monotypic Lordhowea, and the new genus Scapisenecio is created to accommodate five species characterised by a rosette habit with scapose capitulescences occurring in alpine to subalpine habitats of southeastern Australia