The genus Dichocarpum was established by W. T. Wang and Hsiao in 1964, who divided the genus into 2 sections: Sect. Dichocarpum including 10 species distributed on the mainland of E. Asia, and Sect. Hutchinsonia including 9 species native to Japan. M. Tamura and L. A. Lauener made a revision of the genus in 1968, who divided the genus into 4 sections, three for the species of the mainland of E. Asia, including 3 series and 10 species, and the other for the species of Japan, including 2 subsections, 3 series and 9 species. In the present paper, the genus is divided into 2 sections and 6 series, including 15 species and 3 varieties, and a putative phylogeny of the genus is proposed. The genus may be close to the genus Asteropyrum, and these two genera are rather specialized in Thalictroides (Ranunculaceae), because they have three very similar characters: the petal with a long claw, the stephanocolpate pollen and the chromosome morphology. The genus has 2n=24, 35(36?), which indicates that its basic number is X=6, and the species on the mainland of E. Asia (Sect. Dichocarpum) may well be paleotetraploids, whereas those in Japan (sect. Hutchinsonia) are paleohexaploids. Most of the advanced species are distributed in Japan and the most primitive ones in China and the Himalayas, the distribution pattern seggests that the Japanese members of this genus might have immigrated from China in the Tertiary, and differentiated and evolved there. The putative phylogeny of the genus is shown in Fig. 2 (at series level)

Pollen morphology of 89 species and 3 varieties belonging to 18 genera (out of 150 spcies in 20 genera) of Zingiberaceae in China was studied under both light microscope and scanning electron microscope. Pollen grains of Zingiberaceae are spherical, subspherical, ovoid and prolate, 36-225 μm in size, nonaperturate or aperturate (spiraperturate, porate). Pollen grains are almost not resistant to acetolysis. The wall is composed of a very thin exine and a thick intine. The exine is psilate, spinate, cerebelloid-areolate, striate, verrucate and foveolate. According to the presence or the absence of aperture and differential ornamentations, two types and six subtypes are recognized: I. The type Nonaperturate: (85 species and 3 varieties in 18 genera). Four subtypes can be recognized within the type based on the characteristics of the exine sculpture. These are: (1) The subtype Psilate, in which, the exine is nearly smooth (including: Hedychium, Curcuma, Kaempferia, Caulokaempferia coenobilis, Boesenbergia rotunda, Stahlianthus, Amomum compactum, Etingera, Hornstedtis, Rhynchanthus). (2) The subtype Spinate, which comprises two groups: (A) The group Short-spinate, pollen grains with smaller spines (Globba), (B) The group Long-spinate, pollen grains with longer spines (Alpinia, Amomum, Plagiostachys, Roscoea, Cautleya, Boesenbergia fallax, Caulokaempferia yunnanensis). (3) The subtype Cereblloid-areolate, pollen grains of which are spherical or subspherical, with cerebelloid sculpture (Zingiber Sect. Zingiber). (4) The subtype Striate, pollen grains of which are prolate or oliveshaped, and striate (Zingiber Setc. Cryptanthium). II. The type Aperturate, in which pollen grains are acetilysis-resistant and possess distinct apertures (mixed colpate-porate or forate), including two subtypes: (1)The subtype Mixed colpate and Porate. Pollen grains are both 3-colpate and 1-3-porate, and usually with one long spiral, two short (straight or slightly curved) colpi and 1-3-poris. The exine is verrucate or not, nearly sinuolate (Costus speciosus, C. tonkinensis, C. lacerus). (2) The subtype porate, whose grains are 6-8-porate and exine is foveolate (Costus megalobractea). The taxonomic significance of the pollen types in the family Zingiberaceae is also discussed.

The present paper deals with pollen morphology of 19 species belonging to Cyclobalanopsis and of 31 species belonging to Quercus from China. All pollen grains were examined under light microscope and scanning electron microscope, and those of 4 species of Cyclobalanopsis and of 8 species of Quercus were examined under transmission electron microscope. Pollen grains of Cyclobalanopsis are spheroidal or subspheroidal, 25.2(18.9-31.5) ×23.1 (16.8-27.3) μm in size. Mostly 3-colporoidate, rarely 3-colpate or 3-colporate. The exine is 2-layered, 1.1-1.9 μm thick, sexine thicker than nexine, finely granulate under LM, granulate, spinulate, verrucate under SEM. Pollen grains of Cyclobalanopsis and of evergreen members of Quercus are very similar to each other in size, aperture and ornamentation of exine, but there are some differences in pollen grains between Cyclobalanopsis and deciduous members of Quercus. Therefore, Pollenmorphology supports the treatment of Cyclobalanopsis as a subgenus of Querc

The present paper reports seed characters of 14 populations in Chinese Blyxa, examined using light microscope and scanning electron microscope. The internal structures of seeds were observed under light microscope after being prepared by paraffin section. The results show that differences between populations of different species are more distinct than between those within a species. The 14 populations in Chinese Blyxa are grouped into 4 species, i.e. Blyxa echinosperma (G. B. clarke) Hook. f., B. auberti Rich., B. leiosper-ma Koid., B. japonica (Miq.) Maxim.

Baolia Kung et G. L. Chu was established on the basis of B. bracteata Kung et G. L. Chu described in 1978 from Diebu County on the border between Gansu and Sichuan provinces. It is placed in the tribe Chenopodieae in 《Flora Reipulicae Popularis Sincae》, but considering its flowers with a bract and 2 bracteoles it is betwter transferred to the tribe Polvcenmeae. So far the tribe Polycnemeae contains 4 genera in total, i.e. Nitrophila S. Wats. with 4 species, distributed in Southwestern US, Mexico and Argentina, Hemichroa R. Br. with 3 species all in Australia, Polycnemum Dumort. with 4 species in Europe, Mediterranean, Middle Asia to Siberia, Baolia Kung et G. L. Chu with 1 species, occurring in central China with a very limited area.

Reported in this paper are two new species, one new variety, and three new records of the Characeae collected in China. They are Nitella anhuensis sp. nov., Chara paucicarpa sp. nov., Nitella alleninda var. tenuireticulata var. nov., N. gracilliformis J. Grove., N. formosa T. F. Allen and Chara tenuispina A. Br.