Following recent taxonomic, distributional, and nomenclatural revisions, an updated checklist of endemic plants on the Korean Peninsula is needed. This study provides an updated checklist of vascular plants endemic to the Korean Peninsula and describes their distribution within administrative provinces. The revised checklist includes 373 endemic taxa (304 species, six subspecies, 49 varieties, and 14 nothospecies) from 179 genera and 64 families, representing 9.5% of the total native flora of the Korean Peninsula. Asteraceae (41 taxa), Ranunculaceae (29 taxa), Liliaceae s.l. (24 taxa), and Rosaceae (22 taxa) were the most widely represented families. Compared with the most recent checklist published in 2017, 39 taxa were excluded from the checklist; one taxon was excluded because it did not have a valid published name, seven taxa were excluded because their natural habitats extended to neighboring countries, four taxa were excluded because they were treated as a rank form, and 27 taxa were excluded because they had been identified as heterotypic synonyms of taxa distributed outside of the Korean Peninsula. Fifty-two new taxa were included based on the literature. This checklist will help to focus conservation efforts and provide a framework for research, protection, and policy implementation related to these endemic taxa.

The basic information of ovule and seed characteristics was investigated for five monotypic and endemic genera in the Korean peninsula as categorized by the Flora of Korea category. The carpels and seeds were sectioned with a rotary microtome. Mature seeds were coated with platinum using an ion sputter and observed using a scanning electron microscope. As a result, Abeliophyllum was found to be anatropous and a unitegmic ovule, with a slightly colliculate seed surface and exotestal seed coat type. The ovule of Coreanomecon was anatropous and bitegmic, having a distinct echinate seed surface, and exo-endotestal seed coat type with a prismatic crystal in the mesotesta. The ovule of Hanabusaya was anatropous and a unitegmic, with a long reticulate seed surface sculpture, and distinct exotestal seed coat type. In addition, a wing developed at the opposite side of the raphe bundle. Megaleranthis was an anatropous and bitegmic ovule, having a small pentagonal disk shape, a concave seed surface and exotestal seed coat type. Finally, Pentactina was also anatropous and a unitegmic ovule, reticulate seed sculpture, and endotestal seed coat type. These data will be proving to be a source of good information for securing bio-sovereignty in the near future.

On the Korean Peninsula, eleven species of the genus Liparis (Orchidaceae) have been recorded, and three species are presumed to belong to the L. makinoana complex. These are L. koreana, L. japonica, and L. makinoana. Liparis japonica and L. makinoana are distributed in South Korea, but the distribution of L. koreana has not been confirmed. Liparis japonica and L. makinoana are morphologically very similar, making it difficult to classify them. Recently, L. japonica and L. makinoana in Japan were reclassified into three species. One of them is an amended species of L. makinoana, and the other two species were described as new species, specifically L. longiracemosa and L. suzumushi. It was confirmed that the three species are distributed in South Korea. Here, we provide a distribution map, photographs of the three new species, and a comparison of their morphological characteristics.

녹보리똥나무와 큰보리장나무는 형태적 특성에 기반하여 잡종 분류군으로 제안된 바 있으나, 이에 대한 분류학적 실체가 불명확하다. 본 연구에서는 녹보리똥나무와 큰보리장나무의 잡종 기원을 밝히기 위하여 현장 조사와 표본관에 소장된 표본을 검토하여 형태적 특징을 관찰하였으며, 핵리보솜 구간(internal transcribed spacer, 5S non-transcribed spacer)과 엽록체 구간(matK)의 염기서열을 비교·분석하였다. 형태적 특징을 관찰한 결과, 녹보리똥나무는 보리장나무와, 큰보리똥나무는 통영볼레나무와 형태적으로 유사성을 보였으나, 분자 분석 결과, 녹보리똥나무는 핵리보솜 구간에서 보리장나무와 보리밥나무의 서열의 혼성화가 관찰되었다. 큰보리장나무는 다양한 양상이 관찰되었는데, 일부 개체는 핵리보솜 구간에서 통영볼레나무와 보리밥나무의 서열의 혼성화가, 엽록체 구간에서는 보리밥나무 서열이 관찰되었다. 다른 개체는 핵리보솜 구간에서는 보리밥나무의 서열을 보였으나, 엽록체 구간에서는 통영볼레나무의 서열이 관찰되어 핵과 엽록체간 불일치를 보였다. 일부 개체는 통영볼레나무와 보리밥나무의 중간형을 보였으나, 핵리보솜과 엽록체 구간 모두 보리밥나무 서열이 관찰되었다. 이러한 결과는 두 종이 잡종기원이며, 부모종 또는 잡종 개체간 교배가 빈번히 일어나는 것을 시사한다.

Hibiscus hamabo (Malvaceae) is a deciduous shrub mainly found in northeast Asia, including China, Japan, and Korea. Due to its limited distribution on Jejudo Island and at several sites in Jeollanam-do in Korea, H. hamabo has been designated as an endangered species by the Ministry of the Environment and has been the subject of several restoration programs. In this study, we quantified genetic variations using double-digestion restriction-associated DNA sequencing technology in 96 individuals of H. hamabo from 13 distinct populations in Korea. We determined 3,352 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism loci after stringent filtering processes and analyzed the level of genetic variation within and among populations as well as the population differentiation and genetic ancestry with various assumptions pertaining to the population origin. Our results indicated weak differentiations among populations surveyed in this study but clearly suggested that most of the H. hamabo populations maintain a relatively high level of genetic diversity as evidence of frequent genetic exchanges among populations via outcrossing or sequential gene flows. For a more detailed analysis of the origin of Korean H. hamabo and its demographic history, it will be necessary to expand sampling in China and Japan.

Paraphlomis koreana (Lamiaceae) was newly named and added to Korean flora in 2014. Paraphlomis belongs to the tribe Paraphlomideae, along with Ajugoides and Matsumurella. However, a recent study has suggested that P. koreana is morphologically similar to Matsumurella chinensis, making them difficult to distinguish from each other. Therefore, we aimed to examine the phylogenetic placement of P. koreana within the tribe and compare its genetic relationship with M. chinensis. We sequenced an additional complete plastid genome for an individual of P. koreana and generated sequences of nuclear ribosomal (nr) DNA regions of internal and external transcribed spacers (ITS and ETS) for two individuals of P. koreana. Maximum likelihood analyses based on two nrDNA regions (ITS and ETS) and four plastid DNA markers (rpl16 intron, rpl32-trnL, rps16 intron, and trnL-F) covering 13 Paraphlomis species and M. chinensis were conducted. Phylogenetic analyses concordantly supported that P. koreana forms a monophyletic group with M. chinensis. Moreover, our study revealed that P. koreana includes nrDNA sequences of M. chinensis as minor intra-individual variants, suggesting that the genetic divergence between the two taxa is incomplete and may represent intraspecific variation rather than distinct species. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the independent species status of P. koreana within Paraphlomis should be reconsidered.

Carex brevispicula (Cyperaceae) is endemic to Korea and is characterized by constricted achenes, short lateral spikes, and awned staminate and pistillate scales. The species classified in sect. Mitratae occurs throughout South Korea, perennating on mountains and/or rocky slopes under half shadow conditions. Meiotic chromosomes of the species were examined in this study, in which 33 meiotic cells from seven populations were found to be less than 2 ㎛ long with non-constricted chromosomes (n = 34_II). The stable chromosome number may be related to the narrow geographical distribution and/or distinct achene morphology. Further investigations of the distribution, morphological character variation, and chromosome characteristics should be conducted with closely related taxa to understand the derivation of the species and its endemism in Korea.

Discoveries and new records of plants specifically provide a basis for empirical data to enable in-depth studies of the ecology, distribution, conservation, applications, and threats to such plants. However, many unexplored regions of Bhutan exist in which several plants have yet to be described and documented. Several species reported elsewhere in the Himalayan region with similar climatic conditions are likely to occur in Bhutan as well, indicating a need to corroborate their presence. To explore this, an opportunistic survey was employed, and we provide nine new records of plant species for Bhutan. Of the nine species, three belonged to the Lauraceae family, with the rest from the Aristolochiaceae, Asparagaceae, Lamiaceae, Phyllanthaceae, Sapindaceae, and Urticaceae families. This paper adds nine additional species of plants to the flora of Bhutan. We also report here ethnobotanical applications of these species, providing insight into how communities interact with environmental resources and have the potential to integrate traditional knowledge into scientific understanding, ultimately to reinforce sustainable biocultural conservation at the local level.