A revision of the perennial Papaver L. sects. Pilosa Prantl and Pseudopilosa M. Popov ex Giinther is presented. Sect. Pilosa is considered to contain one species with five subspecies: P. pilosum Sibth. & Sm. subsp. pilosum, subsp. glabrisepalum Kadereit subsp. now, subsp. strictum (Boiss. & Balansa) Wendt ex Kadereit comb, et slat, now, subsp. spicatum (Boiss. & Balansa) Wendt ex Kadereit comb, et star, now and subsp. sparsipilosum (Boiss.) Kadereit comb, et stat. now The species is distributed in W Turkey. Sect. Pseudopilosa contains three species with five subspecies: P. rupifragum Boiss. & Reut., P. allanticum (Ball) Coss. subsp. atlanticum and subsp. mesatlanticum (Maire) Kadereit comb, et stat. now, P. lateritium K. Koch subsp. lateritium and subsp. inonanthum (Trautv.) Kadereit comb, et stat. now Whereas P. rupifragum and P. atlanticum are found in S Spain and NW Africa, P. lateritium grows in NE Anatolia, Georgia and the Caucasus Mts.

The taxonomy and nomenclature of the most common, closely related brambles of the Mediterranean area are treated. These include R. ulmifolius Schott (R. discolor, R. rustieanus, R. inermis) and Rubus sanctus Schreber (R. sanguineus, R. dalmatinus, R. anatolicus) (Rosaceae). The species are illustrated, the types are given, and variability, synonymy and distribution is indicated. Fifteen names are lectotypified.

A new species of Tylophora, T. corollae Bullock ex Meve & Liede (Asclepiadaceae), is described from Ethiopia. This delicate twiner is characterized by yellow, shield-shaped corona lobes with apical appendages.

The non-twining shrub up to lm high, T. fleckii (Schltr.) N.E. Br., so far known to be endemic to Namibia, is for the first time recorded from NE Africa. The interesting biogeographical implications resulting from the extraordinary gap of 4500km in its distribution are discussed.

The taxonomy of Cortinarius subgen. Phlegmacium sect. Phlegmacium in Europe is emended to include 17 species, classified in three subsections: Subsect. Triumphantes: C. saginus ( = C. subvalidus), C. triumphans (=C. crocolitus). C. varius (here neotypified). C. variiformis ( = C luteocingulatus), C. tiliae sp. nov., C. pini sp. nov. and C. norrlandicus; Subsect. Arguti: C. argutus (here neotypified), C. fraudulosus var. fraudulosus. C. fraudulosus var. rosargutus comb, nov., C. paracephalixus ( = C. rioussctiae) and C. herculeus: Subsect. Vulpini: C. vulpinus ( = C. rufoalbus. C. fluryi). C. pseudontlpimts, C. maculosus, C. caligatus (=C. crustulinus) and C. aremoricus. Species descriptions are provided, with emphasis on formerly little studied micromorphological characters. Most species are well delimitated and normally easily distinguished from closely related taxa. Their diagnostic characters are presented. The circumscription of a number of the species deviates from the one most frequently used, and many taxa are synonymized. Altogether, 18 species names which have been in use after 1900 are reduced to synonyms. The delimitation of the section towards the neighbouring sect. Phlegmacioides (= Variecolores) is discussed, as well as the typification of the name Phlegmacium.

Subfossil oospores of Characeae from two Late-glacial sites, Sniddle Moss and Thieves' Moss, in the Ingleborough Region of West Yorkshire, were examined under light and scanning electron microscopes. An attempt was made to identify tentatively the characean species based principally on features of the oospore wall. Doubt attaches to one of the two species of Nitella recognized (N. flexilis, N. opaca?), one Chara species was attributed to the C. vulgaris complex, and other oospores belonging to the latter genus were placed in groupings based on oospore characters.