This attractive species was first found by Sheila Collenette in January 1961 on an Expedition to Gunong Trus Madi, the second highest peak in Sabah, on the crest of the main ridge near the summit between 2135–2285m. The original plant was described as a tree with a substantial trunk over 7m in height, and quite a spectacular sight covered in fully open bright orange flowers. Herbarium collections of this plant were sent to Professor Sleumer in Leiden who described the material as a new species of Rhododendron in series Javanica, No 208a (Sleumer, 1963). In his revision of the genus Rhododendron in Malaysia (Sleumer, 1960) he inserted this between Rhododendron englerianum Koord from New Guinea and R. rhodopus Sleumer from Sulawesi. This appears to be a very precise position but no reasons were given for this placement and there is no reason to suppose this species has a very close relationship with either of those between which it had been interposed. It might have been better placed with R. rugosum Low. ex Hook. f. with which it does have scale type and geographical location in common.

The keys to the genera of Gesneriaceae, and to the species within each genus, prepared for Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae are here presented in English translation. The keys are prefaced by a discussion on the phytogeography of Gesneriaceae within China and a note on the recognition of the evolutionary tendencies that underlie the revision; both are by Wang Wentsai. The keys have been translated by Professor Wang and edited, with a few supplementary notes and references, by B. L. Burtt, who also contributes an Introduction.

An account of Streptocarpus was written for inclusion in Flora of Southern Africa; now that that publication has been suspended, two new names are validated here. The plants were discussed under S. rimicola in Hilliard & Burtt, Streptocarpus. An African plant study, 240–241 (1971).

A historical outline of Dioscorea kamoonensis (Dioscoreaceae – Sect. Lasiophyton) and related taxa is provided. Four species are recognized in the present paper: D. kamoonensis; D. delavayi; D. ochroleuca, nom. el slat. nov. and D. brevifolia, stat. nov. Scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) of pollen and hairs from the four species are also given.

Ephedra milleri Freitag & Maier-Stolte (Ephedraceae) from Dhofar (Oman) is described. E. sinaica Riedl, described as an endemic from S Sinai and meanwhile collected from numerous localities in higher altitudes of the western escarpment of Arabia is reduced to a subspecies of E. pachyclada.

Ixora keenanii Deb & Rout (Rubiaceae) is described as a new species from Kachin State, Burma.

Eighty one species of larger fungi are recorded from Mediterranean Turkey, many of which are noted for the first time either for Turkey as a whole or the southern region. Notes on the distribution, where appropriate, are added especially for the most significant collections. All the major families of agarics are included in addition to some gasteromycetes, members of the Polyporales, and a few ascomycetes.