This article provides information on the first records of lichenicolous fungus Sphinctrina parameraein Russia. This species parasitizes Pertusaria paramerae thallus. The studied specimens were collected in the Sub-Mediterranean formations in the Utrish Reserve, Abrau Peninsula, Krasnodar Territory (Russia). Morphologicaldescription, photographs and information on the ecology and distribution of this species are provided. Sphinctrinaleucopoda and S. turbinata are new to the Utrish Nature Reserve. Distribution of the pointed above Caucasian speciesis reviewed and a key for the identification of five species of the genus Sphinctrina recorded from the Caucasus isgiven.

Potentilla collina is reported for the first time in the flora of Siberia. This alien species was discovered in the Altai Territory. The ecological features, range, relationships, and morphological characteristics of the species are discussed. Images of herbarium specimens and photographs of P. collina in the wild from its new location are presented.

This paper provides additions to the article Zaikov V. F. et al. (2025). System of the genus Pulsatilla Mill. (Ranunculaceae). Turczaninowia 28, 3: 208–222.

The Eurasian steppe belt extends from the Danube to the Amur River and represents the largest expanse of steppe vegetation in the world. Despite numerous studies of the flora of individual regions, there is no a reliable estimate of the total number of higher plant species characteristic of this biome as a whole. Filling this gap is the aim of this study. Based on an analysis of modern floristic summaries, a count of species associated with steppe ecosystems was conducted, with an emphasis on the Euro-Siberian and Mongol-Chinese subregions. Special attention is paid to the correct assignment of taxa to the steppe flora, taking into account possible errors in taxonomic status and anthropogenic landscape changes. Estimates of the number of steppe species vary: for northern Kazakhstan – 750–850, for Mongolia – 800–900. Our calculations revealed that the species composition of the Pontic steppe ranges from 200 to 400 species, while for the Kazakh, Mongolian, and Chinese steppe regions, it ranges from 700 to 900 species. The rate of endemism in the ‘lowland’ steppes was extremely low (less than 1 %), which contrasts with the high rates in mountainous provinces such as Anatolia and Altai. This is primarily explained by the history of climate change in the Late Pleistocene, as well as the fact that the cryoarid conditions of glacial periods contributed to the impoverishment of flora and decreased isolation, hindering speciation. The results emphasize the dominant role of paleoclimatic factors in shaping the modern floristic structure of the Eurasian steppes and point to the need for further comprehensive research, particularly in the poorly studied regions of Central Asia.

Supplement to the flora of the Altai Territory is presented. For the first time for West Siberia and the Altai Territory, Najas tenuissima, a species from the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, is reported. Factors underlying the rarity of Najas tenuissima throughout its distribution area are discussed. Due to its rarity and specific ecological preferences, it is recommended to be included in the Red Data Book of the Altai Territory with the status of “Vulnerable”.

Three species of vascular plants: Actaea cimicifuga, Petrosimonia litwinowii, and Trichophorum alpinum, have been recorded for the first time in the Tyumen Region. For each species, the exact location is provided, along with the geographical coordinates of the finds and the description of the ecotopes. The most likely reason for the expansion of the distribution area of these species is the anthropogenic transformation of natural landscapes.

The article represents a continuation of the series devoted to the findings of new taxa of cyanobacteria and algae for the territory of Russia and the Russian Far East. An integrative approach was employed in the analysis of samples from architectural structures in Vladivostok and soils from the Jewish Autonomous Region and Sakhalin Region, resulting in the identification of three taxa: Inacoccus carmineus (Cyanobacteria) has been identified as new to Russia, while Pseudochlorella pringsheimii and Pseudomuriella schumacherensis (Chlorophyta) are new to the Russian Far East. A concise characterization of the morphology of the studied isolates and the general distribution of taxa is provided.

In karyotypes of Calendula officinalis L. (Asteraceae) (2n = 32) from various ecological and geographical places of growth, intraspecific polymorphism was studied based on patterns of chromosomal localization of molecular cytogenetic markers: C/DAPI bands and also 45S and 5S rDNA clusters. In all calendula samples, variable C/DAPI bands were found in the proximal-median regions of chromosomes. FISH revealed similar localization on chromosomes of the main 45S and 5S rDNA clusters: 45S rDNA clusters were localized on chromosomes 1 and 9, and 5S rDNA cluster was detected on the long arm of chromosome 10. Additionally, minor sites of 45S rDNA were identified in the karyotypes of calendula samples from Crimea and Belarus. Intraspecific variability in number and location of the minor 45S rDNA sites was revealed on chromosomes of C. officinalis plants from different places of growth.

The paper presents data on new records of alien and native vascular plant species, that are new for floras of several regions of European Russia, all made in 2024. Ballota nigra is a new neophyte species in the Pskov Region. Crataegus maximowiczii is recorded as naturalized alien species in the Kostroma Region. Ostericum palustre is a rare native species found in the Vologda Region for the first time. Vicia cassubica is a new native species recorded in both the Leningrad Region and in the Republic of Karelia. In addition, we provide data on several important species that previously have been rarely recorded in studied regions, i.e. 2nd record of alien Eragrostis minor for the Pskov Region, 3d record of alien Bidens frondosa for the Pskov Region, 2nd record of native Festuca altissima for the Leningrad Region, new records of native Najas flexilis and N. tenuissima for the Novgorod Region, and a new record of native Agrostis vinealis for the Vologda Region.

The investigations of a well-known botanist – specialist in cultivated plants, Professor, Doctor of Biological and Agricultural Sciences, Evgeniya N. Sinskaya (1889–1965), on the study of plant populations, issues of speciation in cultivated plants and their related species, the Vavilov theory of centers of origin of cultivated plants, its genesis and influence on the study of crop origin are viewed. Special attention is paid to the law of spiral series in phylogenetic history of plant genera formulated by E. N. Sinskaya – the last major theoretical research of the All-Union Institute of Plant Industry (now All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources named after N. I. Vavilov (VIR), St. Petersburg). The role of E. N. Sinskaya in the development of ideas and concepts of Robert E. Regel, Vladimir L. Komarov and Nikolai I. Vavilov is discussed.