The genus Silene, with more than 100 species in Iran is an important genus of Iranian flora. According to available data on the northwestern parts of Iran, including three provinces of Ardabil, East and West Azarbaijan are considered as a major diversity center of perennial species of the genus Silene in Iran. In the course of a revision of Silenein this area, some interesting specimens were collected which are new records from Iran. In this paper, occurrence of Silene dianthoides (SECT. Caespitosae), and S. chustupica (SECT. Auriculatae) are reported. The name S. dianthoidesis used for previous records of S. marcowiczii which is more likely conspecific. Both species are growing in alpine zone. The previously evaluated threatened status of S. chustupica as critically endangered according to IUCN red list categories is discussed here. The taxonomical descriptions, geographical distribution and the ecology of the new records are provided and their photographs are also presented.

Introduction: Trifolium is one of the important genus in Fabaceae family comprises 250 annual and perenial species in the world. Between annual species in Vesicaria SECTion specially T. tomentosum, T.bullatum and T. clusii have similarity specially in flower and fruit morphology, so their distinction is difficult.Aim: Morphological study of pollen grain in these species were used for evaluating the Zohary classification in this SECTion.Material and method: Specimen from Vesicaria SECTion was gathered from different parts of Iran. By using SEM, P, E, PIE and furrow length, ornamentation of exine surface in equitorial and polar view, were specified for each species in 3 samples.Result: Pollen shape is oblong, and ornamentation of pollen surface is reticulate to rugose. The largest pollen grain belongs to T.fragiferum and the smallest one belongs to T.clusii. The characters such as ornamentation surface, P, E and furrow length were considered as the most important resource of variation by factor analysis. The species identification key were prepared accordingly.Conclusion: These results showed that pollen sculpture can separate T. tomentosun from T. bullatum that have similarity in morphology. Also, the most varieties characters such as P, E and exine sculpture, can identify other species.

In this research, plant morphology and pollen micromorphology of 14 populations of 3 species belonging to two SECTions Plethiosphace and Hemisphace of Salvia genus in Iran were studied. In the morphological study 25 quantitative and qualitative characters were investigated and the results clearly separated the species into two groups. The pollen grains from the herbarium specimens were prepared by acetolysis method and then 4 quantitative characters were examined by light microscopy. Data was processed by principal component analysis method. Results indicated that although the pollen grains in the SECTion were comparatively homogenous and all of them were 6-colpate with reticulate ornamentation, a considerable variation in the quantitative characters studied turned out to exist. However among the characters studied, equatorial and polar diameters of pollen grains were the most significant and based on these characters the members of these SECTions can be divided into two groups.

There many unknowns about Amir Alishir Navai's thoughts. He was the one of the great politicians and cultural characters of the last decades of the Timurids era. Historians have different opinions about his ethnicity and his religious beliefs. Some say he was a twelve imamer Shia, some say he was Sunni, some say he was sufi and some say he was not belong to a religious community. This led the writer to have a critical look at the existing documents and to review the historical evidences to find out more about his actual thoughts. Reviewing the historical evidences implies that he was neither Shia nor Sunni nor a perfect Sufi. He was only a religious man and his thoughts were influenced by aspects of different religions.

Astragalus hotkanensis is described as a new species from south east Iran. This species belongs to the SECT. Microphysa Bunge. The related species are A. meimandicus, and A. reuterianus.

Among the rich materials collected from different parts of Iran, three new species from Astragalus SECTion Incani DC. including; A. culminates Maassoumi, Kazempour Osaloo & Joharchi, A. elezgensis, Maassoumi & Kazempour Osaloo and A. kalatehensis Maassoumi & Kazempour Osaloo as new species are described and illustrated.  

Taxonomy ofCousinia SECT. Haussknechtianae is revised. The species belonging to this SECTion have limited distribution in high mountainous areas of C, SW and W Iran, and NE Iraq. Due to their late flowering time and remote mountainous areas of distribution, they are poorly known. Thanks to the examination of extensive collections from Zagros mountain range in recent years, species ofC. SECT. Haussknechtianae are now better known.In this paper three new species, i.e.C. komidjanensis from C Iran, C. curvibracteata from SW Iran and C.rawanduzensisfrom NE Iraq are described as new to science. A short diagnosis, an English description and an image of holotypes for each of these three new species are given. According to the results, C. SECT.Haussknechtianaeincludes overall eight species endemic to Iran and N Iraq. A synopsis of all species belonging to this SECTion, an identification key to the species and a map of distribution of species are given. In addition, C.hergtianais here lectotypified.

Astragalus borujenensis Ranjbar & Maassoumi (Fabaceae) is described from Iran and illustrated in line drawings. It belongs in Astragalus SECT. Ammodendron and resembles A. podolobus, from which it differs mainly in its stipe, color and type of pod indumentum and pod arrangement. Seed coat surfaces of A. borujenensis and A. podolobus are displayed in SEM photographs. Also A. filifoliolatus is transferred from A. SECT. Onobrychoidei to A. SECT. Ammodendron.

This article is a taxonomic review after Flora Iranica concerning some species of Bromus SECT. Bromus. Comparing the holotype, isotype and paratype of B. pseudobrachystachys with the lectotype of B. brachystachys and also reexamination of three Iranian and Iraqi herbarium sheets putatively determined under the latter’s name showed all belong to the former. B. racemosus, B. arvensis and B. secalinus are confirmed to occur in Iran. Despite B. tigridis was identified from Turkey based on the sheet Sorger & Buchner 82-62-54, the Iranian specimen was identified as B. racemosus. Furthermore, a new record of this SECTion i.e., B. macrocladus is reported here from mountains of Razi village (W Khoy, NW Iran).

The series Cousinia SECT. Leptocephalae ser. Chaetocephalae is raised to SECTional rank as a comb. nov. It is characterized from the closely related SECTion Leptocephlae by having solitary heads at the top of stems and branches, sessile stem leaves and yellow corolla. Three species namely Cousinia crassipes, C. attariae and C.chaetocephala are included in the new SECTion. C. attariae is described as a new species from the mountains near Esfarayen in Khorasan province.