Nisar Ali

Two novel boletes, Gyroporus binkatensis and Cyanoboletus sulcatipes , are described from District Swat, Pakistan, based on detailed macro‐ and micromorphological observations and phylogenetic analysis derived from Oxford Nanopore sequencing. G. binkatensis is characterized by an orbicular, dull reddish‐brown pileus with upturned and rimose margin, an eccentric tapering stipe, a hymenophore that remains white upon bruising, and oblong to subcylindrical basidiospores. C. sulcatipes exhibits a dull, dry, smooth pileus, irregular elongated pores that become irpicoid to daedaloid with age, a stipe distinctly longitudinally sulcate at the apex, narrowly fusiform basidiospores, and absence of clamp connections. nrITS‐based phylogenetic analysis places both species in a distinct, well‐supported lineage. Molecular phylogeny resolved C. sulcatipes as a distinct lineage separate from the C. flavocontextus and C. sinopulverulentus clade, and G. binkatensis as an independent clade within G . sect. Castaneus , both strongly supported by bootstrap analyses. Comprehensive descriptions, in situ photographs, and micrographs relative to new species are provided.

The present study was conducted to investigate the systematic importance of Tribes Ranunculeae and Anemoneae in Ranunculaceae from Pakistan. Using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, this study presented the first detailed palynological analysis of the tribes. Quantitative and qualitative features of pollen grains were investigated for accurate identification of plant species. The results showed that pollen was endoaperturate, with studied apertures as tricolpate, tricolporate, tetracolpate, and trizonocolpate. The parasyncolpate type of aperture was present only in Ranunculus repens in the present study. The ornamentation of colpi varied from species to species within the same genus, while scabrate, gemmate, and verrucate colpus patterns with micro-spinule-like projections were the most predominant in the tribes. The highest pollen diameter was observed in Ranunculus arvensis (65.6 µm), while the lowest was in Clematis grata (23.8 µm). Microechinate, scabrate, fossulate, striate, and verrucate microperforated surface ornamentation types were recorded through scanning electron microscopy for accurate taxa identification. Our results suggest that palynological features are effective tools for resolving ambiguities among closely related species, such as Ranunculus, and for revealing taxonomic relationships at the tribal and genus levels.

Specimens of Singerocybe alboinfundibuliformis were collected from deciduous forests in district Swat. The species was identified using internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) sequences analysis as well as morpho-anatomical features. Detailed morphological description and illustrations are provided along with result of molecular phylogenetic analysis. This species is reported as a new record from Pakistan and also the first report of the genus Singerocybe from the country.