Mutomo hill plant sanctuary is a ten‐hectare piece of land in Kenya listed as a botanical garden under the Botanical Gardens Conservation International, originally established in 1964 with the aim of conserving indigenous flora from destructive anthropogenic activities. This paper presents ethnobotanical documentation of medicinal plants of Mutomo hill plant sanctuary and its environs. An ethnobotanical survey was carried out in Mutomo hill plant sanctuary and its environs with 48 herbalists aged between 32 and 96 years from July 2018 to February 2019 using a semistructured open‐ended questionnaire. The plants were collected through random surveys with each herbalist in different ecotypes around the villages and within the Mutomo hill plant sanctuary. The Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) for each species reported was calculated to determine the plant species frequently collected. In total, 68 different plant species distributed in 28 families and 54 genera were reported. The frequently used plant families were Leguminosae (13 species), Lamiaceae (6 species), and Euphorbiaceae (6 species). Shrubs (37%) and trees (34%) were the dominant growth habits reported. The most cited plant species were Cassia abbreviata Oliv. (RFC = 0.63), Acacia nilotica (L.). Delile (RFC = 0.54), Strychnos heningsii Gilg (RFC = 0.46), and Aloe secundiflora Engl. (RFC = 0.31). Root (19 species) and bark (19 species) were the frequently collected plant parts. Infectious diseases (33) and digestive system disorders (24) were reported to be managed with the majority of the plant species. This study contributes to safeguarding the traditional knowledge on medicinal plants in the study area, which is useful in appreciating and acknowledging the cultural heritage of the Kamba people from the local perspective of Mutomo area in Kenya. It also adds to the knowledge base and documentation of medicinal plants, which is useful information as potential data for drug development.

The genusAlchemillaL., known for its medicinal and ornamental value, is widely distributed in the Holarctic regions with a few species found in Asia and Africa. Delimitation of species withinAlchemillais difficult due to hybridization, autonomous apomixes, and polyploidy, necessitating efficient molecular-based characterization. Herein, we report the initial complete chloroplast (cp) genomes ofAlchemilla. The cp genomes of two African (Afromilla) speciesAlchemilla pedataandAlchemilla argyrophyllawere sequenced, and phylogenetic and comparative analyses were conducted in the family Rosaceae. The cp genomes mapped a typical circular quadripartite structure of lengths 152,438 and 152,427 base pairs (bp) inA. pedataandA. argyrophylla, respectively.Alchemillacp genomes were composed of a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRa/IRb) of length 25,923 and 25,915 bp, separating the small single copy (SSC) region of 17,980 and 17,981 bp and a large single copy (LSC) region of 82,612 and 82,616 bp inA. pedataandA. argyrophylla, respectively. The cp genomes encoded 114 unique genes including 88 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 4 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Additionally, 88 and 95 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 37 and 40 tandem repeats were identified inA. pedataandA. argyrophylla, respectively. Significantly, the loss of group II intron inatpFgene inAlchemillaspecies was detected. Phylogenetic analysis based on 26 whole cp genome sequences and 78 protein-coding gene sequences of 27 Rosaceae species revealed a monophyletic clustering ofAlchemillanested within subfamily Rosoideae. Based on a protein-coding region, negative selective pressure (Ka/Ks < 1) was detected with an average Ka/Ks value of 0.1322 inA. argyrophyllaand 0.1418 inA. pedata. The availability of complete cp genome in the genusAlchemillawill contribute to species delineation and further phylogenetic and evolutionary studies in the family Rosaceae.

Rural communities in Kenya largely depend on plant resources for their livelihood. The utilization of these resources depends on the availability of plant resources and the level of knowledge of the residents. We conducted an ethnobotanical study in Tharaka-Nithi County in Kenya to determine the knowledge and utilization of various plant species by the local communities. The study was conducted in four major administrative regions from June 2018 to February 2019, involving interview schedules using semi-structured open-ended questionnaires and guided field collections with 48 informants. A total of 214 plant species distributed in 73 families and 169 genera with 616 Use Reports (URs) were documented. Fabaceae was the highest family cited by the informants (31 species) followed by Lamiaceae and Euphorbiaceae (each with 11 species). Trees (49%) and shrubs (32%) were the top life forms of the plants frequently utilized by the local residents. The general plant uses reported were medicinal, food, fodder, construction, fuel, pesticidal, religious, live fencing, and making crafts. Zanthoxylum gilletii, Prunus africana, and Solanum incanum were found to be highly valued by the local communities. Plant utilization as food and medicinal uses against snake-bite related problems had the highest Informant Consensus Factor (ICF). Only 29 (13.6%) of the species reported had their status assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Conservation measures, alongside awareness creation in this region, are highly recommended for the species endemic to the region, highly depended on by the community, and those threatened according to IUCN standards.

Globally, food and medicinal plants have been documented, but their use patterns are poorly understood. Useful plants are non-random subsets of flora, prioritizing certain taxa. This study evaluates orders and families prioritized for medicine and food in Kenya, using three statistical models: Regression, Binomial, and Bayesian approaches. An extensive literature search was conducted to gather information on indigenous flora, medicinal and food plants. Regression residuals, obtained using LlNEST linear regression function, were used to quantify if taxa had unexpectedly high number of useful species relative to the overall proportion in the flora. Bayesian analysis, performed using BETA.INV function, was used to obtain superior and inferior 95% probability credible intervals for the whole flora and for all taxa. To test for the significance of individual taxa departure from the expected number, binomial analysis using BINOMDIST function was performed to obtain p-values for all taxa. The three models identified 14 positive outlier medicinal orders, all with significant values (p < 0.05). Fabales had the highest (66.16) regression residuals, while Sapindales had the highest (1.1605) R-value. Thirty-eight positive outlier medicinal families were identified; 34 were significant outliers (p < 0.05). Rutaceae (1.6808) had the highest R-value, while Fabaceae had the highest regression residuals (63.2). Sixteen positive outlier food orders were recovered; 13 were significant outliers (p < 0.05). Gentianales (45.27) had the highest regression residuals, while Sapindales (2.3654) had the highest R-value. Forty-two positive outlier food families were recovered by the three models; 30 were significant outliers (p < 0.05). Anacardiaceae (5.163) had the highest R-value, while Fabaceae had the highest (28.72) regression residuals. This study presents important medicinal and food taxa in Kenya, and adds useful data for global comparisons.

Rhipsalis baccifera is the only cactus that naturally occurs in both the New World and the Old World, and has thus drawn the attention of most researchers. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome of R. baccifera is reported here for the first time. The cp genome of R. baccifera has 122, 333 base pairs (bp), with a large single-copy (LSC) region (81,459 bp), SSC (23,531 bp) and two inverted repeat (IR) regions each 8530 bp. The genome contains 110 genes, with 73 protein-coding genes, 31 tRNAs, 4 rRNAs and 2 pseudogenes. Twelve genes have introns, with loss of introns being observed in, rpoc1clpP and rps12 genes. 49 repeat sequences and 62 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were found in the genome. Comparative analysis with eight species of the ACPT (Anacampserotaceae, Cactaceae, Portulacaceae, and Talinaceae) clade of the suborder Portulacineae species, showed that R. baccifera genome has higher number of rearrangements, with a 19 gene inversion in its LSC region representing the most significant structural change in terms of its size. Inversion of the SSC region seems common in subfamily Cactoideae, and another 6 kb gene inversion between rbcL- trnM was observed in R. baccifera and Carnegiea gigantea. The IRs of R. baccifera are contracted. The phylogenetic analysis among 36 complete chloroplast genomes of Caryophyllales species and two outgroup species supported monophyly of the families of the ACPT clade. R. baccifera occupied a basal position of the family Cactaceae clade in the tree. A high number of rearrangements in this cp genome suggests a larger number mutation events in the history of evolution of R. baccifera. These results provide important tools for future work on R. baccifera and in the evolutionary studies of the suborder Portulacineae.

Impatiens longiaristata (Balsaminaceae), a new species from western Sichuan Province in China, is described and illustrated here based on morphological and molecular data. It is similar to I. longiloba and I. siculifer, but differs in its lower sepal with a long arista at the apex of the mouth, spur curved downward or circinate, and lower petal that is oblong-elliptic and two times longer than the upper petal. Molecular analysis confirmed its placement in sect. Racemosae. Simultaneously, during the inspection of the protologues and type specimens of allied species, it was found that the types of two names from this section were syntypes based on Article 9.6 of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Shenzhen Code). According to Articles 8.1, 9.3, and Recommendations 9A.1, 9A.2, and 9A.3, the lectotypes of these two names are here designated.