Rhamnus heterophylla is a small shrub that contained flavonoids, hydroxybenzoic acids, and anthraquinones and flavonoids. It often was used in the treatment of bleeding, irregular menstruation and dysentery. Here, the complete chloroplast genome of the R. heterophylla been constructed from the Illumina sequencing data. The circular cp genome is 156,514 bp in size, and comprises a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,276 bp each, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,053 bp, and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 19,879 bp. The total GC content is 37.3%, while the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 35.3%, 31.7%, and 43.0% respectively. The chloroplast genome contains 130 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 8 ribosomal RNA genes, and 37 transfer RNA genes. The neighbor-joining phylogenetic analysis showed a strong sister relationship with Berchemia berchemiifolia and B. wilsonii.

A new species, Orychophragmus yangiisp. nov., from the Loess Plateau of Shaanxi Province, China, is described and illustrated. This species differs clearly from all other Orychophragmus species in the following traits: whole plant glabrous; leaves varying from simple to pinnatifid but never lyrate; pinnatifid leaves with lobes divided or not; simple leaves widest at the base; sepals green; petals white; fruit narrowly linear, terete, and glabrous; rostra of fruit 2–4 mm long. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on plastid genomic data and nuclear ribosomal RNA genes showed that the new species represents the first divergent lineage in the genus Orychophragmus. The chromosome number of the new species is 2n = 24.

Astragalus zibaishanensis sp. nov. (Fabaceae) is described and illustrated from Shaanxi, China. This new species is similar to Astragalus monadelphus , A. xitaibaicus and A. neomonodelphus by having yellow petals, pseudomonadelphous androecium, and stipitate legumes, but can be distinguished by its stem 0.9–1.5 mm in diameter; leaflets 5–7, hairy adaxially and abaxially; calyx teeth triangular, ca. 0.5 mm long; standard 17–20 mm long; wings 18–21 mm long; keels 17–20 mm long; pistil glabrous; legume glabrous, with a stipe 10–11 mm long. Astragalus zibaishanensis is unique in Astragalus by having pseudomonadelphous androecium. Phylogenetic analyses confirm that the new species is a member of A. sect. Cenantrum. The nuclear ITS tree shows that A. zibaishanensis forms a clade with A. henryi , A. umbellatus , A. chilienshanensis , A. moellendorffii , A. przewalskii , A. monadelphus , A. xitaibaicus and A. neomonodelphus .

A new species, Allium tsinlingense, from southern Shaanxi Province, China, is described and illustrated here. This species is similar to A. maowenense in Allium sect. Daghestanica, but it can be distinguished by its leaves solid, its spathe persistent after flowering, its flowers changing color from green, greenish to white in different stage, but never purplish, with the midvein of tepal greenish and never pale red, and its pedicels with bracteoles at base. Molecular phylogenetic analyses also suggested that this new species is a member of Allium sect. Daghestanica and a sister taxon to A. maowenense.

Hedysarum langranii sp. nov. (Fabaceae, Hedysareae) is described and illustrated from Shaanxi, Henan and Gansu, China. This new species is morphologically similar to H. smithianum , but can be distinguished by its glabrous stipules (vs. sparsely pubescent), standard petal 9–11 mm long (vs. 12–13 mm long), keel petals 12–13 mm long (vs. 14–15 mm long), androecium 13–15 mm long (vs. 16–17 mm long), loment articles 4–5 mm wide (vs. 5–7 mm wide). The new species can be easily distinguished from H. dentatoalatum by its papyraceous leaflets (vs. membranaceous), corolla pale purple or pink (vs. pale yellow); loment articles 5–7 × 4–5 mm, without prickle on the veins, with minute irregular teeth along both sutures (vs. 8–12 × 10–12 mm, with prickles on the veins, with wings and prominent teeth along both sutures). The phylogenetic tree based on the nuclear sequences shows that H. langranii is sister to H. dentatoalatum , while the tree based on the plastid sequences shows that H. langranii is sister to a clade consisting of H. smithianum and H. dentatoalatum. The new species and H. dentatoalatum are both diploids with a chromosome number 2 n = 14. Supplementary descriptions of H. smithianum and H. dentatoalatum are also provided. The incongruent phylogenetic position of H. dentatoalatum could be explained by an ancient hybridization hypothesis, but requires further investigation to determine the reason for this incongruence.