Following recent taxonomic, distributional, and nomenclatural revisions, an updated checklist of endemic plants on the Korean Peninsula is needed. This study provides an updated checklist of vascular plants endemic to the Korean Peninsula and describes their distribution within administrative provinces. The revised checklist includes 373 endemic taxa (304 species, six subspecies, 49 varieties, and 14 nothospecies) from 179 genera and 64 families, representing 9.5% of the total native flora of the Korean Peninsula. Asteraceae (41 taxa), Ranunculaceae (29 taxa), Liliaceae s.l. (24 taxa), and Rosaceae (22 taxa) were the most widely represented families. Compared with the most recent checklist published in 2017, 39 taxa were excluded from the checklist; one taxon was excluded because it did not have a valid published name, seven taxa were excluded because their natural habitats extended to neighboring countries, four taxa were excluded because they were treated as a rank form, and 27 taxa were excluded because they had been identified as heterotypic synonyms of taxa distributed outside of the Korean Peninsula. Fifty-two new taxa were included based on the literature. This checklist will help to focus conservation efforts and provide a framework for research, protection, and policy implementation related to these endemic taxa.

The name Rosa davurica var. alpestris (Nakai) Kitag. was published in 1979 as a new combination based on R. rubro-stipullata var. alpestris Nakai. It is generally accepted as a deciduous shrub occurring in Russia, Manchuria, Japan, and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and is distinguished by the presence of eglandular leaves. Rosa rubro-stipullata var. alpestris was originally described as a new variety with a leaf size relatively smaller than that of R. rubro-stipullata var. rubro-stipullata . However, the observation of various specimens showed the leaf size of var. alpestris to be of minor importance, and it was included in var. rubro-stipullata as a synonym. Due to the priority of autonyms, a new combination is required to replace R. davurica var. alpestris. Additionally, it should be noted that the epithet “rubro-stipullata” is derived from the Latin word “stipula” rather than “stipulla.” Therefore, for this variety, we propose a new combination, R. davurica var. rubro-stipulata (Nakai) D. C. Son & Y. S. Kim, comb. nov. & stat. nov.

This study was conducted to classify the types of degraded land in the Taebaeksan region within the Baekdudaegan mountain range in Korea using image analysis and to assess the degree of degradation through a detailed survey of each type. Based on the findings, candidate tree species for restoration and strategies for land rehabilitation were proposed. The analysis identified 1589 degraded sites, classified into nine types of degradation. Using the Self-Organizing Map (SOM) method, these sites were further categorized into six environmental types. A survey was conducted on 25 degraded sites (encompassing 73 specific locations) in the Taebaeksan region, revealing that the sites fell into seven out of nine degradation categories: grassland, agricultural land, forest roads, ranches, cemeteries, logging sites, and abandoned quarries. The excluded categories were buildings and military facilities. A more focused survey was conducted on the 73 largest sites across the degradation types, with a reference ecosystem selected based on topographic analysis and succession processes. Diagnostic evaluations identified logging sites and severely degraded areas as the most urgent priorities for rehabilitation. Candidate tree species for restoration were proposed for each degradation type and environmental condition, based on ecological importance and reference ecosystem characteristics. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of degradation types following ecological restoration procedures and offers valuable baseline data for selecting restoration species and designing restoration strategies in conjunction with reference ecosystem studies.

Eleutherococcus Maxim. belongs to the family Araliaceae, with approximately 40 species distributed in Eastern Asia and the Himalayan regions. Among these, Eleutherococcus divaricatus var. chiisanensis is distributed only in the central Korean Peninsula. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of Eleutherococcus divaricatus var. chiisanensis (Araliaceae) was determined to be 156,765 bp in length, consisting of large (86,592 bp) and small (18,239 bp) single-copy regions and a pair of identical inverted repeats (25,967 bp). The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome was 37.9%, and in the large singlecopy sequence, the small single-copy sequence, and each of inverted repeat sequences, the contents were 36.2%, 32%, and 43%, respectively. The genome consists of 132 genes, made up of 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. A cp genome phylogenetic analysis of the 12 taxa inferred from the cp genome revealed a close relationship between Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus and E. divaricatus var. chiisanensis<. The complete cp genome sequence of E. divaricatus var. chiisanensis provides important information for future phylogenetic and evolutionary studies of the genus Eleutherococcus.

Maesa Forssk. (Myrsinaceae) has approximately 200 species distributed in the tropics from southern Africa to East Asia. Among them, Maesa japonica (Thunb.) Moritzi ex Zoll. is distributed throughout China, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Korea. In Korea, this species is found only on Jejudo Island. In this study, we conducted whole-genome sequencing of M. japonica chloroplast (cp). The complete cp genome sequence of M. japonica was found to be 157,189 bp in length, consisting of large (87,780 bp) and small (18,143 bp) single-copy regions (LSC and SSC, respectively) and a pair of identical inverted repeats (IRs) (25,633 bp). The overall GC content of the cp genome was 38%, while those of the LSC, SSC, and each IR were 35.2%, 30.9%, and 43.1%, respectively. Furthermore, 130 genes consisting of 85 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA genes and eight ribosomal RNA genes were identified in the cp genome. A phylogenetic analysis of 12 taxa inferred from the cp genome revealed a close relationship between M. salicifolia and M. japonica. The complete cp genome sequence of M. japonica provides valuable information for future evolutionary and phylogenetic studies of Maesa.

Dracocephalum rupestre Hance is a perennial herb distributed across China, Mongolia, and Korea. This study reports the first complete chloroplast genome sequence of D. rupestre. The plastome is 151,230 bp long and exhibits a typical quadripartite structure comprising a large single-copy region of 82,536 bp, a small single-copy region of 17,408 bp, and a pair of identical inverted repeat regions of 25,643 bp each. It contains 130 genes, comprising 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis of D. rupestre and related species of Lamiaceae showed that the genus Dracocephalum is a monophyletic group, and D. rupestre is most closely related to D. psammophilum.