As a step towards a revision of the sectional classification of Neotropical species of Habenaria, we focus here on section Pentadactylae. In its current delimitation, this is the largest of the 14 New World sections and embraces a group of 34 morphologically heterogeneous species. We expanded the sampling of Neotropical species currently placed in this section and performed Bayesian, maximum likelihood and parsimony analyses using nucleotide sequences from one nuclear (internal transcribed spacer, ITS) and three plastid (matK, trnK intron, rps16-trnK) DNA regions. In addition, morphological features of these species were reassessed. Based on our analyses, we propose that Habenaria section Pentadactylae should be recircumscribed to include only seven species: H. pentadactyla (the type species of the section), H. dutrae, H. ekmaniana, H. exaltata, H. henscheniana, H. megapotamensis and H. montevidensis. Thirty-two species previously assigned to the section grouped within unrelated clades and are therefore excluded from the section. There are no unambiguous morphological synapomorphies for the section, but the group can be confidently recircumscribed and identified on the basis of a combination of diagnostic morphological vegetative and floral characters. Morphological floral features in Habenaria montevidensis are distinct from those of other species in the section, probably as a result of a shift to diurnal pollinators. Following a taxonomic revision of the group, H. crassipes is placed under the synonymy of H. exaltata and neotypes are designated for H. crassipes, H. montevidensis and H. recta (= H. ekmaniana). All species in the section live in marshes or wet grasslands from northern Argentina to central Brazil; most species are concentrated in southern Brazil. Most species are probably rare, and five may be threatened according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) criteria.

Melioidosis, a severe infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei that is prevalent in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia, has been sporadically reported in Brazil since 2003. We report a case of aortic aneurysm with blood culture positive for B. pseudomallei. The phylogenetic analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA showed this isolate to be evolutionarily grouped with the MSHR346 strains from Thailand.

Four new species of Habenaria restricted to the Espinhaço Range in the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia are described: H. reflexicalcar, H. hippocrepica, H. quadriferricola, and H. espinhacensis. Specimens were collected as long ago as 1816, but they were misidentified or unidentified in herbarium collections. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear and plastid DNA sequences showed that these species form a highly supported clade, denominated Espinhacenses, which is related to other species having linear, grass-like leaves that are concentrated in the cerrado and campos rupestres vegetation of central and southeastern Brazil, although the closest relatives to the Espinhacenses clade were not resolved. There are no apparent morphological synapomorphies for the clade, it being characterized by a combination of characters, including slender plants, linear leaves, spiral inflorescences, few to many small and glabrous flowers, a pedicel that is shorter than the ovary, and separate hemipollinaria.

Habenaria bicornis fue descrita por primera vez en 1835, para Cuba, y era conocida apenas para este país y unos pocos registros de Panamá, de 1920. En el presente estudio, demostramos que H. bicornis y H. goyazensis, esta última conocida para Brasil y Guiana, son específicas y la especie se distribuye desde México hasta el sudeste de Brasil. El modelado de nicho y la recolección de datos indican que esta especie posee una preferencia por sabanas húmedas de tierras bajas y es predicho que su distribución incluye gran parte del Neotrópico con hábitats favorables. Los análisis filogenéticos moleculares con secuencias del ADN nuclear (ITS) y plastidial (matK) ubicaron H. bicornis en una posición aislada próximo a la base del clado Neotropical, aunque con bajo soporte. En términos de su morfología, sus relaciones no están aclaradas, ya que no hay similitudes evidentes entre H. bicornis y los subclados básales o cualquier otro subclado Neotropical. Los análisis citogenéticos indican un número cromosómico básico de x=21, similar a las otras especies basales del Neotrópico.

A Serra da Canastra está localizada no sudoeste de Minas Gerais e situa-se dentro do domínio do Cerrado. Os estudos florísticos na região começaram na década de 1990, mas ainda estão incompletos e Orchidaceae é uma das famílias que não foram estudadas. Neste trabalho é apresentado um inventário do gênero Habenaria na Serra da Canastra. Foram registradas 28 espécies para a região, sendo que H. canastrensis e H. pseudoculicina são endêmicas restritas a área de estudo. A Serra da Canastra, com 30% do total de espécies registradas para Minas Gerais é uma das cinco unidades de conservação com maior diversidade do gênero no estado. Ocorrem na área de estudo principalmente espécies de ampla distribuição, bem como algumas espécies típicas do planalto central e outras típicas do Espinhaço, mas nenhuma espécie típica dos campos de altitude do domínio da Mata Atlântica. Palavras-chave: Cerrado, inventário florístico, taxonomia. AbstractThe Serra da Canastra is located in the southwestern part of Minas Gerais within the Cerrado Biome. The floristic studies of the region began in the 1990's but are incomplete and Orchidaceae is one of the families that were not studied yet. This work presents a survey of the genus Habenaria in Serra da Canastra. 28 species were recorded for the region, two of which, H. canastrensis and H. pseudoculicina, are endemics from the study area. 30% of the Habenaria recorded for Minas Gerais occur in Serra da Canastra and the area is one of five conservation units with the highest diversity of the genus in the state. In the study area occur mainly species with broad distribution, as well as some species typical of the central plateau or typical of the Espinhaço range, but none species typical of high altitude grasslands of the Atlantic Forest domain.

As part of a floristic survey of the genus Habenaria in Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais, Brazil, three new species of Habenaria (Orchidaceae, Orchideae), H. psammophila, H. pseudoculicina and H. canastrensis, are described and illustrated. Habenaria psammophila also occurs in the state of Goiás and the Federal District, in the central plateau, whereas H. canastrensis and H. pseudoculicina are known only locally. These are the first records of endemic taxa of Orchidaceae from Serra da Canastra and further highlight the rich endemic flora of this region.

Entophytic fungi are characterized as microorganisms that colonize plant tissues without causing infection symptoms. These organisms are sources of genetic and biochemical diversity for numerous applications, from the production of pharmaceutical compounds to foods. However, many of these fungi can become pathogenic to plants if they find suitable substrate for their infection and development. Neofusicoccum spp. has been considered a phytopathogenic fungus for many agricultural crops, being aggressive for some of them both in their woody parts or fruits, either while still in the orchards or after being harvested. The identification and pathogenicity of the isolates are two important aspects for their characterization. Thus, the objective of this work was to characterize the pathogenicity of two endophytic isolates of the fungus Neofusicoccum sp. in different fruits in the post-harvest process. Therefore, isolates identity confirmation was obtained using Bayesian reconstruction of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF 1-α). Subsequently, the isolates were inoculated in zucchini, banana, persimmon, green beans, guava, orange, apple, melon, papaya and tomato, followed by a 10-day evaluation in order to calculate the areas under the disease progress curve. Phylogenetic reconstruction allowed identification of two isolates of the endophytic fungus of Brazilian cherry leaves as Neofusicoccum kwambonambiense, which were confirmed as pathogenic for the following fruits: Brazilian cherry, papaya, tomato, banana and apple, with variations in aggressiveness. However, no infections were found in zucchini, melon and guava by any of the isolates. This is believed to be the first occurrence of N. kwambonambiense isolated from plants of Eugenia uniflora, with pathogenicity in different post-harvest fruits.

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