Dischidia micholitzii N.E.Br. (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), described from a cultivated plant and erroneously assumed to be from Burma, is native to the Tenimbar and Babar island groups of Maluku, Indonesia. It is closely related to Dischidia ovata Benth. from New Guinea and Australia.

More than 30 collections of Tylophora from all over its geographic range were analysed together with representatives of all other genera in subtribe Tylophorinae except Rhyncharrhena. Regions of the chloroplast genome (trnT-L spacer, trnL intron and trnL-F spacer) as well as the nuclear genome (internal transcribed spacer including 5.8S of nuclear ribosomal DNA) were sequenced. Both the cpDNA dataset and the rDNA dataset yield a number of stable clades, but a completely resolved and stable phylogeny is not obtained from either alone or by combining them. The small East African and Arabian genera Blyttia, Diplostigma, Goydera and Pleurostelma form a well-supported clade in both datasets. Pentatropis is always recognized as monophyletic. Vincetoxicum is not clearly separable from Tylophora, and probably covers the temperate species, while Tylophora covers those in the tropics and subtropics.

It is shown that the monotypic genus Whitesloanea (Asclepiadaceae, Stapelieae) is closely allied to Duvalia and Huernia but nevertheless should remain separate from them. The basionym, Caralluma crassa N.E. Br., is lectotypified.

A new species of Tylophora, T. corollae Bullock ex Meve & Liede (Asclepiadaceae), is described from Ethiopia. This delicate twiner is characterized by yellow, shield-shaped corona lobes with apical appendages.

The non-twining shrub up to lm high, T. fleckii (Schltr.) N.E. Br., so far known to be endemic to Namibia, is for the first time recorded from NE Africa. The interesting biogeographical implications resulting from the extraordinary gap of 4500km in its distribution are discussed.