Notes RBG Edinb. 45(2): 377-395 (1988) NEW AND MAINTAINED GENERA IN THE CONIFER FAMILIES PODOCARPACEAE AND PINACEAE C. N. Page abstract The taxonomic status of various genera of Coniferac in the Podocarpaceae and Pinaceae is considered. The genera Nageia End!., Afrocarpus (Buchh. & Gray) C. N. Page, stat. nov. (Podocarpaceae), Cathaya Chun & Kuang and Hesperopeuce Lemmon (Pinaceae) are maintained, whilst new genera proposed are Sundacarpus (Buchh. & Gray) C. N. Page, stat. nov. and Retrophyllum C. N. Page, gen. nov. (Podocarpaceae) and Nothotsuga Ilu ex C. N. Page, gen. nov. (Pinaceae). The hybrid formula at generic level x Hesperotsuga C. N. Page, nothogen. nov. is proposed for hybrids of intergeneric status between Hesperopeuce Lemmon and Tsuga Carr., typified by Hesperopeuce mertensiana (Bong.) Rydb. x Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. Inter-generic affinities of the groups in question are discussed. I ntroduction Recent general accounts of conifer species (e.g. Gaussen, 1966-67, 1974; Callen, 1976; M itchell, 1972; Silba, 1984, 1986; Krussmann, 1985; Rushforth, 1987) or of species of major conifer genera (e.g. Ostenfeld & Larsen, 1930; Little, 1952, Critchfield & Little, 1966; Mirov, 1967; Liu, 1971, 1982; W hitmore, 1980; Silba, 1981; Farjon, 1984; dc Laubenfels, 1985) show that specific delimitations in many major groups of Coniferae are relatively well defined, to which only a few new species have been added in recent years (e.g. Bailey, 1970, 1987; Page & Rushforth, 1980; Grierson, Long & Page, 1980; de Laubenfels & Silba, 1987). Despite the relatively complete knowledge of species descriptions in conifers, much less is known about interrelationships between species. Further, apart from the particularly valuable major contributions of Florin (e.g. Florin, 1931, 1951, 1963), there have been rather few taxonomic studies in conifers directed mainly towards problems at generic level. Thus the generic status especially of some of the smaller and more geographically obscure taxa has remained more uncertain, and knowledge of their generic interrelationships rather little explored. The following account results from attempts to consider the possible affinities and taxonomic status that should be accorded to some of the smaller taxa in the Podocarpaceae and Pinaceae, from the standpoint of the Coniferae as a whole, making changes where necessary to try to achieve evolutionarily more natural generic groupings. These proposals support and validate the nomenclature adopted else- where (Page, in press). P odocarpaceae Taxonomic activity in the last quarter-century or so has done much to recognize separate generic entities within the largely tropical conifer family Podocarpaceae (e.g. Buchholz & Gray, 1948; Garden & Johnson, 1950; Gray & Buchholz, 1951; Gray, 1953; Florin, 1958, 1963; Hair & Beuzenberg, 1958; Gaussen, 1970, 1974; de Laubenfels, 1969, 1978a, 1985, 1987; Quinn, 1982) and a number of small genera (e.g. Micro- strobos, Prumnopitys, Acmopyle, Dacrycarpus, Falcatifolium, 377