Elatostema J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. is one of the largest genera in Urticaceae and an important genus in the limestone karst areas of Vietnam. These karst mountain environments are now becoming a hotspot for the study of karst plant diversity. Recent reviews have shown that there are at least thirteen newly recorded species for Elatostema in Vietnam which increases the total number of species in the genus for Vietnam to thirty-five. However, after undertaking two extensive field investigations in the north of Vietnam in 2012 and 2013 and checking herbarium specimens at BM, E, IBK, K, PE and VNMN, we found an additional eight Elatostema species new to Vietnam. Given the rapidly increasing number of species of this genus being discovered in Vietnam, we have created a checklist and key for Elatostema in Vietnam. Comparing this new list to the list of Elatostema species found in southwest China, we discovered that about thirty-four species share this environment. We believe that further explorations in Vietnam and adjacent areas in China will result in even more new discoveries of Elatostema species in Vietnam.
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