Nomenclatural anomalies among Kunth's Rubiaceae

Abstract

Humboldt and Bonpland made one of the most important early expeditions yielding plant collections from Latin America. Carl Sigismund Kunth prepared the Nova genera et species plantarum for their magnificent Voyage aux régions équinoctiales du Nouveau Continent, fait en 1799–1804. At almost the same time, Roemer and Schultes were publishing the 16th edition of Linnaeus's Systema vegetabilium. Many Latin American species were treated in both publications under different names. In most cases, Kunth's names have priority over those published in Roemer and Schultes, but there are exceptions. Six rubiaceous names of Kunth are illegitimate because he cited prior valid names as synonyms: Declieuxia chiococcoides, Hedyotis cervantesii, Hedyotis hypnoides, Spermacoce distans, Spermacoce diversifolia (≡ Crusea simplex, comb. nov.), and Spermacoce tenella, and one, Macrocnemum tinctorium, because it is a later homonym. Many botanists have treated these names as available or improperly typified them; all are illegitimate and not to be used, and their typification is resolved.

Supplement to the Rubiaceae in the Flora dos Estados de Goiás e Tocantins, Brazil: Nomenclatural revision, typifications, new records, new identifications, and new combinations

“…The fate of the botanical specimens gathered by Bonpland and Humboldt has been discussed by several authors (Delprete 2001;Hiepko 2006;Kirkbride and Wiersema 2020;Lack 2004aLack , 2004bLack , 2009Lack , 2018Stauffer et al 2012). After his return to Paris, Humboldt divided those collections in several sets, to be studied by different specialists.…”

Monograph of tribe Sipaneeae (Rubiaceae, Ixoroideae). A Neotropical group with its center of diversity on the Guiana Shield

“…The fate of the botanical specimens gathered by Bonpland and Humboldt has been discussed by several authors Hiepko 2006;Kirkbride & Wiersema 2020;Lack 2004aLack , 2004bLack , 2009Lack , 2018Stauffer et al 2012). Humboldt divided these collections in several sets.…”

The Identity of Mapouria (Rubiaceae, Psychotrieae)

“…Those authors sometimes studied what seem to be different duplicates of the same collections and each author did not see most of the duplicates at the other author's institution. While Roemer and Schultes had some access to Willdenow's work and descriptions, they may (Stafleu & Cowan, 1983; Delprete, 2001) or may not (Kirkbride & Wiersema, 2020) have had direct access to the corresponding specimens sent to him by Humboldt. Kunth's publications sometimes used the same name for the same species as Willdenow, Roemer, and Schultes, with these sometimes possibly based on the same Humboldt & Bonpland collection, but sometimes they used different names for a particular species documented by Humboldt and Bonpland.…”

“…The resolution of the typification of several of the names based on specimens from the Humboldt expedition is beyond the scope of the study here, which is aimed at resolving the taxonomy and accepted name for these Psychotria species. The typfication of these names is left for our colleagues with more expertise in the materials and practices of these 19th‐century authors (e.g., Kirkbride & Wiersema, 2020).…”