Commelina pallida var. parviflora Pav. ex C.B.Clarke.

Commelina pallida var. parviflora Pav. ex C.B.Clarke (Clarke 1881: 151) . Syn. nov.

Etymology

From the Latin ʻ parvus ʼ (meaning ʻsmallʼ) + ʻ flora ʼ (meaning ʻflowerʼ), in reference to its small flowers.

Type material

MEXICO • s.loc.; s.dat.; fl., fr.; J.A. Pavón s.n.; lectotype: BM [BM000938212]!, designated by Hassemer (2020); isolectotypes: BM [BM000938207, BM000938208, BM000938210, BM000938211] !.

Accepted species

Commelina tuberosa L.

Remarks

Commelina pallida var. parviflora was quickly reduced to a synonym after its publication, adding to the taxonomic confusion of this broadly circumscribed species. However, this taxon presents well-developed and flower-bearing upper cincinnus, which prevents it from being conspecific to either C. pallida or C. texcocana . Morphologically, it seems to be a member of the C. tuberosa species complex. However, we consider it premature to reestablish this name as accepted in the present study before all names and species from this very complex group are appropriately studied. Thus, we tentatively place it under the synonymy of C. tuberosa s. lat.