Microlicia cryptandra Naudin (1845: 175)

Romero, Rosana, Versiane, Ana Flávia Alves & Woodgyer, Elizabeth M., 2022, Miscellaneous taxonomic and nomenclatural notes on Microlicia D. Don (Melastomataceae), Phytotaxa 559 (2), pp. 99-131 : 102-105

Microlicia cryptandra Naudin (1845: 175) . In montibus Serra dos Pyrenaeos [Pirineus] prope Meia Ponte in prov. Goyaz [Goiás]. Ex herb., et mss. Clar. St. -Hil. [in the protologue].

Type:— [ BRAZIL]. Prov. Goyaz [Goiás]: prope Meia Ponte in montibus pyreneos [Pireneus], s.d., A.St. Hilaire, Catal. C 1, N° 695 [sheet] (holotype P02297750 ! , isotypes BR0000005507115 ! [fragment], P02297749 !) .

= Microlicia burchelliana Cogniaux (1883: 88) . [ BRAZIL]. Habitat inter Goyaz [Goiás] et Cavalcante , Burchell n. 7615 in herb. Mus. Paris, et Kew [in the protologue]. Lectotype (designated here):—[ BRAZIL]. Burchell 7615 [sheet] (K000530521!, isolectotypes BM000795966!, BR0000005218042!, NY00229447!, P02297753 !), syn. nov.

= Microlicia albida Pilg. in Engler (1903 [1904]: 16). Brasilien [ BRAZIL]: Goyaz [Goiás], an der Cachoeira da Vargem Grande; Strauch mit rosa Blüten ( Glaziou n. 21220 – Blühend im Januar 1895 [in the protologue]. Lectotype (designated here):—[ BRAZIL]. Goiás: Cachoeira da Vargem Grande , dans la Serra da Baliza , 5 January 1895, A.F.M. Glaziou 21220 [sheet] (K000530583!, isolectotypes BR0000005217069! G!, photo of B† at F [F0 BN016582 !], P02297751 !, P02297752 !, R000009208!), syn. nov.

Notes:—In the protologue of M. cryptanda, Naudin (1845) explicitly reported that the material used to describe this species was in the Saint-Hilaire herbarium. The author also mentioned a manuscript (mss.) which we believe is the label on the left side of the sheet. On this label are the handwritings of Auguste de Saint-Hilaire and Naudin ( Fig. 3 ). Thus, we conclude that this is the holotype and the other sheet that does not have the handwritten label is the isotype.

Cogniaux (1883) pointed out duplicates of Burchell 7615 were deposited at “herb. Mus. Paris et Kew” (P and K, respectively). Therefore, the specimen deposited at K is designated here as the lectotype of M. burchelliana since it agrees with the protologue and is in good condition.

When describing M. albida, Pilg. in Engler (1903 [1904]) referred to one collection made by Glaziou (Glaziou 21220) in Brazil, deposited at B, but destroyed during World War II (see Hiepko 1987). The holotype’s photo (F0 BN016582 ) bears a handwritten identification by Pilger as “ Microlicia albida Pilger n. sp. ”. So, the duplicates at K, BR, G, P, and R are isotypes; the specimen from K is designated here as the lectotype and the remaining as isolectotypes.

Analysis of the type collections of M. albida , M. burchelliana , and M. cryptandra shows that all the specimens share the same floral features. But M. albida has ovate to ovate-lanceolate leaf blades with rounded bases, M. burchelliana has lanceolate leaf blades with rounded bases, whereas M. cryptandra has ovate leaf blades with distinctly cordate bases. The leaves features are insufficient to maintain M. albida and M. burchelliana as distinct species and, certainly, are a variation of M. cryptandra . This pattern has been reported for other species in Microlicia (see Romero 2003a, 2013a; Romero & Versiane 2021).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Sheet with the holotype of Microlicia cryptandra Naudin with handwriting by Naudin (on the left side) and Saint Hilaire (on the right side) at P. Source: ©Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, P02297750. Available in https://plants.jstor.org/stable/ viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.p02297750.