Diospyros pervilleana (Baill.) G.E.Schatz & Lowry, 2011

Schatz, George E. & Lowry Ii, Porter P., 2011, Nomenclatural notes on Malagasy Diospyros L. (Ebenaceae), Adansonia (3) 33 (2), pp. 271-281 : 278

38. Diospyros pervilleana (Baill.) G.E.Schatz & Lowry , comb. nov.

Olax pervilleana Baill. , Adansonia 3: 120 (1862). — Maba pervilleana (Baill.) H.Perrier, Mémoires de l’Institut scientifique de Madagascar, sér. B, 4: 105 (1952). — Type: Pervillé 513 (holo-, P! [P00640985]).

In the protologue of Olax pervilleana, Baillon (1862) cited the material upon which he based the description as “ In Madagascaria legerunt Bernier et Pervillé (n. 513) et cum Boivin (herb., n. 2157) communicaverunt, anno 1846 ”. The Paris sheet ( P 00640985) bears a blue handwritten label that indicates the collection as “Pervillé n. 513 ” in the upper right corner, as well as the number “2157” in the lower left corner unassociated with any person’s name, and “Bernier comm. 1846” in the lower right corner. The sheet also bears the generic “Herb. Mus. Paris” printed label of the “ Madagascar. Voyage de M. Boivin, 1847-1852” upon which Baillon wrote “ Olax pervilleana H. Bn. ” and “n. 2157”. Thus, it would appear that the collection was made solely by Pervillé (his number 513) and communicated by Bernier in 1846, and that the “2157” was then later associated with Boivin. Perrier (1952) placed Maba diffusa Hiern in synonymy under M. pervilleana (Baill.) H.Perrier , citing the type of Olax pervilleana Baill. as Pervillé 493, a specimen we have not been able to locate in the Paris herbarium. Hiern (1873) cited only Pervillé without a number as the basis for his description of M. diffusa . While the description is consistent with Pervillé 513 (fruit only) and may have been based on an unnumbered duplicate of the same gathering, until we can be certain of the material examined by Hiern, we shall refrain from placing M. diffusa into synonymy under D. pervilleana .