Sapphoa ekmanii Borhidi, Nordic J. Bot.

Franck, Alan R. & Daniel, Thomas F., 2015, Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Notes on Six Genera of Acanthaceae in the West Indies, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 62 (10), pp. 309-329 : 316

1. Sapphoa ekmanii Borhidi, Nordic J. Bot. 3:353. 1983. TYPE.— CUBA. Guantánamo: Sierra de la Iberia, Taco Bay , Baracoa, 11 Apr 1960, López Figueiras U . O . 609 (holotype: HAC; isotypes: HAC, HAJB) .

DISCUSSION.— Sapphoa ekmanii is tentatively recognized here but several of the characters used to differentiate it from S. rigidifolia seem tenuous. The distinguishing features of S. ekmanii ( Borhidi 1983:353) were stated to be its “ovate, elliptic to lanceolate” leaves (vs. mostly obovate in S. rigidifolia ), margins not revolute (vs. revolute), cystoliths lengthwise (vs. transverse), calyx 3–4 mm long (vs. 4–5 mm long), and corolla 1.3– 1.7 cm long (vs. 2.2– 2.5 cm). The holotype of S. rigidifolia contains ovate to elliptic leaves, a corolla about 1.8 cm long, and a calyx about 5 mm long. Thus, leaf shape and corolla length do not appear to be characters that support the recognition of two species. An additional specimen cited by Borhidi (1983) as S. ekmanii has slightly revolute leaves just as the holotype of S. rigidifolia . We only have seen images of the type specimens and have not examined the arrangement of the cystoliths to determine their utility in recognizing S. ekmanii . Cystoliths of West Indian Barleriola specimens at FTG are generally parallel to the leaf veins but can also be variably perpendicular within the same leaf, suggesting this may not be a good character to distinguish these species.