Larrea nitida Cavanilles (1800: 120)

Godoy-Bürki, Ana C., 2018, Lectotypifications, epitypifications and neotypifications in Zygophyllaceae species from South America, Phytotaxa 349 (2), pp. 130-140 : 134

6. Larrea nitida Cavanilles (1800: 120)

Type (lectotype, designated here):— CHILE. Pampas de Mendoza, L. Née s.n. ( MA barcode MA 475885 [digital image!], available at

http://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.ma475885; isolectotype MA barcode MA475886 [digital image!]). = Mimosa balsamica Molina (1782: 165) . = Larrea balsamica (Molina) Johnston (1924: 92) . Type (neotype, designated here):— ARGENTINA. Chubut: Depto Mártires, road 25, between Los Altares and Las Plumas, 234 m. a.s.l., 1

November 2008, F. Biganzoli & C. Larsen 1947 ( SI barcode SI 092598!, Fig. 4 ).

Notes: — Cavanilles used to deposit his type specimens at MA ( Stafleu & Cowan 1979). Two sheets were found in MA ( MA 475885, MA475886), both matching the original description and having original labels from Cavallini’s herbarium. Specimen MA475885 is better preserved with both flowers and fruits and is chosen here as the lectotype.

Molina collected and described M. balsamica in Quillota, Chile in 1782. However, the type is unknown. It was presumably deposited at BOLO ( Stafleu & Cowan 1979). Dr. Umberto Mossetti ( BOLO) checked the collection but without finding any specimen of M. balsamica (pers. comm.). Molina’s botanical descriptions used to be very brief and frequently inaccurate ( Johnston 1924). However, they were always accompanied by dates on the habit, native names and uses of the plants treated ( Johnston 1924). Studying the latter information and the original material of Mimosa balsamica, Johnston concluded that it was a Larrea , namely L. balsamica . As original material may be lost or inexistent, the specimen found in SI ( SI 092598) is designated here as neotype. Larrea nitida is the current name of both M. balsamica and Larrea balsamica , well known by its distribution in Chile and mostly in Argentina. In fact, in the protologue of L. nitida, Cavanilles cited that the species was collected “al baxar de Mendoza hacia Buenos Ayres ” (both Argentinian provinces), so the type species is presumed to be from Argentina, not Chile. Consequently, the specimen here designated as a reference is from Argentina, well conserved and bearing plenty of material (leaves, flowers and fruits, Fig. 4 ).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Neotype of Mimosa balsamica (F. Biganzoli & C. Larsen 1947- SI092598).