Croton chapelieri Baill., Adansonia 1: 166. 1861

Berry, Paul E., Kainulainen, Kent & Ee, Benjamin W. van, 2017, A Nomenclator of Croton (Euphorbiaceae) in Madagascar, the Comoros Archipelago, and the Mascarene Islands, PhytoKeys 90, pp. 1-87 : 23-24

36. Croton chapelieri Baill., Adansonia 1: 166. 1861

Oxydectes chapelieri (Baill.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 611. 1891. Type. Based on Croton chapelieri Baill.

Croton louvelii Leandri, Ann. Mus. Colon. Marseille, sér. 5, 7(1): 40. 1939, as ' louveli '. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Toamasina: forêt côtière, Tampina , Jan. 1924, M. Louvel 217 (holotype: P [P00312340]!).

Croton aymoniniorum Leandri, Adansonia, sér. 2, 13: 175. 1973, as ' aymoninorum '. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Toliara: Forêt de Mandena, Fort Dauphin, 19 Oct 1970, M. Keraudren-Aymonin & G. Aymonin 24940 (holotype: P [P00312374]!).

Croton daphniphylloides Radcl.-Sm., Gen. Croton Madag. Comoro 164. 2016. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Toamasina: Ambila-Lemaitso, 7 Nov 1951, Service Forestier 4228 (holotype: P [P00133469]!).

Croton daphniphyllus Radcl.-Sm., Gen. Croton Madag. Comoro 161. 2016, as ' daphniphyllum '. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Toliara: Fort Dauphin in Mandena, 2 km E of Botanic Garden, 24°58'S, 47°00'E, 9 Oct 1990, D. Faber-Langendoen, N. Dumetz & A. Randrianasolo 2226 (holotype: P [P00133462]!; isotype: MO).

Croton daphniphyllus var. hirsutus Radcl.-Sm., Gen. Croton Madag. Comoro 163. 2016. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Toliara: Préfecture de Tôlañaro (Fort Dauphin), Canton de Mananbaro, Petriky Forest, c. 1.5 km W of large dune near N shore of Lake Andranany, c. 12 km WSW of Tôlañaro (Fort Dauphin), 25°03'S, 46°53'E, 14 Apr 1989, R. Gereau, R. Rabevohitra & N. Dumetz 3374 (holotype: K!; isotypes: MO [sheet # 3683138], P [P00133120]!).

Croton domohineifolius Radcl.-Sm., Gen. Croton Madag. Comoro 157. 2016, syn. nov. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Fianarantsoa: Fanajazana-Mananjary, Jan 1955, Service Forestier 15451-SF (holotype: P [P00133471]!).

Croton macrobuxus var. polygynus Radcl.-Sm., Gen. Croton Madag. Comoro 177. 2016, syn. nov. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Toliara: near Fort Dauphin, s.d., J. Cloisel 178 (holotype: P [P00133612]!).

Croton rhododendroides Radcl.-Sm., Gen. Croton Madag. Comoro 163. 2016. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Toliara: Préfecture Tôlañaro (Fort Dauphin), forêt à 5 km de Ste. Luce, au nord de Maliafolaky, 24°47'S, 47°10'E, 21 Oct 1989, N. Dumetz, G. McPherson & R. Rabevohitra 775 (holotype: P [P00133460]!; isotype: MO!).

Type.

Madagascar. sin. loc., s.d., L.A. Chapelier s.n. (holotype: P [P00389523]!) . Madagascar. Prov. Toliara: Sainte Luce , at entrance to preserve, 24°46'46"S, 47°10'17"E, 10 m, 17 Feb 2009, B. van Ee, P.E. Berry, B.L. Dorsey & H. Razanatsoa 925 (epitype, designated by Kainulainen et al. 2017a, pg. 37: MICH [MICH1514617]!; additional duplicates: G, K, MAPR, MO, NY, P, TAN) .

Habit and distribution.

Shrubs; southeastern and eastern coastal Madagascar (Antsiranana, Fianarantosoa, Toamasina, Toliara).

Notes.

Croton chapelieri was accepted by Leandri (1939) but was restricted to the type specimen, due at least in part to the meager type specimen and the lack of any reported collection locality. Similarly, C. aymoniniorum has been recognized only from the type collection. Extensive collections and our own field studies from coastal areas of southeastern Toliara Province (Mandena, Petriky, and Sainte Luce) show that both of these type specimens correspond to a locally common species found in sandy, littoral forests to the west and north of Fort Dauphin, in the Mahabo area of Fianarantosa Province, and then in Toamasina Province much farther north. Chapelier collected mainly in the Foulpointe and Tamatave area ( Dorr 1997), and his specimen is similar to the type of C. louvelii , from a nearby area. Many herbarium specimens of this species were identified by the late Alan Radcliffe-Smith and subsequent botanists as Croton daphniphyllus Radcl.-Sm., or sometimes as Croton rhododendroides Radcl.-Sm. for a more pubescent form. See Kainulainen et al. (2017a) for more details about the circumscription of C. chapelieri . Newly added to the synonymy here are C. domohineifolius Radcl.-Sm. and C. macrobuxus var. polygynus Radcl.-Sm., both from littoral sites on the east coast where C. chapelieri is one of the few species to occur.