Peperomia elsieae Marcusso, 2023

Marcusso, Gabriel Mendes, Biral, Leonardo, Mathieu, Guido & Forzza, Rafaela Campostrini, 2023, New names for the illegitimate Peperomia gracillima (Raddi) E. F. Guim., G. A. Queiroz & Delprete and P. plantaginifolia (Raddi) E. F. Guim., G. A. Queiroz & Delprete (Piperaceae), Phytotaxa 629 (1), pp. 93-94 : 93

Peperomia elsieae Marcusso , nom. nov.

Replaced name: Peperomia gracillima (Raddi) E.F.Guim., G.A.Queiroz & Delprete , Taxon (2023: 890), nom. illeg., later homonym of P. gracillima S. Watson (1887: 448) . Basionym: Piper gracillimum Raddi , Nuovo Giorn. Lett., Sci. (1828: 10).

Type:— Brazil. Rio de Janeiro: “Foreste delle Montagne d’Estrella” ( mountain forests of the Serra da Estrela ). Lectotype (designated by Guimarães et al. 2023: 890): Raddi s.n. ( PI043378 ; isolectotype: FI055252 ).

Heterotypic synonym: — Peperomia pseudoestrellensis C.DC., Annuaire Conserv. Jard. Bot. Genève 2: 277. 1898. Lectotype (first-step lectotypification designated by Yuncker 1974: 144; second-step lectotypification, designated here:— BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro, Estrella, 1844, Weddell 763 (P00468101!; isolectotype P00468102!).

Distribution:— Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, in the states of Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul ( Carvalho-Silva et al. 2023).

Eponymy:— The specific epithet is dedicated to Dr. Elsie Franklin Guimarães, a prominent botanist of the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro with decades of expertise in Piperaceae . Her extensive research in Brazilian Piperaceae served as the primary literature source for the first author when he embarked on his studies of Peperomia years ago.