Microlicia hirsuta (DC.) R.Romero, Versiane & Woodgyer, 2022

Romero, Rosana, Versiane, Ana Flávia Alves & Woodgyer, Elizabeth M., 2022, Miscellaneous taxonomic and nomenclatural notes on Microlicia D. Don (Melastomataceae), Phytotaxa 559 (2), pp. 99-131 : 113-115

Microlicia hirsuta (DC.) R.Romero, Versiane & Woodgyer , comb. nov.

≡ Microlicia variolosa var. hirsuta De Candolle (1828: 119). Hujus varietates (forsan distinguendae?) sunt R. fasciculata , exul, virgulata, thymifolia, baccharoides , euphorbioides , avicularis, hirsuta, venusta et enervia Schrank et Mart. ! (v.s.) [in the protologue]. Lectotype (designated here):— BRAZIL. M. Steven, 1820 [sheet] (G00310285!, upper on the left side).

= Microlicia decussata Naudin (1845: 175) . Circa vicum Capelinha in parte prov. Minas Geraes dicta Minas Novas. Ex herb. et mss. cl. St.-Hil. [in the protologue]. Type:—Braz. austr. [ BRAZIL]. Minas Geraes: prope Vicum Capelinha, 1816–1821, [Cat. B 1 n° 1357 [sheet] (holotype P02297712 !, isotype P02297713 !), syn. nov.

= Microlicia fasciculata Mart. ex Naudin (1845: 180) . Herb. nº 936; in campis subhumidis arenosisque montium Serra do Frio (Vauthier) et Serra do Piedade (Claussen) multisque aliis locis Bras. australis. Ex herb. clar. Deless. et Mus. Par. [in the protologue]. Lectotype (designated here):— Martii Herbar Florae Brasil 936 [sheet] (G00318549!, on the left side, isolectotypes BM000795940!, on the left side, BR0000005221776!, BR0000005221783!, photo of B† at F [F0 BN016595 ! on the right side], G00353967!, K000530585! upper on the left side, LE!, M016569!, M0165920!, M0165697!, MO-313872!, P02297716 !), syn. nov.

Remaining syntypes: [ Brazil]. Serra do Frio , Vauthier (not found); Serra do Piedade, Claussen (not found) .

= Microlicia cinerea Cogniaux (1883: 86) . ≡ Microlicia cinerea var. oblongifolia Cogniaux (1883: 86) . [ BRAZIL]. In saxosis alpestribus prope Ouro Preto et Villa S. Joannis in Serro Frio, Martius in herb. Monac.; in glareosis arenosis prope Diamantina, Riedel in herb. Hort. Petrop.; ad Serra da Lapa, Riedel in herb. Acad. Petrop. [in the protologue]. Lectotype (designated here):— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: in saxosis alpestribus prope Ouro Preto et Villa S. Joanis in Serro Frio, Martius (M0165689!), syn. nov.

Remaining syntypes: BRAZIL. In glareosis arenosis prope Tijuco Biribiri , s.d., Riedel 1668 ( LE!); in glareosis Serra da Lapa, November 1824, Riedel s.n. ( LE!) .

= Microlicia cinerea var. β ovata Cogniaux (1883: 86). Ad Lagoa Santa et ad Serra da Piedade, Warming [in the protologue]. Lectotype (designated here):— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Serra da Piedade , s.d., Warming 64 [sheet] (C10014893!, on the left side), syn. nov.

Remaining syntypes: Minas Gerais: Serra da Piedade , December 1895, Warming 50 (C!, on the right side, S09-13014!) .

Notes:— De Candolle (1828), when describing M. variolosa also recognized the varieties M. variolosa var. hirsuta and M. variolosa var. glabra based on the indumentum of the branches. In the protologue, the author only cited “ in Brasiliae et Peruviae montanis ”, suggesting that this species and varieties were described based on collections from Brazil and mountains of Peruvia (currently Bolivia, see Macbride 1941). De Candolle (1828) did not mention any particular specimen to M. variolosa var. hirsuta and M. variolosa var. glabra , but provided a list of binomials handwritten by Schrank & Martius in several sheets from M. The specific epithet “variolosa” possibly alludes the diversity of forms (see Stearn 1983) found in this species by him.

Naudin (1845) was the first who noted that M. variolosa was described based on a mixture of collections corresponding to different species. So much that, in this same work, he described M. baccharoides Mart. ex Naudin (1845: 174) and M. avicularis based on the part of the type material of M. variolosa . See our comments under M. avicularis .

Cogniaux (1883) in Flora Brasiliensis, described M. peruviana Cogniaux (1883: 84) also based on M. variolosa var. glabra type material (Haenke in herb. Monac.). Other sheets cited in the protologue are recognized as M. confertiflora Naudin (1845: 176) , M. cordata ( Sprengel 1820: 301) Chamisso (1834: 390) , M. isophylla De Candolle (1828: 120) , and M. serpyllifolia .

Triana (1872) elevated M. variolosa var. hirsuta to Microlicia hirsuta and related it as a synonym of M. euphorbioides . However, according to Article 36.1 ( Turland et al. 2018), this name is not validly published since it is merely cited as a synonym. Here, we designate M. Steven (G0310285) as lectotype of M. variolosa var. hirsuta (articles 9.2 and 26.2), as this specimen corresponds well to the protologue and has a short original description handwritten by De Candolle ( Fig. 8 ), and also elevates it to rank species as M. hirsuta . We discuss Microlicia variolosa below.

In the protologue of M. decussata, Naudin (1845) explicitly reported that the material used to describe this species was in the Saint-Hilaire herbarium. The author also mentioned a manuscript (mss.) which we believe is the label with a short description and drawing on the left side of the sheet. Thus, we assume that this sheet is the holotype and that the other sheet that does not have the handwritten label is the isotype.

When proposing M. fasciculata, Naudin (1845) mentioned that this species was based on Mart. herb. nº 936, which is part of original material of M. variolosa var. hirsuta . This sheet at M has a description of Rhexia exul handwritten by Schrank and is cited in the protologue of M. variolosa var. hirsuta . Both species have quadrangular branches, sessile, ovate to ovate-oblong leaves, with entire margin, both surfaces covered by setose trichomes mixed with spherical glands, and three nerves from the base, solitary flowers, short-pedicellate, cylindrical hypanthium, oblong-triangular sepals, shorter than the hypanthium length, and dimorphic stamens. Therefore, we are proposing the synonymization of M. fasciculata in M. hirsuta . We choose Martii Herbar Florae Brasil 936 (G00318549!) as the lectotype of M. fasciculata since it agrees perfectly with the protologue description. Despite mentioning two other collections in the protologue, we did not find these specimens at P (see Martin & Cremers 2007).

Cogniaux (1883) proposed M. cinerea based on part of the original material of M. variolosa var. hirsuta (pro parte, see p. 86). The author cited “ Rhexia avicularis Schrank & Mart. ! Mss. ex DC!”, indicating that this species was based on this material. Cogniaux (1883) also described M. cinerea var. oblongifolia and M. cinerea var. ovata citing three syntypes for the first and two for the second. According to Article 26.3 ( Turland et al. 2018), this publication automatically established the corresponding autonym M. cinerea var. cinerea . The sheet at M has a description of Rhexia avicularis handwritten by Schrank and a label with the Cogniaux determination of M. cinerea var. oblongifolia . Since Cogniaux (1883) did not mention any original material for the autonym, we designate Martius (M0165689) as the lectotype (Articles 9.2 and 26.2). We also designated Martius as lectotype of M. cinerea var. oblongifolia .

The type of M. decussata bears smaller leaves, with elliptical blades, rounded bases, obtuse and short apiculate apices, and both surfaces with trichomes smaller than the typical form of M. hirsuta . Nevertheless, as in M. hirsuta , the hypanthium is cylindrical, costate, and the triangular sepals are shorter ca. ⅓ than the length of the hypanthium and we propose it as synonyms of M. hirsuta . The morphological features used to describe M. decussata , M. cinerea and both varieties are insufficient and also are certainly variations on the typical form, therefore we propose them as synonyms of M. hirsuta .

Figures

FIGURE 8. Sheet with the lectotype of Microlicia hirsuta (DC.) R.Romero, Versiane & Woodgyer at G (inside red retangle). Note De Candolle’s handwriting (red arrow). Source: ©Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève, G00310285.Available in: https:// plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.g00310285.