Neotypification of Stomatanthes helenae (Buscal. & Muschl.)
Lisowski (Asteraceae):
the curious history of an African specimen
Mariana A. Grossi
Abstract
Résumé
GROSSI, M. A. (2011). Neotypification of Stomatanthes helenae (Buscal. &
Muschl.) Lisowski (Asteraceae): the curious history of an African specimen.
Candollea 66: 361-366. In English, English and French abstracts.
GROSSI, M. A. (2011). Néotypification de Stomatanthes helenae (Buscal. &
Muschl.) Lisowski (Asteraceae): la curieuse histoire d’un spécimen africain.
Candollea 66: 361-366. En anglais, résumés anglais et français.
The holotype of the name of the Central African species Stomatanthes helenae (Buscal. & Muschl.) Lisowski (Asteraceae),
initially described as Eupatorium helenae Buscal. & Muschl.,
was destroyed during the World War II. No other original material of this name was found, except for an illustration housed
at BR. A specimen from BRLU herbarium is chosen here as
neotype of Eupatorium helenae. Additionally, a re-description
of the species, an illustration, a distribution map, as well as a
key to the African species of Stomatanthes, are provided.
L’holotype du nom de l’espèce africaine Stomatanthes helenae (Buscal. & Muschl.) Lisowski (Asteraceae), initialement
décrite comme Eupatorium helenae Buscal. & Muschl., a été
détruit pendant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale. Aucun autre
matériel original de ce nom n’a été retrouvé, à l’exception
d’une illustration déposée à BR. Un spécimen de BRLU est
choisi ici comme néotype pour le nom Eupatorium helenae.
De plus, une description plus complète de l’espèce, une illustration, une carte de distribution, ainsi qu’une clé des espèces
africaines de Stomatanthes, sont fournies.
Key-words
ASTERACEAE – EUPATORIEAE – EUPATORIINAE –
Stomatanthes – Africa – Typification
Address of the author: División Plantas Vasculares, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s.n, B1900FWA La Plata, Argentina. Email: grossi@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar
Submitted on March 22, 2010. Accepted on July 21, 2011.
Online ISSN : 2235-3658
Candollea 66(2) : 361-366 (2011)
Edited by P. Perret
© CONSERVATOIRE ET JARDIN BOTANIQUES DE GENÈVE 2011
362 – Candollea 66, 2011
Introduction
Stomatanthes R. M. King & H. Rob. (Asteraceae, Eupatorieae) is a genus of ca. 17 species mostly concentrated in
Brazil, but with a disjunct distribution in Africa (KING &
ROBINSON, 1987; GROSSI & NAKAJIMA, 2009). Stomatanthes
is characterized by its 4-12 florets per capitula with funnelform
or tubular white corollas, glabrous or glandular, with triangular lobes. Occasionally, there are stomata on the outer surface
corolla. The style base is papillose or with simple uniseriate
hairs, and the achenes are densely setuliferous with a distinctive carpopodium (KING & ROBINSON, 1970; KING & ROBINSON, 1987). There are four African species mainly distributed
in central Africa: Stomatanthes africanus (Oliv. & Hiern)
R. M. King & H. Rob., S. meyeri R. M. King & H. Rob.,
S. zambiensis R. M. King & H. Rob., and S. helenae (Buscal.
& Muschl.) Lisowski. During a revision in progress of the
genus Stomatanthes, the author found difficulties while searching the type material of the name of one of the African species,
Stomatanthes helenae.
Stomatanthes helenae was originally described under the
genus Eupatorium by BUSCALIONI & MUSCHLER (1913). The
original material of this species was collected in a steppe
between Broken-Hill and Buana-Mukuba, Zambia, by the
Duchess Helena of Aosta. The Duchess performed between
1908 and 1911 numerous collecting trips to tropical Africa.
Her African collections were studied by MUSCHLER &
BUSCALIONI (1913) who described many new species, including E. helenae Buscal. & Muschl. In the original description
of E. helenae the authors did not cite any illustration of the
species. The holotypes of the names of those new species
were held at the Herbarium of Berlin (B) (BUSCALIONI &
MUSCHLER, 1913; SCHUBERT & TROUPIN, 1952). According
to WHITE (1962), some of the Duchess of Aosta’s collections
are preserved in Florence (FI or FT), but they have never been
fully written up.
In 1915, botanists of the Berlin Herbarium (ENGLER & al.,
1915) published several modifications to Muschler and
Buscalioni’s work on African collections, transferring many
species to synonymy and performing other taxonomic arrangements. In that work, the botanists established that the type specimen of E. helenae was not in the same condition as the rest of
the material collected by the Duchess of Aosta, suggesting that
this could be an American specimen mixed in her African collection. Unfortunately, the World War II destroyed most of the
specimens at B, including those of E. helenae (WHITE, 1962).
SCHUBERT & TROUPIN (1952), however, found in the herbaria
of the National Botanical Garden of Belgium (BR, now
at Meise) a set of illustrations of most of the new species
of the African expedition, including E. helenae, with the initials
“GB”. The illustrations were also published by Maurizio Piscicelli who accompanied the Duchess on her trip through Africa.
PISCICELLI’s book (1913) was published in Naples and contained
numerous illustrations and a map. For each new species
described by MUSCHLER & BUSCALIONI (1913), a description in
Italian with the location of specimens, many observations, and
a figure identical to those of Belgium but without the initials
“GB” were provided. SCHUBERT & TROUPIN (1952) were not
able to identify the artist who made these drawings. RYDING
(2001) suggested that the artist could be a woman known as
Miss Bartuschi. Apparently, only two copies of Piscicelli’s book
were found, one at the Botanical Institute of the University of
Florence, Italy, and the other at the Library of the Congress,
Washington, DC (SCHUBERT & TROUPIN, 1952). One set of the
original drawings went to Belgium and possibly Piscicelli took
with him another set of the illustrations when he returned to Italy.
The BR herbarium sent me an illustration of E. helenae which
is a reproduction of that published by Piscicelli. This illustration has a label attached to the herbarium sheets on which drawing is mounted signed by E. Robbrecht: “These illustrations
were probably sent to BR by Buscalioni, who corresponded with
BR staff members and met one in Berlin” (Fig. 1). On the label,
E. Robbrecht mentioned that VELDKAMP (1968) designates the
drawing of E. helenae as lectotype of Biophytum helenae
Buscal. & Muschl. (Oxalidaceae). This is a mistake, since
Veldkamp designated as lectotype for Biophytum helenae the
illustration number XXIV, whereas the illustration number of
Eupatorium helenae is LX.
The illustration of E. helenae does not match exactly with
the original description of this species. According to the original description, the involucre is biseriate whereas it appears
uniseriate in the illustration (Fig. 1).
SCHUBERT & TROUPIN (1955) described the work of Piscicelli and offered more information about the locations of the
species collected by the Duchess. They mention that, according to Piscicelli’s book, E. helenae is distributed in the region
of Lake Banguelo, in northern Zambia, thus confirming the
African distribution of this species.
LISOWSKI (1991), in his treatment of the Asteraceae for the
Flora of Central Africa, transferred E. helenae to the genus
Stomatanthes. This author mentioned that the holotype of
Eupatorium helenae was deposited in B and destroyed during
the World War II, but he did not designate a lectotype.
As the original material of Stomatanthes helenae at B is
destroyed, and no duplicates were found (fide Mauro Raffaelli,
FT; Giovanna Abbate, RO; Piero Cuccuini, FI; Annalisa Managlia, BOLO), and as the illustration does not match exactly
the original description, a neotypification of this species is
performed here. The selected specimen, located at BRLU, fits
appropriately with the original description and was collected
close to the type locality. In addition, a re-description of
S. helenae with an illustration and a key to the African species
of Stomatanthes is provided.
Neotypification of Stomatanthes helenae (Buscal. & Muschl.) Lisowski (Asteraceae) : the curious history of an African specimen – 363
Fig. 1. – Illustration of Eupatorium helenae Buscal. & Muschl. found in BR.
364 – Candollea 66, 2011
Typification
Eupatorium helenae Buscal. & Muschl. in Bot. Jahrb. Syst.
49: 505. 1913.
⬅ Stomatanthes helenae (Buscal. & Muschl.) Lisowski
in Fragm. Flor. Geobot. Suppl. 1: 456. 1991.
Type: ZAMBIA. Copperbelt: Steppe zwischen Broken-Hill
und Buana-Mukuba, 18.I.1910, Aosta 410 (holo-: B,
destroyed).
Neotype (designated here): ZAMBIA. Copperbelt: entre
Ndola et Mufulira, Dembo, 30.I.1960, Duvigneaud 5313
(BRLU!).
Perennial herbs or subshrubs 1.5 m tall, with xylopodium.
Stems erect, reddish, moderately branched, terete, striated, densely
strigose-tomentulose in young parts glabrous at the base. Leaves
alternate or opposite, densely arranged on stems, sessile or shortly
petiolate, petiole 0.5-1.5 mm long, glabrous to puberulous, with
few, simple, eglandular trichomes beneath, blade 3.5-8 cm long
⫻ 0.5-1.5 cm wide, membranaceous to subcoriaceus, oblonglanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, rarely linear, base cuneate, apex
acute, margins strongly serrate, teeth thickened and rounded at
apex, slightly pubescent when young becoming glabrous at maturity; trinerved, venation prominent on both faces, strongly reticulate, two lateral veins reaching the middle of the blade. Heads
homogamous, grouped into a corymbose conflorescence, peduncles 0.2-1.2 cm, striated, densely pubescent. Involucre campanulate, 4-5 mm long ⫻ 3 mm wide, 2-3 seriate; phyllaries 6-8,
membranaceous, outer phyllaries 4 mm long, scarious at the margins, inner phyllaries 6 mm long, oblong, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous, ciliate at the margins. Receptacle slightly convex,
glabrous. Florets 5-8, bisexual, 4-5 mm long, corollas funnelform,
shortly 5-lobed, tube 2-3 mm long ⫻ 0.6-0.8 mm wide, with glandular and non glandular hairs, throat setose, lobes 0.60-0.80 mm
long ⫻ 0.45-0.60 mm wide, papillose, triangular, with stomata.
Anthers 1.8-2 mm long, base rounded, anther collar cylindrical,
0.3 mm long ⫻ 0.18 mm wide, with 2-3 layers of transversely
banded cells, anther appendages, widely oblong, 0.30 mm long
⫻ 0.30 mm wide. Style base not enlarged, covered with one-celled
simple hairs, shaft 6.5-7 mm long, style branches 3-3.5 mm long,
papillose. Achenes 3-3.5 mm long, prismatic, 5-6 ribbed, densely
sericeous (twin-hairs and branched hairs); carpopodium distinct,
0.1 mm long ⫻ 0.25 mm wide, cells subquadrate. Pappus 56 mm long, uniseriate, of ca. 60 scabrous, persistent bristles, with
slender tips, apical cells acute. Pollen grains spheroidal, P ⫻ E
= (18 ⫻ 20) µm, tricolporate, echinate (Fig. 2).
Distribution. – This species is restricted to southern of
Democratic Republic of Congo and northern Zambia (Fig. 3).
Stomatanthes helenae is here proposed as Vulnerable, according to IUCN criteria (IUCN, 2010), due to its restricted distribution range and the absence of recent collections suggesting
a decrease in population size.
Additional material examined. – All the specimens cited
by LISOWSKI (1991) are confirmed. The following gatherings
are added:
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ex ZAIRE). HautKatanga: entre Mindigi et Menda, 5.XII.1959, Duvigneaud
4416, 4417 (BRLU); Menda, 6.XII.1959, Duvigneaud 4446
(BRLU).
ZAMBIA: Entre Ndola et Mufulira, Dembo, 30.I.1960, Duvigneaud 5313 (BRLU) [neotype].
Stomatanthes helenae inhabits open forests and savannas,
from 1000 to 2000 m. This species resembles S. africanus, a
highly variable species widely distributed in central Africa but
differs by its glabrous phyllaries (vs. pubescent in S. africanus),
leaves with few, simple, eglandular trichomes (vs. leaves with
glandular trichomes in S. africanus), florets 5-8 (vs. 4-5 in
S. africanus), phyllaries 6-8 arranged in 2-3 series (vs. phyllaries 5-7 arranged in 1-2 series in S. africanus) and mesophyll
with areas of lignified parenchyma between adaxial and abaxial palisade clorenchyma (vs. mesophyll without areas of
lignified parenchyma between adaxial and abaxial palisade
clorenchyma).
Key to the African species of Stomatanthes
1.
Lower leaves in whorls of three, upper ones alternate,
rarely opposite; achenes glabrescent ...............................
............................................... Stomatanthes zambiensis
1a. Lower leaves alternate, upper ones opposite or alternate;
achenes densely setose ................................................. 2
2.
Leaves sub-triangular, base truncated or rounded; anther
appendages truncate, emarginate.....................................
..................................................... Stomatanthes meyeri
2a. Leaves ovate or oblong-lanceolate, base cuneate or
rounded; anther appendages ovate, not emarginate ..... 3
3.
Leaves eglandular beneath; phyllaries glabrous..............
.................................................... Stomatanthes helenae
3a. Leaves glandular beneath; phyllaries pubescent .............
................................................. Stomatanthes africanus
Acknowledgements
I thank Liliana Katinas, Gisela Sancho and Diego G.
Gutiérrez for comments on the manuscript and the curators
of Herbarium National Botanic Garden of Belgium (BR),
Université Libre de Bruxelles (BRLU) and Adam Mickiewicz
University (POZG). This work was supported by Consejo
Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
and Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica
(ANPCyT) PICT 2007-01977.
1 mm
1 mm
Neotypification of Stomatanthes helenae (Buscal. & Muschl.) Lisowski (Asteraceae) : the curious history of an African specimen – 365
C
1 mm
B
10 µm
10 µm
1 cm
D
A
E
Fig. 2. – Stomatanthes helenae (Buscal. & Muschl.) Lisowski. A. Habit ; B. Head ; C. Achene ; D. Corolla ; E. Stamens ; F. Style.
[Duvigneaud 5313, BRLU]
F
366 – Candollea 66, 2011
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