(1269) Proposal to conserve the name Angostylis (Euphorbiaceae) with a conserved spelling

Abstract

(1269) Angostylis Benth. in Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 6: 328. Nov 1854 [Euphorb.] ('Angostyles'), nom. & orth. cons. prop. Type: A. longifolia Benth. In recent years there has been an unfortunate return to the original spelling of this generic name, e.g. by Airy Shaw (in Willis, Dict. Fl. PI., ed. 8: 66. 1973), Farr & al. (in Regnum Veg. 100: 88. 1979) and Webster (in Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 81: 93. 1994). Art. 60.1 in the Tokyo Code states that The original spelling of a name or epithet is to be retained, except for the correction of typographical or orthographical errors... It is thus not obligatory to retain original spellings as a general principle. In fact, such a practice has the effect of upsetting long periods of stability during which no-one queried such corrections as were made. However, in view of the fact that there are those these days who feel free to contravene the Code because somehow or other original spellings, right or wrong, seem to have acquired an air of authority about them, those on the other hand who abhor this practice are obliged to make formal proposals to conserve corrections of such original spellings. Angostyles was Bentham's original spelling, but this was etymologically incorrect, since the name derives from the Greek words angos (ayyoq), a vessel, and stylis (cTVuXt), a small pillar. Although this spelling was used by some authors (Baillon, Etude Euphorb.: 498. 1858; Pfeiffer, Nomencl. Bot.: 191. 1873; and Jackson, Index Kew.: 134. 1893), it was altered by Muller (in Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 767. 1866, and in Martius, Fl. Bras. 11(2): 331. 1874) to Angostylis, a correction followed by Bentham & Hooker (Gen. PI. 3: 327. 1880), Pax (in Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(5): 66. 1890), Dalla Torre & Harms (Gen. Siphon.: 277. 1901), Pax (in Engler, Pflanzenr. 68: 29. 1919; and in Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam., ed. 2, 19c: 188. 1931), and Hutchinson (in Amer. J. Bot. 56: 753. 1969). In view of the fact that Bentham himself later acknowledged that Muller had been right in correcting his original spelling, and that every major work on the Euphorbiaceae for over a century has adopted Miiller's correction, there is a strong case for conserving this corrected spelling, which I therefore formally propose. Angostylis is a small genus of trees or shrubs, with one species each in Brazil and Surinam, which belongs to the largely climbing or twining tribe Plukenetieae of the subfamily Acalyphoideae.