New Synonyms of Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth. (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae-Phaseoleae)

Abstract

Although never domesticated, the pantropical Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth. is a well known species and the type of the genus. It was described first by Linnaeus (1759) as Dolichos repens, but Vigna repens was used by Baker (1876) for another taxon, which made Kuntze's (1891) combination illegitimate. Jacquin described the taxon as Dolichos luteolus in 1770, 54 years before the genus Vigna was recognised and described by Savi. It was actually the first species to be included in Vigna since both Savi's included names, Vigna glabra and V villosa, are synonyms ofJacquin's species. Before Palisot de Beauvois' (1819) description of Dolichos emarginata (a synonym of V luteola) from present day Nigeria, all the Vigna species described (mainly as Dolichos or Phaseolus) were either domesticated or pantropical (V vexillata, V marina, V luteola). None was described from material from tropical Africa. More importantly, a lot of these early descriptions were synonymous, and by 1819, these ten species bore more than 35 names. This process continued, and both domesticated and pantropical species were described much more often than strictly African species. Vigna luteola is a perfect illustration of this phenomenon since after Jacquin (1770) it has subsequently been redescribed some 20 times, most often from non-African material. Some new synonyms are presented here, as well as synonyms mentioned in Flora Zambesiaca (Pasquet 2001) without any indication of their types. Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth. i Mart., Fl. Brasil. 15 (1): 194, t. 50/2 (1859). Dolichos luteolus Jacq., Hort. Vindob. 1: 39, t. 90 (1770). Type: Jacq., Hort. Vindob. 1: t. 90 (lectotype designated by Verdcourt (1971: 625)). Dolichos luteus Sw., Prodr.: 105 (1788). Type: Jamaica, Swartz 1659 (lectotype S, designated here). Dolichos glycinoides Kunth in Humb., Bonpl. & Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. 6: 441 (1824). Type: Peru, Humboldt & Bonpland s.n. (P, holotype), synon. nov. Lablab javanicus Miq., Fl. Ind. Bat. 1: 191 (1855). Type: Indonesia, Horsfield 116 (BM, CGE, K, K specimen designated here as lectotype), synon.