Nuevos datos acerca de Phyllanthus pseudocicca (Phyllanthaceae)

Abstract

Phyllanthus is one of the largest genera within the angiosperms and in Cuba it is represented by 50 species. Among these species is P. pseudocicca that presents ancestral features within the genus. The infrageneric classification of this taxon has not been fully clarified and it has been included in several subgenera within Phyllanthus due to several similarities with other representatives of the genus. However, there is no complete morphological description of the species, since the characteristics of its fruits and seeds are not known. Therefore, the aim of this work is to describe fruits and seeds, update the nomenclature and distribution data of P. pseudoccica . For this, 89 herbarium materials and several field surveys were reviewed where individuals with fruits were found and different characters, from the fruit and seeds, were analyzed. For the nomenclatural work, the protologues and type materials of the names of the taxa referred to Cuba were reviewed and the geographical distribution was updated based on what was recorded in the consulted herbarium specimens. The tipification of two names were made: Phyllanthus brevistipulus y Phyllanthus punctulatus. The fruit of P. pseudocicca is a subglobose capsule, with a fleshy exocarp, green, smooth and with two seeds per loculum, of equal size, brown, trigonal, symmetrical and verruculose. It is an endemic tree of Eastern Cuba, typical of the forests of the Nipe-Sagua-Baracoa mountain system, although its populations consist of few individuals. Citation: Falcon, B. & Leyva, L.M., 2020. Nuevos datos acerca de Phyllanthus pseudocicca ( Phyllanthaceae ). Revista Jard. Bot. Nac. Univ. Habana 41: 141-146. Article history : Received: 15 October 2020. Accepted: 16 December 2020. Online: 28 December 2020. Editor: Jose Angel Garcia-Beltran.