Revising Poeppig´s Collections and Names of Connaraceae from Nova Genera ac Species Plantarum

Abstract

Abstract—During his expedition to South America, Eduard F. Poeppig collected about 17,000 botanical specimens, of which three belong to Connaraceae. These specimens were used to describe more than 500 species in the three volumes of Nova Genera ac Species Plantarum. In the third volume, Poeppig (1845) described two new species of Connaraceae: Omphalobium rubrum (=Connarus ruber) and Connarus macrophyllus (=Pseudoconnarus macrophyllus). As Poeppig´s descriptions are not accompanied by a clear indication of type specimens, these two names were afterwards lectotypified. A revision of Poeppig’s collections, descriptions and illustrations indicates that the lectotype of Omphalobium rubrum needs to be corrected, and a second step of lectotypification is required for Connarus macrophyllus. By correcting a lectotype, a reestablishment is also proposed. Aside from the nomenclatural updates, this work expands the description of the two species published by Poeppig (1845) as well as the reestablished taxon, and illustrates and discusses their taxonomy and distribution.