Opuntia repens Bello (1881: 277) subsp. taylorii (Britton & Rose) Guiggi, 2022

Guiggi, Alessandro & Mariotti, Mauro, 2022, Taxonomic and nomenclatural novelties in some Cactaceae of Greater Antilles, Phytotaxa 573 (2), pp. 215-230 : 222

3. Opuntia repens Bello (1881: 277) subsp. taylorii (Britton & Rose) Guiggi , comb. et stat. nov.

≡ Opuntia taylorii Britton & Rose (1908: 520, as “ Opuntia taylori ”).

Type: ― HAITI. Between Gonaives and La Hotte Rochée: on road to Terre Neuve, 12 August 1905, Nash 1587 (holotype NY386061, non videmus; isotype US 00117058!, corpus, areolae, spinae).

= Opuntia hattoniana Britton & Rose (1914: 97) .

Lectotype (designated here): ― DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Azua, March 1913, Rose 3835 [US00180245! (two sheets), corpus, areolae, spinae; isolectotypes: NY1496093! (sub Opuntia taylori ), corpus, areolae, spinae, HMGBH!, corpus, areolae, spinae ( Fig. 6 )].

Etymology: ―Dedicated to the British botanist, explorer and co-collector Norman Taylor (1883–1967) ( Crook & Mottram 2004, Eggli & Newton 2004).

Tyfication of Opuntia hattoniana : ―No type or herbarium were cited by Britton & Rose (1914: 97) in the protologue. The species was later synonymized by the same authors under Opuntia taylori (see Britton & Rose 1919: 103). Guiggi & Mariotti (2019: 194) traced three type collections with the same number and date deposited at NY, US and HMGBH, but being the type necessarily a single specimen conserved in one herbarium (see Art. 8.1 of ICN), a lectotype is designated here (herbarium US) because includes larger and easier identifiable specimens; isolectotypes at NY and HMGBH.

Taxonomical notes: ―We here propose to consider the taxon taylorii at subspecies rank of Opuntia repens . In fact, the ecology of Britton & Rose’s Opuntia taylorii is different from Bello’s O. repens [desert on calcareous rocks vs. saline soils (see Majure & Clase 2020: 107)]; the distribution areas are: region of Hispaniola for O. taylorii ( Britton & Rose 1919: 103) and, concerning O. repens , Puerto Rico (including Mona Island), Virgin Islands and in northern part of Dominican Republic ( Majure & Clase 2020: 107) and in Haiti, recognised here for the first time (see Majure & Clase 2020: 107), vicinity of Fond Parisien (see Leonard 4124 sub O. taylori , 1496092 NY!, corp, ar, sp, icon). Morphologycally, taxon taylorii is, characterised by cylindrical stem-segments, that reduce the exposed surface compared with the more frequent lateral compressed segments of the typical species, probably in response to the colonisation of drier habitats, whereas the typical O. repens has flattened stem-segments.

Illustrations examined: ― Britton & Rose (1919: plate 17 fig. 2) represents a joint collected by Rose, Fitch and Russel at Azua, Dominican Rep., in 1913).

Chorology: ―Endemic to Hispaniola ( Majure & Clase 2020: 107).

Relevant literature: ―Britton (1908), Britton & Rose (1919).

Specimen examined:― HAITI. Dept. du Nord-Ouest. Presqu’il du Nord-Ouest, Port-de-Paix, road to Jean Rabel, in Morne Palmiste, 16 May 1925, Ekman H4037 sub Opuntia taylori Britton & Rose (1496088 NY!, corp, ar, sp; 00180237 US! corp, ar, sp, fl); vicinity of La Vallée, Tortue Island, 3–10 May 1929, Leonard 15312 sub O. taylori (1496086 NY!, corp, ar, sp, fl). Dept. du Ouest. vicinity of Etang Saumatre, 4–12 April 1920, Leonard 3501 sub O. taylori (1496091 NY!, corp, ar, sp, fl); vicinity of Etang, Etang Saumatre, arid wooded plain of the Cul de Sac, 13–17 May 1920, Leonard 4250 sub O. taylori (1496085 NY!, corp, ar, sp, fl). DOMINICAN REP. Pedernales Prov., 10 km E del cruce de Cabo-Rojo Pedernales en el camino a Oviedo, sobre Loma El Guano, 7 May 1982, Zanoni 20527 sub Opuntia caribaea Britton & Rose (01496083 NY!, corp, ar. sp, fl, fr).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Isolectotype of Opuntia hattoniana (= O. repens subsp. taylorii) collected by J.N. Rose 3835, characterized by small, cylindrical, spiny stem sections, deposited at the Hanbury Botanical Gardens Herbarium (HMGBH). Photo. Guiggi & Pastor.