Crotalaria vitellina Ker-Gawler (1820: 447)

Flores, Andréia Silva, Rockinger, Alexander, Rodrigues, Rodrigo Schütz & Tozzi, Ana Maria Goulart De Azevedo, 2016, Lectotypifications and taxonomic changes in Brazilian Crotalaria L. (Leguminosae), Phytotaxa 267 (4), pp. 296-300 : 298-299

Crotalaria vitellina Ker-Gawler (1820: 447) .

Lectotype (designated here):—[Illustration in] Ker Gawler (1820: pl. 447) “The drawing was taken in the hothouse at the nursery of

Messrs. Colville, in the King’s Road, Chelsea, where the plant flowers freely and produces seed”, “We are informed that this plant has been only lately introduced from the Brazils”. Lectotype image: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/130909#page/41/mode/1up.

Crotalaria vitellina var. glabrata Bentham (1859: 29) , syn. nov.

Lectotype (designated here):— BRAZIL. “Sta Catharina ”, 1820, A. de St. Hilaire 1719 (catal. C2 ). ( P00758473 !).

Lectotype image: http://mediaphoto.mnhn.fr/media/1441328962671FhOX5Wl97q7 K3 Hia.

Crotalaria vitellina var. minor Bentham (1859: 29) , syn. nov.

Lectotype (designated here):— BRAZIL. “ Serra de Araripe ”, 1839, G. Gardner 2411 ( K000187977 !).

Lectotype image: http://specimens.kew.org/herbarium/ K000187977 .

Crotalaria vitellina var. oblongifolia Bentham (1859: 29) , syn. nov.

Type:— BRAZIL.“In Brasilia orientali”, 1845, F. C. Raben s.n. (holotype not located; isotype C 10012078!). According to Ker-Gawler (1820), the description of Crotalaria vitellina was based on a cultivated plant originating from Brazil. However, Ker-Gawler did not cite a type collection and no original plant material of C. vitellina has been located. We consider the colored illustration (1820: pl. 447) in the protologue to represent part of the original material of C. vitellina . It is assumed that the plate is the only surviving original material and we hereby designate it as lectotype.

Bentham (1859) described three varieties of C. vitellina , based on the size and pubescence of legume, and leaflet form. He characterized C. vitellina var. glabrata by having glabrous legumes (vs. sericeous-pubescent in C. vitellina var. vitellina ), C. vitellina var. minor by its oval or oboval and obtuse leaflets, numerous smaller flowers, and legumes of 1.6–2.2 cm in length (vs. oval-lanceolate leaflets and legumes of 2.5–3.75 cm in C. vitellina var. vitellina ), and C. vitellina var. oblongifolia by having oblong and obtuse leaflets (vs. oval-lanceolate leaflets in C. vitellina var. vitellina ). Bentham (1859) mentioned numerous smaller flowers in C. vitellina var. minor and “ flores mediocres v. inter minores ” in C. vitellina var. vitellina , but no flower size was provided in his description.

Examining a large set of specimens of C. vitellina throughout its neotropical distribution range, neither completely glabrous nor mature pods shorter than 2 cm were found. Pods generally are puberulent (with few short and adpressed trichomes) or glabrescent, and 2–3 cm in length. In addition, the leaflet form varies between oblong and elliptic in the same individual (elliptic being predominant). As we have not been able to detect additional diagnostic characters for each variety, we thus recognize a single taxon, C. vitellina , and place the three Bentham varieties in synonymy.

In his description of C. vitellina var. glabrata, Bentham (1859) cited various syntypes: “ ad Rio Jequetinhonha et in prov. Matto Grosso: Pohl ”, “ prope Paratinga prov. S. Pauli”, “in pascuis amoensis prov. Piauhiensis: M ” and “ ad S. Catharina et prope Rio de Janeiro ( forma foliolis majoribus): St. Hilaire ”. We do not agree with Windlers assignment of a flowering collection of Pohl s.n. “ ad Rio Jequetinhonha” in the K herbarium ( K 000500542) as the lectotype of C. vitellina var. glabrata , because this specimen does not have fruits (glabrous pods are the only defining character of this variety). The syntypes collected by Martius and St. Hilaire have glabrescent fruits, whose short trichomes are mostly found near their base and apex. All Martius syntypes correspond to C. laeta by having wings shorter than the keel (in C. vitellina wings are as long as or longer than the keel). Among the material of Saint Hilaire deposited in P are several specimens from Rio de Janeiro that cannot be clearly assigned as original material. However, one specimen from the state Santa Catarina was labeled “ C. vitellina var. latifolia ” by Bentham. This variety is unpublished and Bentham supposedly referred to this material in the protologue as “forma foliolis majoribus” from Saint Hilaire’s collection. Furthermore, this specimen includes mature seed pods. We therefore designate it here as the lectotype of C. vitellina var. glabrata .

When describing C. vitellina var. minor, Bentham (1859) cited the following collections: “ in prov. Minarum: Claussen ”, “ In locis saxosis ejusdem prov.: St Hilaire ”, “ in prov. Rio de Janeiro prope Macahe et Praya Grande Gardner n. 1930 ” and “ in prov. Cearensi prope Crato: Gardner n. 2411 ”. In agreement with Windler’s previous assignment, we designate the Gardner material in K ( K 000187977) as lectotype of this variety.

Bentham (1859) described C. vitellina var. oblongifolia based on the material “ In Brasilia orientali: Raben (specimen mancum) ”. We understand that the material analyzed by Bentham is an incomplete or a poorly preserved specimen. On the other hand, it was found in C herbarium a complete and well-preserved specimen collected by Raben in Brazil. This specimen has oblong leaflets similar to that described by Bentham for C. vitellina var. oblongifolia . We assume that it is an isotype of this variety and the holotype remains to be located.