Lycianthes heteroclita (Sendtn.) Bitter var. gracilis Bitter (1919: 496)

Dean, Ellen A. & Reyes, Miriam, 2018, Lectotypification of names in the genus Lycianthes (Solanaceae), Phytotaxa 349 (1), pp. 39-46 : 42

Lycianthes heteroclita (Sendtn.) Bitter var. gracilis Bitter (1919: 496)

Type (lectotype, designated here):— PANAMA. Canal Zone: Railroad relocation between Gorgona and Gatun, 10–50 m, Pittier 2281 ( US No. 676535 [digital photo!], isolectotype US No. 676536 [not found]).

Nomenclatural notes:— Bitter (1919) cited three gatherings in the protologue: Pittier 2281, Williams 818, Tonduz 14727, and he cited the herbaria housing the specimens he examined (and sometimes the accession number). We were able to locate part of the original material that he examined at the herbaria G-BOIS and US: Pittier 2281 ( US No. 676535 [annotated by Bitter as L. geminiflora ], US No. 676536 [not found at US]); Williams 818 ( US No. 678304 [not found at US]); Tonduz 14727 (G-BOIS-00415144! [annotated by Bitter as L. heteroclita ssp. coalescens Bitter (1919: 496) ]. The original material pertaining to L. heteroclita var. gracilis is problematic in that part of it is missing and the two specimens that we were able to locate were annotated by Bitter with a different name. Despite having annotated the US specimen of Pittier 2281 as L. geminiflora , the specimen label specifies the floral color (violet) mentioned in Bitter’s description of L. heteroclita var. gracilis which differs from that of L. geminiflora (white). Therefore the specimen of Pittier 2281 at US ( US No. 676535) is selected here as the lectotype for the name L. heteroclita var. gracilis .

Taxonomic notes:—This variety of the widespread L. heteroclita was described from Costa Rica and Panama as a variant with purple, stellate corollas (as opposed to the more common white color found further north). This color variant is the only color variant known from Costa Rica and Panama and merits further study.