Smilax megacarpa De Candolle (1878: 186)

Sukhramani, Geetika & Choudhary, Ritesh Kumar, 2022, Lectotypification of four names in the genus Smilax (Smilacaceae), Phytotaxa 532 (1), pp. 107-113 : 112

3. Smilax megacarpa De Candolle (1878: 186) . Fig. 3

Lectotype (designated here): INDIA, East Bengal , Khasya, s.d. Griffith 5421, K000820886 (K, digital image!) . Syntypes: MALAYA, s.loc., s.d. Maingay 1698, CAL0000033930 (CAL, digital image!), MALAYA, s.loc., s.d. Maingay 1698, K000292126 (K, digital image!).

Distribution: CAMBODIA, CHINA, INDIA, INDONESIA, LAOS, MALAYSIA, MYANMAR, SINGAPORE, THAILAND, VIETNAM.

Notes: Alphonse De Candolle (1878) described Smilax megacarpa based on two gatherings (Griffith 5421 and Maingay 1698 from East Bengal and Malaya, respectively). While searching for the type specimens of S. megacarpa , we found that Griffith’s collections were housed at K, GH and MPU while those of Maingay’s were housed at K. After a thorough search of these herbaria, we could locate one specimen at CAL (CAL0000033930) and two specimens at K (K000820886, K000292126). Out of which, K000820886 (designated here as lectotype) have Griffith’s annotation as “ Smilax sp. , Khasya, 5421, Herbarium of the late East India Company, East Bengal” and a determinavit slip by Alphonse De Candolle as “ Smilax megacarpa A. DC. , Type specimen”. Another specimen (CAL0000033930) has two annotations of Maingay as “ Smilax , Malacca, 1867, 3078” and “ Smilax, Malaya, 1698 , herbarium of the late A.C. Maingay, M.D” Also, specimen (K000292126) has two annotations of A.C. Maingay, M.D as “Malacca, 16 th Dec, 1867-68, 3078” and “ Smilax, Malaya, 1698 , herbarium of the late A.C. Maingay, M.D” and a determinavit slip by Alphonse De Candolle as “ Smilax megacarpa A. DC. , Type specimen”. As Alphonse De Candolle mentioned two specimens in the protologue, lectotypification becomes necessary following articles 7.11, 9.3, and 9.12 of the ICN. Therefore, we designate K000820886 as the lectotype of S. megacarpa because it matches well with the protologue description and has fruits and leaves in good condition.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Lectotype of Smilax megacarpa A.DC. K000820886 © copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.