This study provides a preliminary phylogeny of the Celtis species from the neotropical region with emphasis on the South American species. We analyzed 19 taxa using the plastid psbA-trnH and nuclear ITS 4-5, and FA16180b markers. The sequence data were analyzed using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference. The South American species were highly supported as monophyletic, while the North American species were recovered as paraphyletic. The endocarp morphology corroborated the lineages within the molecular phylogeny and helps to differentiate the species, to recognize a new species Celtis serratissima, and to reestablish two previously known species, Celtis clausseniana (Wedd.) Miq. and Celtis spinosissima (Wedd.) Miq. These three species emerged among one of the three lineages of the tropical South American species. Celtis serratissima is thus described, illustrated, and compared to its most closely related species.

The shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora.

The genus Celtis L. (Cannabaceae) comprises around 73 species distributed in temperate and tropical regions of both hemispheres. Most South American species belong to the subgenus Mertensia Planch., and they are characterized by showing high morphological plasticity. A recent taxonomic revision of this group was carried out with an excessively reductionist criterion regarding the number of accepted species and that does not clearly reflect the morphological differences among them. In order to contribute to the correct delimitation of the specific entities, a morpho-descriptive approach is presented for ten taxa of the genus Celtis (C. brasiliensis, C. chichape, C. clausseniana, C. fluminensis, C. pallida var. pallida, C pallida var. discolor, C. serratissima, C. spinosa, C. spinosissima and C. tala) growing in South American Southern Cone. The morphology was analyzed through the use of a stereomicroscope and/or the tpsDig program for digital images of specimens. As a result, a key is provided for the determination of the aforementioned species and a detailed morphological description of the vegetative (habit, bark, branches, spines, brachyblasts, indumentum and leaves) and reproductive structures (inflorescences, flowers, fruits and endocarp -pyrene-). In addition, a specimen collection guide is proposed with a list of the main morphological characters that should be observed in the field, to facilitate future identifications.

RESUMO Este trabalho consiste no levantamento taxonômico e florístico de Ocotea Aubl. no Núcleo Curucutu, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, São Paulo, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Chaves de identificação, descrições morfológicas, ilustrações, distribuição geográfica e fenologia são apresentados. O gênero está representado na área por oito espécies: Ocotea curucutuensis J.B. Baitello, Ocotea dispersa (Nees & Mart) Mez, Ocotea laxa (Nees) Mez, Ocotea nutans (Nees) Mez, Ocotea pulchella (Nees & Mart) Mez, Ocotea pulchra Vattimo -Gil, Ocotea serrana Coe-Teix, Ocotea venulosa (Nees) Baitello.

In preparation for a new Neotropical taxonomic review and a global phylogeny focusing on the Neotropical lineages of Celtis, some nomenclatural changes are needed. Lectotypes are designated for Celtis alnifolia, C. asperula, C. brasiliensis, C. clausseniana, C. diffusa, C. morifolia, C. fluminensis, C. glycycarpa, C. hilariana, C. membranacea, C. orthacanthos, C. selloviana and Momisia integrifolia, and an epitype is designated for Celtis asperula. Celtis flavovenarum was proposed as a new name to replace the homonym C. morifolia. For C. spinosa we provide the locality of its type.

Abstract— This work presents the new taxon Ficus series Dugandii characterized by the syconium ostiolar margin with wall curved to the outer side of the syconium, forming a short apical tube, irregularly rounded to triangular. For this study, field trips were carried out and collections of herbarium specimens, types, and protologues were analyzed. The series has 15 species with 50 synonyms proposed here, distributed from Mexico and the Antilles to southeastern Brazil. Names like F. llanensis, F. llewelynii, and F. mitrophora, previously synonymous, are considered correct species names. Lectotypes have been designated for F. acarouaniensis, F. clethrifolia, F. glycicarpa, F. holosericea, F. velutina, Urostigma euomphalum, and U. maximilianum; a neotype for F. frigida; and epitypes for F. holosericea and F. trigonata.

This article reviews the nomenclature of 56 names of the genus Celtis, 54 of which are native to the African continent and two natives of the Asian continent. Of these 56 names, 33 are lectotypified here. Epitypes are designated for C. africana and C. holtzii. A neotype is designated for C. toka. More than 200 types were located, most of which were previously unknown.