Nomenclatural and taxonomic review of Passifloraceae species illustrated and described by Vellozo in Flora Fluminensis

Abstract

Flora Fluminensis is the fi rst and one of the most important works edited by a Brazilian on the fl ora of Brazil. It is the result of the fi rst botanical expedition in southern Brazil, which was lead by a Franciscan friar, José Mariano da Conceição Vellozo (1742-1811). The goal of the expedition was to gather information on natural resources, especially the fl ora, from the captainship of Rio de Janeiro to the hinterland of the captainship of São Paulo. The research took place between 1782 and 1790 and the published work included 1,640 species and 374 genera, 104 of which were considered new. Vellozo was supported by the Vice-Roy Luis de Vasconcellos e Souza and was helped by a number of collaborators, including several draftsmen, the military (during the fi eldwork), and other botanists who described and identifi ed the plants and probably came from Portugal where he took the entire collection to fi nish the project (Damasceno 1977;Lima 1995).Vellozo (1831) illustrated 25 species of Passiflora, but the descriptions were published later (Vellozo 1881), with the exception of P. racemosa. Flora Fluminensis was published in three distinct periods: some text was printed in 1825, excluding the species of Passifl oraceae, but effectively published in 1829 (from September 7 th to November 28 th ); the illustrations were printed in 11 volumes, which were edited in 1827 and effectively published in 1831 (on October 29 th ); and the nearly complete text, with all species described, was issued on July 8 th , 1881 (Borgmeier 1937; the reasons for the delays in the publications are discussed in Carauta 1973 andLima 1995).Binomials that were not new taxa were included in the Flora Fluminensis along with their botanical descriptions, indigenous names, uses and habitats, but without authorship. By examining the list of names, the diagnoses and the illustrations in volume 9 (Vellozo, 1831), we noticed that some binomials used by Vellozo were synonyms or homonyms of names previously adopted by others. In spite of this, Flora Fluminensis is a remarkable work that has been consulted and reviewed by numerous taxonomists worldwide. Unfortunately, the botanical collections made by Vellozo were expropriated during the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal, in 1808, and disappeared after they were taken to France. Due to the lack of voucher collections, the plates, many of them of excellent quality, are usually the best option that botanists have for reviewing the described taxa (e.g., Sampaio & Peckolt 1943;Stellfeld 1950;Mello Filho 1975;Lima 1995).The 25 species of Passifl oraceae named by Vellozo in Flora Fluminensis are listed below; the accepted names are in boldface. The analysis was based on the plates and Latin diagnoses in Vellozo's (1831, 1881) works and the names have been reviewed and updated to refl ect current nomenclatural and taxonomic perspectives.

Notes on the Pontederiaceae names described in Vellozo'sFlora fluminensis

“…In addition to the specimens Vellozo placed in Lisboa, Hamy (1908) referred to 246 Vellozo specimens arranged in two separate batches (117 and 129 specimens) that were stated to have arrived in Portugal, with the first batch (consisting of 117 specimens) being sent to Paris (Bocage 1862). Nevertheless, those specimens were expropriated during the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal in 1808 and nothing is known about the current whereabouts of Vellozo's original collection (Lima 1995;Cervi & Rodrigues 2010;Pastore 2013). Thus, making the iconographies of Flora fluminensis the best option for lectotypes and reviewing the described taxa (Carauta 1969;Mello Filho 1975;Cervi & Rodrigues 2010;Pellegrini et al 2015).…”

“…Vellozo's Flora fluminensis is a monumental work and the first one edited by a Brazilian botanist on our country's flora (Cervi & Rodrigues 2010). With funding of the Portuguese Empire, Flora fluminensis was a relevant part of the "Portuguese Philosophical Travels" that took place during the XVIII century.…”

Typifications in Passiflora L. (Passifloraceae) described by Frei José Mariano da Conceição Vellozo

“…Led by Frei José Mariano da Conceição Vellozo during the 18 th century (1782-1790), Flora Fluminensis provided 1,639 succinct descriptions and botanical illustrations of diagnostic characters distributed among 11 volumes, which were eff ectively published 39 years later, leading to the loss of authorship of many genera and species (Cervi & Rodrigues 2010;Bediaga & Lima 2015).…”

“…Binomials were included in Flora Fluminensis along with descriptions of new species, as examined by Cervi & Rodrigues (2010) in their study of the species names, diagnoses, and illustrations in Volume 9.…”

“…fluminensis (M. Roem) Killip, and P. villosa. In Flora Fluminensis, Vellozo (1831/1881) named 25 species of Passifloraceae, all belonging to the genus Passiflora. Cervi & Rodrigues (2010) reviewed these species based on prints and Latin diagnoses, but did not typify the names. They accepted six of the species as valid (P. mediterranea, P. ovalis, P. porophylla, P. silvestris, P. tetraden and P. villosa), considered sixteen species to be synonyms (P. arvensis, P. bilobata, P. dentata, P. diaden, P. foetida, P. globosa, P. lunata, P. maliformis, P. oliviformis, P. pallida, P. pertusa, P. polyaden, P. quadrangularis, P. rubra, P. sururuca and P. violacea), recognized P. edulis Sims and P. racemosa Brot.…”