The Status of Agyneia and (Euphorbiaceae) Author(s): Grady L. Webster Source: Taxon, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Jan., 1960), pp. 25-26 Published by: International Association for (IAPT) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1217352 . Accessed: 16/09/2013 13:24

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This content downloaded from 169.237.8.35 on Mon, 16 Sep 2013 13:24:39 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions PERTY, M. 1852. Zur Kenntniss kleinster SENN,G. 1900. Flagellata. In Engler & Prantl, Lebensformen ... Bern. Die natiirlichen Pflanzenfamilien ... l(la): 93-188. PRINGSHEIM, E. G. 1936. Zur Kenntnis sapro- und 1. Ober tropher Algen Flagellaten. SKUJA,H. 1948. Taxonomie des Phytoplank- Anhdufungskulturen polysaprober Flagel- tons einiger Seen in Uppland, Schweden. laten. Arch. Protistenk. 87: 43-96. Symb. Bot. Upsal. 9(3). . 1956. Contributions towards a mono- graph of the Euglena. Nova Acta STEIN, F. 1859. Der Organismus der In- Acad. Leop. Carol. N.F. 18(125). fusionsthiere ... 1. Leipzig. RAILLIET, A. L. J. 1885-1886. ElEments de - . 1878. Der Organismus der Infusions- zoologie medicale et agricole. Paris. thiere ... 3(1). Leipzig.

THE STATUS OF AGYNEIA AND GLOCHIDION (EUPHORBIACEAE)* Grady L. Webster (Lafayette, Ind.)

In their extensive revisions of the family dion Forst. (Char. Gen. P1. 113. pl. 57. 1776), Euphorbiaceae in the 'Pflanzenreich', Pax which is represented by more than 200 and Hoffmann treated most of the genera in the tropics of Asia and Oceania. except those in the -complex.For -Glochidion has been generally accepted as Phyllanthus and its allies, which include at generically distinct from Phyllanthus since least 1,000 species, no general revision has the dispositions of Hooker (Fl. Br. Ind. 5: been made since that of Mueller Argoviensis 306. 1887) and Pax (Naturl. Pflanzenfam. in De Candolle's 'Prodromus' (1866). A ed. 1, 3(5): 23. 1890), and will surely be so survey of the taxa in the subtribe Phyllan- treated in the future. Unfortunately,all recent thinae (s. lat.), made in connection with a workers appear to have overlooked the fact revision of the West Indian species of Phyl- that Glochidion Forst. is a taxonomic syno- lanthus (Jour. Arnold Arb., 1956-58), has nym of the earlier Agyneia L. (Mant. Alt. 161. shown that extensive taxonomic and nomen- 1771). Linnaeus based his genus on two clatural changes are needed to bring the Chinese which are now considered a classification up to date. It is the aim of the single species, (L.) present article to review the nomenclatural Hutch. The type species of Glochidion, G. problems in the Phyllanthinae which may ramiflorum Forst. f., belongs in the same affect students of the flora of the Old World sect. (Hemiglochidion) as G. puberum, and tropics. there seems no doubt that they are in fact St. John (Taxon 6: 198-199. 1957) has congeneric. Mueller (in DC. Prodr. 15[2]: already pointed out that the genus 238. 1866) pointed out that Agyneia L. is Forst. is a latter homonym of the Cappari- synonymous with Glochidion, but upheld daceous Breynia L.; he has consequently Agyneia in the completely different applica- proposed that Breynia be placed on the list tion given that name by Ventenat. This latter of concerned generic names. Although Brey- author (Descr. pl. nouv. jard. Cels. 23. pl. 23. nia is a relatively small genus of about 30 1800) mistook for Linnaeus's Agyneia im- species and is only weakly differentiated pubes an entirely different plant already from , its conservation appears described by Linnaeus (Syst. ed. 13. 707. warranted, as a cultivar of the type species 1774) as Phyllanthus bacciformis. This com- B. disticha is rather well known as an orna- pletely altered usage of the name Agyneia mental, and several species are common in has been perpetrated by Mueller and later southern and eastern Asia. authors up to the present time, although it However, the most urgent nomenclatural is of course indefensible under current rules problem in the Phyllanthinae relates not to of nomenclature. Breynia but rather to the large genus Glochi- Since less than 10 of the species of Glochi- dion have received valid names in Agyneia, *) Studies in the Euphorbiaceae, Phyllan- failure to conserve the former would necessi- thoideae, V. tate at least 200 new combinations. In view 25

This content downloaded from 169.237.8.35 on Mon, 16 Sep 2013 13:24:39 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions of the general acceptance of Glochidion as sensu Ventenat to the taxon mentioned by a distinct genus, it is hereby proposed (69) Bentham. The first generic name published that it be added to the list of conserved for that group is Diplomorpha Griff. (Not. 4: generic names and that Agyneia L. be 479. 1854), which however is a later homo- rejected. This leaves at hand only the prob- nym of Diplomorpha Meissner (1841). The lem of the disposition of Agyneia sensu Vent. earliest available name then is Synostemon non L. F. Mueller (Fragm. Phytogr. Austr. 1: 32. Mueller upheld Ventenat's generic concept 1858). Although combined with Phyllanthus on the basis of floral characters ('glandulae by Mueller and Bentham and with Glochidion extrastaminalislaciniis calycis oppositae') and by Pax and Hoffmann, Synostemon appears placed it next to Sauropus; in this he has to be generically distinct from both. It dif- been followed by most subsequent authors, fers from Phyllanthus in its grain including Pax and Hoffmann (Pflanzenr. IV. morphology and lack of a true floral disk, 147. XV: 212. 1922). However, Bentham(Gen. and from Glochidion by virtue of its , P1. 3: 271. 1880) pointed out that the squa- more or less free styles, and ventrally chan- mae or scales of Agyneia are not homologous nelled bony seeds. Consequently, the species with the floral disk in other genera of Phyl- accepted by Mueller and by Pax and Hoff- lantheae, and that the genus was scarcely mann as Agyneia bacciformis is hereby trans- different from Phyllanthus sect. Synostemon. ferred to Synostemon.*) Examination of shows that Bentharn was correct, for the 'glands' appear to be merely the differentiated inner faces of the *) Synostemon bacciforme (L.) Webster, calyx-lobes. Consequently, it appears necess- comb. nov. (Phyllanthus bacciformis L. Syst. ary to transfer the single species of Agyneia ed. 13. 707. 1774).

NEWS AND NOTES

CORRECT NAME FOR THE TYPE OF is to be attributed to him alone, and is not THIELAVIA ZOPF to be regarded as a new combination". Thielar;iabasicola (Berk & Br. 1850) Zopf In 1876, Zopf established a new genus - 1876 and Thielaviopsis basicola [Berk. & Br. named Thielacia - for the perfect state of 1850) Ferr. 1913 as stages belonging to two an Ascomycete which he thought incorrectly different species cannot bear the same epithet to form a pleomorphic life cycle with the ("basicola") which refers, in both cases, to imperfect fungus Torula basicola Berkeley the basionym Torula basicola Berk. & Br. & Broome 1850. The only species mentioned, In 1951, I proposed, therefore, a new and becoming, therefore, type species was name for the Ascomycete, Thielavia reno- Torula basicola Berk. & Br. = Thielavia minata. basicola (Berk. & Br.) Zopf. Much later, the Quite recently, Hiirri (1959, p. 30) opposes imperfect fungus (Torula basicola Berk. & my proposal, as follows: "Zwischen Thie- = Br. Thielaviopsis basicola [Berk. & Br.] lacia basicola Zopf und Thielatiopsis basi- Ferr. 1913) has, however, been proven to cola (B. et Br.) Ferr. besteht demnach neben represent chlamydospore-and endoconidium- der engen okologischen Beziehung keine producing stages of a specifically distinct niihere systematische Verwandschaftkeit.Aus commensal the perfect state of which diesem Grunde [!] diirfen die beiden im remains unknown. Speziesnamengleichlautenden Epitheta neben- The Code does not, in fact, permit the einander bestehen bleiben (Code . .), und application of a basionym to more than one der Vorschlag von Paclt (1951), Thielavia and the same taxon. Art. 59 entitled "Choice basicola in Thielavia renominata Paclt um- of names of fungi with a pleomorphic life zubenennen, ist gegenstandslos". Further- cycle" is no exception to that principle. It more, he remarks (l.c., p. 28): "Zopf (1876) implies only that "the author who first beschrieb einen Ascomyceten auf Wurzeln describes a perfect state may adopt the von Senecio elegans als einzige Art einer specific epithet applied to the corres - neuen Gattung Thielavia. Als Epitheton fiir p o n d i n g [spaced types mine] imperfect ldiese Typusart waihlte er 'basicola B. et Br.'. state, but his binomial for the perfect state Berkeley und Broome (1850) verstanden 26

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