South American Myrteae (Myrtaceae) Online
Specimen collected by Richard Spruce (1850). Label reads ‘Possibly sent before, but these Myrtles are so much alike that I dare not say which are species’.
Of the Myrtaceae, Neotropical members of tribe Myrteae are the group for which baseline taxonomy is most lacking. Due to high morphological variation at all taxonomic levels, the tribe has a taxonomic and nomenclatural history fraught with difficulty and duplication of names. It is common for one species to be described several times so that ultimately an accepted species name may have many synonyms. The resulting situation is one of extreme taxonomic instability; it is often difficult to know where to start when making Myrteae identifications as even confidently assigning a specimen to genus can be a frustrating and tedious task.
The Phylogeny of the Myrciinae project has produced preliminary results which throw light on major lineages of species within Myrcia s.l. This is being used in collaborative work with the University of Belo Horizonte (Brazil) to support extensive new synonymisation of widespread assemblages of geographic variants in Myrcia to which one name can be applied. The work will include discussion of how the adoption of a broader species concept within Myrcia and the Myrciinae will promote a more natural classification of Neotropical Myrtaceae.
In order to maximise the use of such a large exercise in synonymisation, images of the type specimens concerned will be made available on-line in order for the user to be able to satisfy themselves that the many taxonomic decisions are just. These images will also provide a reference collection of correctly verified type material of use to South American Myrtaceae researchers and ecologists in Myrtaceae rich areas.
It is envisaged that funding will be secured to merge the estimated 600 Kew Myrciinae type specimens with the Arizona State University (ASU) collection of subtribe Myrtinae images (www.lifesciences.asu.edu/herbarium/landrum/myrttypes.html) and to make these available on line as a first step towards the reference collection described above. Attention will then be turned to the possibilities available to extend this project to other herbarium collections and the remaining Myrteae genera.
Project Team
Project Leader: Lucas, Eve
Directorate
Eimear Nic Lughadha
Herbarium
Laura Jennings, Eve Lucas
Project Partners and Collaborators
Brazil
University of Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais
USA
Arizona State University