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Studies in Neotropical Araliaceae. I. Resurrection of the genus Sciodaphyllum P. Browne to accommodate most New World species previously included in Schefflera J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.

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A Correction to this article was published on 17 April 2020

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Abstract

Phylogenetic studies have shown that Schefflera, the largest genus of Araliaceae, is highly polyphyletic, comprising five non-sister clades within the family, and that the generic name must be restricted to a small group of Pacific Island species. In an effort to establish monophyletic genera for the other elements still remaining in Schefflera, phylogenetic analyses of the large Neotropical clade have revealed five morphologically and geographically coherent groups. Here, we reinstate the genus Sciodaphyllum, which corresponds to the largest of these five groups, presenting a synopsis of the 131 currently recognized species, including 109 new combinations, one replacement name (nomen novum), and three new heterotypic synonyms. The re-establishment of Sciodaphyllum opens the way for describing an estimated 200+ new species in the genus, nearly all of which are from the Northern and Central Andes.

Resumen

Estudios filogenéticos han demostrado que Schefflera, el género más grande de Araliaceae, es altamente polifilético, con cinco clados no hermanos dentro de la familia y que el nombre genérico se debe restringir solo a un pequeño grupo de especies de las islas del Pacífico. En un esfuerzo por establecer géneros monofiléticos para los otros elementos que aún permanecen en Schefflera, los análisis filogenéticos del gran clado neotropical han revelado cinco grupos morfológicamente y geográficamente coherentes. Aquí, resucitamos el género Sciodaphyllum que corresponde al clado más grande de estos cinco grupos, presentando una sinopsis de las 131 especies actualmente reconocidas, incluyendo 109 nuevas combinaciones, un nombre nuevo (nomen novum) y tres nuevos sinónimos heterotípicos. El restablecimiento de Sciodaphyllum abre el camino para describir un estimado de más de 200 especies nuevas en el género, casi todas de las cuales son del norte y centro de los Andes.

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Change history

  • 17 April 2020

    The article "Studies in Neotropical Araliaceae. I. Resurrection of the genus Sciodaphyllum P. Browne to accommodate most New World species previously included in Schefflera J. R. Forst. and G. Forst." DOI 10.1007/s12228-019-09593-w was published with an incorrect running header.

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Acknowledgments

As this paper was being finalized, our co-author, friend and colleague David Frodin passed away. His vast knowledge of Schefflera and his never-ending enthusiasm and willingness to share his insights will be missed by us all.

The authors thank the curators of the following herbaria for the loan of specimens or for providing access to their collections: CAUP, COL, CUVC, CUZ, F, FMB, HUA, ICESI, JAUM, K, LOJA, MEDEL, MO, MOL, NY, PSO, QCA, QCNE, VALLE, and USM. We are also grateful to Roy Gereau for advice on several matters of typification, and George Schatz for interesting discussions on delimiting genera in the Neotropical Schefflera clade. This work was supported by grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation (DEB 0943958, 1556327 and 1556139) and the National Geographic Society (CRE 5793-96, 7415-03, 8355-07). PF thanks the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for a productivity grant (PQ 306228/2016-5).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110, USA

    Porter P. Lowry II, M. Marcela Mora & Roy E. Gereau

  2. Institut de Systématique, Évolution, et Biodiversité (ISYEB), Unité Mixte de Recherche 7205, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Sorbonne Universités/École Pratique des Hautes Études, C.P. 39, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France

    Porter P. Lowry II & Carlos Rodrigues-Vaz

  3. Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, 10458-5126, USA

    Gregory M. Plunkett & Carlos Rodrigues-Vaz

  4. Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Avda. Arenales 1256, Lima 11, Perú

    Asunción Cano

  5. Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, 88040-900, Brazil

    Pedro Fiaschi

  6. Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE, United Kingdom

    David G. Frodin

  7. Fundatión Jardín Botánico de Medellín “Joachím Antonio Uribe”, Calle 73 No. 51D-14, Medellín, Colombia

    Álvaro Idárraga-Piedrahíta

  8. Herbario Universidad de Antioquia (HUA), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, AA 1226, Colombia

    Álvaro Idárraga-Piedrahíta & Jáider Jiménez-Montoya

  9. Herbario del Oriente Boliviano, Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Av. Irala 565, Casilla 2489, Santa Cruz, Bolivia

    J. Moisés F. Mendoza

  10. Universidad Estatal Amazónica, Puyo, Pastaza, Ecuador

    David A. Neill

  11. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Bogotá, Colombia

    Orlando Rivera-Diaz

Author notes

  1. David G. Frodin is deceased. This paper is dedicated to his memory.

    • David G. Frodin
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  1. Porter P. Lowry II
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Correspondence to Porter P. Lowry II.

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Lowry II, P.P., Plunkett, G.M., Mora, M.M. et al. Studies in Neotropical Araliaceae. I. Resurrection of the genus Sciodaphyllum P. Browne to accommodate most New World species previously included in Schefflera J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.. Brittonia 72, 1–15 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-019-09593-w

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