Novitates Taxonomicae III. ex. Herbario Academiae Rheno-Traiectinae

In my revision of the Turneraceae for PULLE’s Flora of Suriname, I have accepted the genera Piriqueta and Turnera in the delimitation given to them by URBAN. The distinction rests on the presence in Piriqueta of a “corona” at the insertion of the petals. This corona, however, is often so weakly developed as to be almost invisible, and as moreover, the African representatives of Piriqueta appear to be more easily distinguishable from the American ones than the latter from some of the Turneras, the taxonomic importance of this organ appears to be somewhat dubious. A decision of the question, however, would necessitate a more extensive study of the genera than the demands of the present revision would justify; owing to lack of material, moreover, such a study would be impossible at the present time. The only species by which the genus Piriqueta is represented in Suriname was split by Urban in a fairly large number of varieties, of which four have been quoted by him from Suriname, namely: the var. genuina, the var. latifolia, the var. foliosa and the var. bracteolata. The var. foliosa differs from the type mostly in a more luxuriant growth and is very probably nothing but a form growing under somewhat different conditions. The bracteoles of the var. bracteolata are rather variable in size, and even in the specimen quoted by URBAN in the main not different from those found in other plants; it is not impossible that the somewhat larger size of some of them may be due to the presence of parasites. The leaves of the var. latifolia are distinctly wider than those of the type, and it is not improbable that this difference will prove constant. A study in the field, eventually supplemented by culture experiments. however, would be necessary to decide the point. For the present it is perhaps better not to lay too much stress on this rather insignificant difference.