(2854) Proposal to reject the name Taxodium huegelii ( Cupressaceae )
2022; Wiley; Volume: 71; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1002/tax.12664
ISSN1996-8175
AutoresM. Socorro González‐Elizondo, Martha González‐Elizondo,
Tópico(s)Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics
Resumo(2854) Taxodium huegelii hort. ex C. Lawson in Lawson & Son, List Pl. Fir Tribe: 66. 1851 [Gymnosp.: Taxod.], nom. utique rej. prop. Typus: non designatus. Taxodium huegelii hort. ex C. Lawson (in Lawson & Son, List Pl. Fir Tribe: 66. 1851, as ‘hügeli’), referred to as “Baron von Hügel's Taxodium”, was described as “A very distinct species, with slender branches and branchlets clothed distichously, with fresh, light-green foliage. Leaves linear, pointed, remaining longer on the branchlets than the common deciduous cypress, almost perennial when kept under glass. It appears to be less hardy, and supposed to come from Mexico. A handsome tree, of a graceful appearance. […] Syn.—Taxodium pinnatum. Hort. | Taxodium virens. Hort.” At that time neither T. pinnatum nor T. virens was a validly published name. Taxodium huegelii is accepted in Govaerts (WCSP, https://wcsp.science.kew.org/acceptedRef.do?name_id=379380. 2011, all online resources accessed 14 Nov 2021, unless stated otherwise) and The World Flora Online (http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000456329) Although it cannot be identified with certainty, the name may well apply, as these databases presume, to T. mucronatum Ten. (in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 3, 19: 355. Jun 1853), which was published two years later and has been the name applied by most authors ever since to the magnificent tree known as ahuehuete or Montezuma cypress, the National Tree of Mexico (CONAFOR, http://www.conafor.gob.mx/biblioteca/Poster-Ahuehuete-Historico.pdf). That Taxodium huegelii may represent the same species as T. mucronatum is inferred from its “less hardy” condition as compared with T. distichum (L.) Rich. (in Ann. Mus Hist. Nat. 16: 298. 1810), since it is known that the latter can withstand very low temperatures (Farjon, Monogr. Cupressaceae Sciadopitys. 2005), compared with T. mucronatum. In addition, as T. mucronatum is the only species of Taxodium that has been found in Mexico, the fact that T. huegelii was “supposed to come from Mexico” also supports the view that it represents the same species as T. mucronatum. If it were formally typified by an element of the Montezuma cypress, Taxodium huegelii would have priority over T. mucronatum. However, tracing specimens that may qualify as original material of T. huegelii would bring unreliable results considering the ambiguity regarding its origin. It was likely based on living material grown at the Lawson nursery, of unknown origin and only “supposed to come from Mexico”. Those plants may have been obtained, directly or indirectly, from von Hügel's botanical garden but, since he did not travel in the New World, there is no way to know how and from whence he got the plants. Taxodium mucronatum was described by Michele Tenore (l.c.) with T. sinense Ten., non Loud., as a synonym. No type material was cited nor has original material been found since, so Farjon (l.c. 2005: 129) designated as neotype a specimen (Hawkes & al. 1389, K barcode K000089026!) from the Netzahualcoyotl National Park in Mexico State. Taxodium mucronatum has also been treated as a variety of T. distichum: T. distichum var. mexicanum (Carrière) Gordon (Pinetum: 307. 1858) or T. distichum var. mucronatum (Ten.) A. Henry (in Elwes & Henry, Trees Great Britain 1: 175. 1906), but is recognized as a species by most authors (Farjon, l.c. 2005, Handb. World's Conifers: 958. 2010; Rzedowski & al., Fl. Fanerog. Valle México: 50. 2005; Debreczy & Rácz, Conifers Around World: 829. 2011; Gernandt & Pérez-de la Rosa in Revista Mex. Biodivers. 85: S126–S133. 2014). Because of its colossal dimensions, longevity, beauty, and associated traditions, the ahuehuete is the most popular tree in Mexico (Martínez, Pináceas Mexicanas: 161. 1963), and T. mucronatum is the better-known name for that species (https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/aztekium/12641-taxodium-mucronatum-taxodium-huegelii. 2017, accessed 4 Dec 2021; https://www.naturalista.mx/taxon_changes/30172. 2018). A Google search for T. mucronatum retrieved more than 67,000 results, while T. huegelii retrieved only 4290. The name has long and persistently been adopted by taxonomists and non-taxonomists (e.g., Rzedowski, Veg. México: 124. 1978; Farjon, l.c. 2005, 2010; CONABIO in Capital Nat. México. 2009; Gernandt & Pérez-de la Rosa, l.c.; Earle in https://www.conifers.org/cu/Taxodium_mucronatum.php; Gernandt in http://www.mexicanconifers.org/mexican-conifers/taxa/Taxodium-mucronatum.html; Villanueva-Díaz & al. in Trees 34: 623–635. 2020; as well as in many official Mexican government publications). Taxodium mucronatum is known from the southernmost United States to Guatemala, and has an exceptional environmental and cultural importance. Besides being the Mexican National Tree (CONAFOR, l.c.), it has been considered a sacred tree and is linked in several ways to the history of the country (the label of the type specimen indicates “very old trees, said to be planted by the Indian Emperor Netzahualcoyotl”). It is also well known for extraordinary individuals like El árbol del Tule, one of the most famous and most measured among the world giants (Debreczy & Racz in Arnoldia 57(4): 3–11. 1997; Hall & al. in Madroño 37: 1–5. 1990; Dorado & al. in Madroño 43: 445–452. 1996). In order to maintain nomenclatural stability, rather than designating a neotype for Taxodium huegelii that could firmly apply it to T. mucronatum, we propose its rejection under Art. 56, adding it to the list of suppressed names in App. V of the Code (ICN, Turland & al. in Regnum Veg. 159. 2018), thus ensuring that the long and persistent use of T. mucronatum is maintained, following the principle of avoiding disadvantageous nomenclatural change. MSGE, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4047-154X MGE, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9796-4823 We thank Dr. Christiane Anderson and Dr. Charles C. Davis for their help with literature, and Dr. Christiane Anderson and Dr. John McNeill for helpful suggestions to improve the manuscript.
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