Triplaris macrocalyx Casar. (1842: 79)

Koenemann, Daniel Mark & Burke, Janelle M., 2025, A nomenclatural synopsis of the genus Triplaris (Polygonaceae), Phytotaxa 700 (2), pp. 115-146 : 127

Triplaris macrocalyx Casar. (1842: 79) ≡ Ruprechtia lundii Meisn. (1855: 54)

Type:—[ BRAZIL]. Rio de Janeiro [State] Taypú, October 1939, Casaretto 1789 (holotype: TO [two sheets]).

Notes:— Brandbyge (1986) did not comment on the type specimen for T. macrocalyx , simply indicating it to be synonymous with some species of Ruprechtia .

The type locality as given in the protologue is “in sylvulis arenosis maritimis (vulgo restingas) prope Taypú in Provinciâ Rio de Janeiro ” (in a short, sandy, coastal forest (commonly called restingas) near Taypú in the Province of Rio de Janeiro). There are a number of “Taypú” along the coast of Brazil. There is a “Rua Taipu” just west of the city of Rio de Janeiro and an “Itaipu” just across the bay to the east of the city of Rio de Janeiro. We cannot distinguish between these localities and thus, the type locality remains ambiguous.

The holotype specimen has been the subject of previous studies ( Delprete et al. 2019). These authors concluded that Casaretto 1789 was the sole specimen used in the description of this species, thus making it the holotype, even though it was not explicitly designated as such by Casaretto (Art. 9.1 of ICBN).

The placement of this taxon has been in question for some time being part of a complex of names spanning three genera of Polygonaceae . Triplaris scandens (Vell.) Cocucci was published by Cocucci (1957) as a competing concept to Meisner’s (1855) movement of T. laurifolia Cham. & Schltdl. to Ruprechtia . Cocucci (1957) included in T. scandens the following taxa: Magonia scandens Vell. , T. laurifolia , T. macrocalyx , R. lundii Meisn. , R. obidensis Huber , R. macrocalyx Huber , and R. scandens Rusby (see also Pendry 2004). A number of botanists have looked at this complex ( Howard 1985, Brandbyge 1986, 1989, Pendry 2004) concluding that it could belong to the genus Ruprechtia . Uncertainty remains, however. Pendry (2004) accepted some aspects of this complex as species of Ruprechtia but molecular methods have yet to be applied to this problem and such application seems necessary in order to finally determine the taxonomic placement and coherence of these names (see also our discussion under Triplaris laurifolia ).