Flag for Taxon: beach naupaka (Scaevola taccada)
| Flagger | Content Author | Content | Reason | Flag Created | Resolved by | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| danaleeling | beach naupaka (Scaevola taccada) |
this name is conserved as noted at https://www.iapt-taxon.org/nomen/pages/main/art_41.html |
Sep. 2, 2019 23:08:38 +0000 | kevinfaccenda |
POWO updated |
Comments
Further notes including Kew's response to my inquiry and Robert Archer's counterpoint:
"The references [to the taxon change] can be found here:
http://plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:384339-1#bibliography
What you call Scaevola taccada with white fruits is probably now correctly known as S. sericea:
http://plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30200356-2
Regards, Rafaël Govaerts
Senior Content Editor – Plant & Fungal Names
Biodiversity Informatics & Spatial Analysis
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Jodrell Laboratory, Kew Road
TW9 3DS, United Kingdom"
The Kew herbarium sheet for S. plumieri http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:384294-1 notes "Fruit blue or black, sub-globose, 10–15 mm. across, very fleshy, drying warty."
The City of Sanibel Vegetation Committee has a good publication on distinguishing Scaevola plumieri:
https://www.mysanibel.com/content/download/23790/147551
See also example ten at: https://www.iapt-taxon.org/nomen/pages/main/art_41.html for more background on the history of the Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb. name:
"Scaevola taccada was validly published by Roxburgh (Hort. Bengal.: 15. 1814) solely by reference to an illustration in Rheede (Hort. Malab. 4: t. 59. 1683) that is associated with a description of a species. Because the same illustration was cited in the protologue of the earlier name Lobelia taccada Gaertn. (Fruct. Sem. Pl. 1: 119. 1788) and the two names apply to the same species, S. taccada is treated as a new combination, S. taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb., not as the name of a new species, even though in Roxburgh’s protologue there is no reference, either direct or indirect, to L. taccada."
Explanation: "The names S. sericea and S. taccada have been very frequently been debated over the last 70 years or more. This all depended on a strict application of the code at the time or a less strict application. So much so that an effort has been made to conserve the name S. taccada as it was the most frequently used name at the time. This application was not accepted as instead the code was adjusted and by using this name as an example (Art 41.4 ex 10 (https://www.iapt-taxon.org/nomen/pages/main/art_41.html?)). " - Robert Archer
Scaevola taccada/Scaevola taccada subsp. sericea/Scaevola sericea "Apart from the white fruit, the thicker stems with the prominent leaf scars and the rounded leaves with its prominent midrib and venation distinguish this species." - Robert Archer, research scientist at South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/13343808
Note that Kew's source for this change is a flora of the plants of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao:
First published in Hort. Bengal.: 15 (1814)
Accepted by
van Proosdij, A.S.J. (2012). Arnoldo's Zakflora, ed. 4: 1-318. Walburg Pers, Zutphen.
Not accepted by
Catarino, L., Sampaio Martins, E., Pinto-Basto, M.F. & Diniz, M.A. (2006). Plantas Vasculares e Briófitos da Guiné-Bissau: 1-298. Instituto de investigação científica tropical, Instituto Português de apoio ao desenvolvimento. [Cited as Scaevola plumieri.]
Castle, G.E. (1994). Flore des Seychelles Dicotylédones: 1-663. Orstom Editions. [Cited as Scaevola sericea.]
Woodroffe, C.D. (1985). Vegetation and flora of Nui Atoll, Tuvalu Atoll Research Bulletin 283: 1-18. [Cited as Scaevola sericea.]
It is unclear whether this (https://www.abebooks.com/9789057301629/Arnoldos-Zakflora-Wat-het-wild-9057301628/plp) is a peer reviewed publication.
I am unsure what this flag is addressing. POWO accepts this species as well as S. plumeri. Is there anything which iNat needs to change?
I think this issue was perhaps resolved at some point? A couple years ago, as noted by Rafaël Govaerts above, Kew noted that "What you call Scaevola taccada with white fruits is probably now correctly known as S. sericea" and would have submerged Scaevola taccada under the Scaevola plumieri. This appears to have arisen out of a publication in 2012 on the flora of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. This decision appeared to me to run counter to a code adjustment (cited above by Robert Archer) to actively conserve the S. taccada name. I was suggesting that iNaturalist not follow Kew/Plants of the World in this instance. More recently it appears that Kew may have changed their position on this and has conserved the S. taccada name as a valid species. But this is why you will see I began identifying Scaevola taccada to ssp. Sericea a couple years ago. If the taxon change had occurred, the ssp. could have been mapped to S. sericea instead of winding up merged into S. plumieri. If that makes any sense.
Ok I think I understand. Since POWO has updated I'll go ahead and close the flag.
Do not submerge Scaevola taccada under Scaevola plumieri. Scaevola taccada is a conserved name as per 41.1 example 10 at: https://www.iapt-taxon.org/nomen/pages/main/art_41.html
White berried S. taccada is considered an invasive in the native range of the black berried S. plumieri. Submerging S. taccada as a synonym would be problematic for S. plumieri documentation and conservation efforts.