Parasitic Plant Connection - Mitrastemonaceae

Names for the Asian species. A number of names of Mitrastemon have been (and are currently being) used to refer to Asian material: M. cochinchinensis, M. sumatranus, M. kanehirai, M. kawasakii, and M. yamamotoi. The latter three names, originally proposed by Yamamoto (1925, 1926), were later used by Watanabe in a large number of publications in the 1930s (see references). Characters used to support the specific status of these taxa involved the number of scale leaves (up to six pairs vs. 8-12 pairs), their shape (small, elongate elliptic vs. large, oblong), and plant aspect (cylindrical vs. 4-angled, obconic). The most recent work to examine the taxonomy of Mitrastemon was Meijer and Veldkamp (1993) who concluded that because many intermediates among these "species" exist, the variation represents local forms and ecotypes and that all Asian specimens should be regarded as one variable species. Moreover, as pointed out by van Royen (1963), all forms can be found in material from Papua New Guinea. Hansen (1973) stated that it was not possible to distinguish at the specific level the southeast Asian and Malesian populations. Although technically challenging given the rarity of these plants, a populational biosystematic study using molecular markers is likely required to determine whether one or more species exist in Asia. Until then, the conservative approach taken by Hansen (1973) and Meijer and Veldkamp (1993) will be followed here.

"In 1909 Makino published Mitrastemma yamamotoi as a new genus and species in a rather isolated English paragraph in an otherwise extensive Japanese text. In his description on p. 327 he included "Stamens ... mitriform ..." which was obviously the basis for his generic name. However, stemma would refer to a crown, while stamen should have been -stemon. Mitra- is derived from the Latin for a turban or other head-dress, which the fused stamens resemble. In 1911, on both pp. 253 and 255, Makino wrote "MITRASTEMON (sphalmate MITRASTEMMA) Makino ..." "Sphalmate" means "in error", and he was clearly stating that he was correcting the orthography of his own generic name. This correction was accepted in the Code in 1966, when Mitrastemonaceae was conserved with Mitrastemon as the type genus - all in accordance with Makino's action. This has been followed by the vast majority of authors since 1966, but the proposal quotes a few dissenters who have perversely taken up Mitrastemma. In a revision of the genus in 1993, Veldkamp & Meijer adopted a different orthographic correction, using Mitrastema with single m. They said simply that Makino "changed the name to Mitrastemon. This change is not allowed, and Mitrastemon is a superfluous name." But Art. 60.1 clearly allows correction of orthographic (i.e., spelling) errors, and this must be the more so when the correction is made by the author of the original spelling giving his arguments. Some of the Committee have considered that it would make the matter clearer if we accept the proposal, but that might set a bad precedent. There is a principle involved (see also Prop. 1912 on Loxsoma above). Mitrastemon is a correction made by the original author himself and is already accepted in the Code, and so must be adopted. A majority of the Committee considers conservation unnecessary."

Mitrastemonaceae Makino

Family Description

Distribution Map

List of Genera

Photographs

Phylogeny

References