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(Last Modified On 8/12/2013)
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(Last Modified On 8/12/2013)
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Genus
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Tovaria Ruiz & Pavon
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PlaceOfPublication
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Prodr. 49. 1794. nomen cons.
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Synonym
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Bancroftia Macf., Fl. Jamaica 1: 112. 1837. TYPE: B. diffusa Macf. = Tovaria diffusa (Macf.) Fawc. & Rendl. non Bancroftia Billb. 1833. (Umbelliferae).
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Note
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Only two names have been published in this genus, T. pendula, the type, and T. diffusa, which was described from Jamaica. Fawcett & Rendle (1914) dis- tinguished T. diffusa from the mainland plants on the basis of narrower, relatively longer sepals, and a sessile stigma. Examination of several collections from Jamaica did not confirm Fawcett & Rendle's sepal distinction, as both sepal shape and length are quite variable with the age of the flower, and the Jamaican plants appeared quite within the range of mainland morphology. Only one collection, Proctor 34258 (IJ), was available with mature fruits, and its style is extremely short, more or less supporting the Fawcett & Rendle observation on a sessile stigma. Such short styles were not observed on any mature fruits from mainland America. However, on several Jamaican collections ovaries which had not expanded to full fruiting size bore styles similar in length to those of mainland plants. The difference in style length, therefore, appears to be a matter of elongation in fruit rather than any evident difference in the flower. If this difference in fruiting style is pervasive amongst the Jamaican populations, then these plants probably warrant taxonomic distinction, but perhaps not at the species level. In any case, the name T. diffusa does not apply to collections seen from mainland America, many of which had been determined with this name rather than the earlier T. pendula. It may be possible to separate mainland populations into more than one taxon, but this study uncovered no basis for doing so.
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Distribution
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Jamaica
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Project Name
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