Butia odorata Barb.Rodr. ex Noblick, Palms (1999+) 55(1): 48 (2011)

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Discussion

  • The true Butia capitata was first described and named by Martius as Cocos capitata in 1826. It was discovered in the state of Minas Gerais by Martius near the town of Montes Claros and is a cerrado-loving palm endemic to the central planalto region of Brazil. It is a very different palm from the more robust coastal plane or restinga-loving "Butia capitata" of Uruguay and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Barbosa Rodrigues (1891, 1903) described and named the southern one as Cocos odorata and wrote that it inhabited fields in Rio Grande do Sul and on the Isla de los Padres near the Rio Cebollati (Lagoa Mirim), Uruguay. Beccari (1916) half-heartedly accepted Barbosa Rodrigues' name when he created Butia capitata var. odorata (Barb. Rodr.) Becc. Glassman (1979) synonymized both of these names under Butia capitata expressing a need for further study. Henderson (1999), reiterating my own view, wrote that "They (the southern population) should perhaps be recognized as a separate species, in which case Butia odorata would be the correct name (Larry Noblick, pers. comm.)." Since then, others have supported, but failed to transfer Cocos odorata to Butia odorata. In his PhD thesis, Marcato (2004) created the name Butia odorata (Barb.Rodr.) Noblick ex Marcato, but he never published his thesis nor the name. Lorenzi et al. (2004) published the name Butia odorata (Barb.Rodr.) Noblick & Pirani, but it lacked a proper basionym reference, and the transfer failed. Finally, Lorenzi et al. (2010) published Butia odorata Noblick & Lorenzi, but it had an erroneous basionym reference that rendered the name illegitimate. Therefore, let the above transfer be considered the final, legal and official transfer of Cocos odorata Barb. Rodr. to Butia, with its correct basionym reference. (Noblick, L. 2011: Validation of the name Butia odorata. – Palms; Journal of the International Palm Society 55 (1): 48-49)A

Bibliography

    A. Noblick, L. 2011: Validation of the name Butia odorata. – Palms; Journal of the International Palm Society 55 (1): 48-49