New Publication - Taxonomy and Nomenclature of Prosthechea

Research conducted by former Harvard University Herbaria fellow Tiago Vieira has been published in Systematic Botany. “Taxonomy and Nomenclature of Prosthechea (Orchidaceae) Species Described by Vellozo and Barbosa Rodrigues” draws on research Vieira conducted during his fellowship at the Herbaria. The study examines the taxonomic identity and nomenclatural history of Prosthechea species originally described by Brazilian botanists José Mariano da Conceição Vellozo and João Barbosa Rodrigues. By reviewing historical descriptions, illustrations, and relevant type material, the publication clarifies the application of these names and helps resolve questions of synonymy and classification within this diverse orchid genus. The work contributes to Vieira’s broader research on the taxonomy and evolutionary history of Prosthechea.

Abstract: José Mariano da Conceição Vellozo and João Barbosa Rodrigues published pioneering works on the discovery of the Brazilian Flora: Florae Fluminensis and Genera et Species Orchidearum Novarum. However, a common issue of both publications is the lack of nomenclatural types for the names proposed. For that reason, doubts or misconceptions have surrounded some of these names in the literature. Here, we revise the names associated with Prosthechea (Orchidaceae) in both publications and the taxonomy of the species to which they belong, carrying out 14 typifications (13 lectotypes and one epitype), proposing four new synonymy statuses, and providing nomenclatural and taxonomic notes.

Tiago L. Vieira, Gerardo A. Salazar, & Cássio van den Berg. (2026). Taxonomy and Nomenclature of Prosthechea (Orchidaceae) Species Described by Vellozo and Barbosa Rodrigues. Systematic Botany, 51(2), 154–169. https://doi.org/10.1600/036364426X17737017561371