Orthophytum fosterianum var. estevesii Rauh
Status: Basionym
Publ: Trop. Subtrop. Pflanzenw. 79: 27 (1991)
Taxonomic Change:
- Treated as a synonym of Orthophytum sucrei H. Luther —See Luther 1997a p. 18(1): 95-6
- When Orthophytum fosterianum var. estevesii was conceived by Rauh (in Rauh & Gross 1991) the typical variety of O. fosterianum L. B. Sm. was considered an imperfectly known taxon. According to Luther (1991), O. foste¬rianum was described on the basis of a depauperate specimen producing a simple or barely branched inflorescence; however, vigorous plants produce up to seven branches. Besides the recognized improvement on the concept of O. fosterianum, Luther (1997) also described O. sucrei, including in its synonymy O. fosterianum var. estevesii. However, after comparing type descendants of O. sucrei and O. fosterianum var. estevesii maintained in cultivation, as well as the holotype of the latter, it became clear that there are important morphological differences between them, which are consistent enough to justify the elevation of var. estevesii to the species rank, as proposed below. —See Leme 2004a p. 54: 37
- Treated as a synonym of Orthophytum estevesii (Rauh) Leme —See Binomials 13 (2012) p. 42
