Achyranthes fruticulosa
Achyranthes fruticulosa is an East African flowering plant in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae. It was originally named Achyropsis fruticulosa by C. B. Clarke in 1909. A taxonomic revision placed it in Achyranthes, publishing the new combination online in December 2024 in a paper assigned to the February 2025 issue of TAXON.[1]
Classification
The revision combined evidence from DNA and plant structure. It found that retaining Achyropsis and Nototrichium as separate genera would leave Achyranthes without some descendants of its common ancestor. The authors therefore brought these genera into a broader Achyranthes.[1]
The species treatment also places Achyropsis greenwayi, named from Tanzanian material, in synonymy with A. fruticulosa. Historical herbarium names involving fischeri were discussed, but were not treated as properly published alternative species names.[1]
Historical material
The type specimen of Clarke's name is held at Kew under barcode K000243763. The catalogue records that Kässner collected it in Kenya's Kiambu district on 12 June 1902.[2] The revision also cites duplicate specimens in other herbaria. These preserved specimens anchor the application of the botanical name; they are not a census of the plant's present distribution.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Di Vincenzo, V., Berendsohn, W., Wondafrash, M. and Borsch, T. (2025; first online3December 2024). Phylogenetics and morphological character evolution in the achyranthoid clade. TAXON 74(1), 66–100, doi:10.1002/tax.13284; abstract and taxonomic treatment. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Type specimen K000243763, Achyropsis fruticulosa; catalogue via JSTOR Global Plants. Accessed 9 October 2026.