Especies nuevas de Canavalia (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae: Phaseoleae: Diocleinae) para México y Centroamérica

Abstract

Canavalia Adans. is a genus of legumes (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae: Phaseoleae: Diocleinae) that has, after this work, about 71 species. Previously about 60 species were recorded as valid; this genus has not been completely revised in recent years. The last complete revision dates from 1960 and was made by J.D. Sauer, however, from 1960 to the present, many collections have been accumulated from places especially rich in species such as Central and Western Mexico and northern Central America, resulting in an accumulation of poorly curated specimens that undoubtedly represent some interesting extensions in the distributions, as well as the addition of new species for science. Some of the original taxa were poorly known and still others had nomenclatural and taxonomic problems, having been synonymized by Sauer and reinstated in this work. Thus, we believe that we have solved the problems associated with the types of most of the species proposed by Martens and Galeotti for Mexico and Central America. Specimens from various collections carefully accumulated for more than 30 years in the National Herbarium of Mexico (MEXU) by Mario Sousa Sánchez were reviewed, as well as material that was detected by him as possible new species through his visits to other herbaria, mainly to the Missouri Botanical Garden (MO), the University of Texas, Austin (LL) and the New York Botanical Garden (NY); the specialized literature, old and recent, was consulted, especially that referring to the publication of new taxa within the genus. In all the herbarium material reviewed, we found at least 11 species new to science, five older names synonymized by Sauer that correspond to clearly distinguishable species, and that several species present in Central and Southern Mexico extend their range to the northern part of Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, and to a lesser extent El Salvador and Nicaragua). We provide keys to the four subgenera and keys for the species within each subgenus. Three of the four subgenera are present in the study area, with only the subgenus Maunaloa missing, which is endemic to Hawaii.