History of plants sent by Jean-Baptiste Leblond to the Société d'histoire naturelle de Paris and typification of names published by Louis Claude Richard in 1792

Abstract

After Jean-Baptiste-Christian Fusée Aublet, the botanist who spent two years in French Guiana (1762–1764) under the auspices of Louis XV, other botanists and naturalists were sent to the region to look for useful plants, among them, Louis Claude Richard and Jean-Baptiste Leblond. The latter sent natural history collections gathered mostly from French Guiana, together with some from the Antilles, to the Société d’histoire naturelle de Paris SHNP]. These collections were described in 1792 in the Actes de la Société d’histoire naturelle de Paris and the plant material was treated by Richard. At the breakup of the SHNP, Étienne Pierre-Ventenat bought Leblond’s original collections, which were deposited in G by the descendants of Benjamin Delessert. Richard’s herbarium was subsequently acquired by Emmanuel Drake del Castillo and ultimately bequeathed to P. Most of the names published in the Actes by Richard were listed in his Catalogus Plantarum manuscript dated 1790 and indicated on his own collections now at P. Therefore, original material of the names published in 1792 can be sought in both the first set of Leblond, now at G, and Richard’s herbarium at P. Due to in-depth search of original material in G, P, P-LA, and P-JU, we can here provide a comprehensive list of the 143 names (including 5 new genera) validated by Richard in 1792 as well as information on typification and currently accepted names. Among those names, four remain doubtful because no original material has been traced, and 76 names are still in use today either as originally published or as basionyms of later combinations. Lectotypes are designated for 82 names, including 15 for which a second step lectotypification is necessary, plus one neotype. Two new combinations and a replacement name are further published: Fridericia pilulifera (Rich.) L.G. Lohmann & Callm. (Bignoniaceae), Monteverdia ramiflora (Rich.) Biral & Callm. (Celastraceae), and Ouratea richardii Callm. & J. Calvo (Ochnaceae).