Curating an online checklist for Erica L. (Ericaceae): contributing to and supporting global conservation through the World Flora Online

By

Elliott, Alan
Bester, Stoffel
Klopper, Ronell Renett
Nelson, E. Charles
Pirie, Michael

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2024

Original Publication

PhytoKeys

Volume

243

Pages

121--135

Subjects

Erica , International register of heather names , World Flora Online

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers [2010]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.243.121555

 

Abstract

To support the work of the Global Conservation Consortium for Erica and update the Erica checklist in the World Flora Online (WFO), we have curated the taxonomic backbone in the WFO by expanding it to include updated nomenclatural information from the International Plant Name Index, missing names present in the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), the Botanical Database of Southern Africa (BODATSA), and from the “International register of heather names” database, a data source not readily available online. The result is the most robust database of Erica names to date, including 851 species, 111 subspecies, 244 varieties, and 2787 synonyms, which is a reliable reference for initiatives such as the Erica identification aid, conservation prioritisation, and gap analyses. We disambiguate common orthographic variants within the database and present an overview of these. We also comment on the correct orthography of E. heleophila Guthrie & Bolus and E. michellensis Dulfer and the validity of E. tegetiformis E.G.H.Oliv. are discussed, and the use of E. adunca Benth. for a South African species rather than E. triceps Link, which is here regarded as insufficiently known and of uncertain application, is clarified.