Deidamia Noronha ex Thouars, Hist. Vég. Isles Austral. Afriq.: 61. 1805.

Typus: Deidamia alata Noronha ex Thouars

= Thompsonia R. Br. in Trans. Linn. Soc. London: 13. 221. 1820. Typus: Thompsonia browniana M. Roem. [nom. illeg.] (≡ Deidamia thompsoniana DC.).

– Deidamia noronhiana DC., Prodr. 3: 337. 1828 [nom. illeg.].

Lectotypus (designated here): Madagascar: sine loco, s.d., Noroña s.n. (P-JU no 16699 [P06975619]!; isolecto-: P [P00137322 fragm. packet]!, P-JU no 16699 [P06975620]!). Syntypus: Madagascar: Reg. Atsinanana [Prov. Antsiranana]: “Foulpointe”, s.d., Thouars s.n. (P [P00137322 excl. fragm. packet]!; P [P00137323]!).

Distribution and ecology. – Deidamia alata is distributed from sea-level to c. 1400 m, in humid and sub-humid bioclimatic zones, in eastern and northern Madagascar. It is a liana recorded to grow up to 25 m high in lowland to medium altitude moist evergreen forest.

Conservation status. – With an EOO of 11,664 km2 and an AOO of 20 km2 (which could qualify respectively for Vulnerable or for Endangered under criterion B), Deidamia alata is known from five locations with respect to the most plausible threat which is habitat destruction for agriculture. However, although the species has seldom been collected and is probably rare and likely has a severely fragmented distribution, four out of five locations are within the protected area network (COMATSA Nord, Makirovana Tsihomanaomby, Nosy Mangabe and Tsaratanana) and no decline can be inferred. The species is therefore assessed as “Near Threatened” [NT] (IUCN, 2012).

Notes. – The description of Deidamia alata was based on two collections from Madagascar: Noroña s.n. and Thouars s.n. Thouars collected the fruit in the Foulpointe [Mahavelona] region but was unable to collect flowers (Thouars, 1805: 62). Back to Paris, he was able to study new collections thanks to Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu (1748–1836), among them several Noroña's collections from Madagascar (now in P-JU) including the flowers of D. alata (Thouars, 1805: 63). Original material in P consists of the flowering collection made by Noroña, which is mounted on a single sheet in P-JU, and of the fruiting collection of Thouars mounted on two sheets in the general collection in P. We designate here Noroña's flowering material in P-JU [P06975619] as the lectotype of D. alata; the lose flowers contained in a fragment packet glued to one of Thouars' specimens in P [P00137322] is considered as an isolectotype.

Lectotypus (designated here): Madagascar: sine loco, s.d., Commerson s.n. (P-JU no 16698 [P06975621]!; isolecto-: G-DC [G00659428, G00207194]!; P [P00137326]!).

= Deidamia bipinnata Tul. in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. sér. 4, 8: 49. 1857, syn. nov. Lectotypus (designated here): Madagascar. Reg. DIANA [Prov. Antsiranana]: “Nossi-bé au pied du Loucoubé”, VIII.1848, Boivin 2127 (P [P00137325]!). Syntypus: Mayotte: “Montagnes de Moussa Péré”, X.1848, Boivin 3301 (P [P00209164]!).

= Deidamia setigera Tul. in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. sér. 4, 8: 49. 1857, syn. nov. Lectotypus (designated here): Madagascar: sine loco, 1847 – 1852, Boivin s.n. (P [P00137328]!; isolecto-: P [P00137327]!).

= Modecca membranifolia Baker in J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 25: 317. 1890. Holotypus: Madagascar: “Chiefy from North-West Madagascar”, IX.1897, Baron next5866 (K [K000311049] image!).

Distribution and ecology. – Deidamia commersoniana is widely distributed in Madagascar throughout the eastern escarpment, from Marojejy southward to Andohahela NP, as well as in the Highlands, the Sambirano, and in the far North, from sea-level to 1200 m in humid, sub-humid, and dry bioclimatic regions. The species is also found on the island of Mayotte (Comoros Islands). It is a large liana with the main stem recorded to reach a basal diameter of 10–15 cm (Perrier de la Bâthie, 1945) and to grow up to 8 m high (but likely much higher) in lowland to medium altitude moist evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, often collected in secondary environments and forest margins.

Conservation status. – With an EOO of 489,792 km2 and an AOO of 100 km2 (qualifying for Endangered under criterion B), Deidamia commersoniana is known from 17 locations with respect to the most plausible threat which is habitat destruction for agriculture. However, most of these locations are within the protected area network (Ampasindava, Analamazaotra, Andohahela, Ankarana, Corridor Forestier Ambositra-Vondrozo, Lokobe, Loky Manambato, Montagne d'Ambre, Marojejy, and Tsaratanana) and no decline can be inferred. Furthermore, the species apparently thrives in secondary environments. It is therefore assessed as “Least Concern” [LC] (IUCN, 2012).

Notes. – Candolle (1828: 337) described Deidamia commersoniana on the basis of an unnumbered Commerson collection. Original material consists of four specimens (two in G-DC, one in P and one in P-JU). The P-JU sheet, annotated in Candolle's hand “Deidamia commersoniana DC.”, is the best-preserved material and is designated here as the lectotype. The original material in G-DC consists of a sheet with sterile material filed under D. commersoniana [G00659428] and another with flowering material under Crateva obovata Vahl [G00207194]. A note on G00659428 in Candolle's hand “ces feuilles qui me paraissent celles d'un Bignonia ou d'un Deidamia étaient mélangées et entortillées avec le Crateva obovata sans y adhérer [these leaves which seem to me to be those of a Bignonia or a Deidamia were mixed and twisted with the Crateva obovata without adhering to it]” testifies that the two collections in G-DC were received as a single specimen, probably under the name Crateva obovata. Candolle separated the leaf material that could clearly not belong to any Crateva and filed it under Deidamia commersoniana, whereas he kept the poor flowering material under Crateva obovata. However, the flowers clearly belong to Deidamia commersoniana and we therefore consider both G00207194 and G00659428 as part of original material of this species.

We consider Deidamia bipinnata to be a synonym of D. commersoniana. Tulasne (1857: 50) already noticed the evident similarities between the two taxa and differentiated his new species by the presence of occasional bipinnate leaves, an unreliable character as these two forms of leaves are often found on the same specimen. Perrier de la Bâthie (1940: 63) also questioned the morphological differences between these two taxa but maintained them as distinct in his treatment. Deidamia bipinnata was described on the basis of two syntypes and the best-preserved specimen in P, Boivin 2127, is designated here as the lectotype.

Deidamia setigera was described on a sterile unnumbered Boivin collection. Tulasne (1857: 50) distinguished it from his D. bipinnata by the presence of two small flagella on the margins of the proximal part of some of the leaflets. Another sterile collection from Mayotte (Barthelat 1295) is the only other specimen that displays such flagella, and this character has not been observed on a fertile specimen. We are convinced it is a character of juvenile individuals, possibly to enhance prehensility during its early development stages, and in later stages of growth the flagella are replaced by marginal glands. As the leaves of these two specimens match the widespread D. commersoniana in all other aspects, we consider D. setigera as a synonym of this species.

– Passiflora octandra J.V. Thomps. ex DC. [nom. illeg.].

– Thompsonia browniana M. Roem., Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 2: 138. 1846 [nom. illeg.].

Holotypus: Madagascar: sine loco, s.d., Thompson s.n. (BM [BM000902557] image!; iso-: G-DC [G00659429]!).

= Deidamia bicolor H. Perrier in Notul. Syst. (Paris) 9: 62. 1940, syn. nov. Lectotypus (designated here): Madagascar. Reg. Alaotra-Mangoro: Analamazoatra, X.1914, Perrier de la Bâthie 5284 (P [P00137324]!). Syntypus: Madagascar. Reg. Alaotra-Mangoro: Nord d'Anosibe, aux env. de Moramanga, 17.II.1930, Decary 7174 (P [P04766810]!); sine loco, VII.1884, Curtis s.n. (K image!).

Distribution and ecology. – Deidamia thompsoniana is distributed along the eastern escarpment of Madagascar, from Masoala southward to Manombo, as well as in the Sambirano, between 100 and 1100 m in sub-humid and humid bioclimatic zones. It is a liana recorded to reach a basal diameter of more than 5 cm (Perrier de la Bâthie, 1945) and to grow up to 20 m long (but likely longer), in lowland to medium altitude moist evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, often collected in secondary environments and forest margins.

Conservation status. – With an EOO of 109,261 km2 and an AOO of 104 km2 (which could qualify for Endangered under criterion B), Deidamia thompsoniana is known from 18 locations with respect to the most plausible threat which is habitat destruction for agriculture. Eight of these locations are within the protected areas network (Analamazaotra, Betampona, Corridor Ankeniheny-Zahamena, Mantadia, Mangabe-Ranomena-Sahasarotra, Masoala, Ranomafana and Torotorofotsy); however, no decline can be inferred as the species apparently thrives in secondary environments. It is therefore assessed as “Least Concern” [LC] (IUCN, 2012).

Notes. – Deidamia thompsoniana was based on an unnumbered Thompson collection from Madagascar deposited in the Lambert herbarium cited as “in herb. Lamb. (v.s.)” by Candolle (1828: 337). The herbarium of Ayhner Bourke Lambert (1761–1842), a British botanist, was sold at auction after his death divided into 317 lots and bought by 16 buyers (Miller, 1970). Candolle visited Lambert in 1816 and consulted his herbarium (Candolle, 2014). Following this visit, Candolle received 100 miscellaneous specimens from Lambert in 1819 (Candolle, 1830); among this material there was a fragment of Thompson s.n., which is now in G-DC, while the original specimen is deposited in BM. We consider that Candolle saw the BM specimen during his consultation of Lambert herbarium and therefore that it represents the holotype of D. thompsoniana as cited by Masters (1875: 162). The fragment at G is an isotype.

Probably because he had no access to the type, Perrier de la Bâthie (1940, 1945) erroneously treated Deidamia thompsoniana as a synonym of D. commersoniana. To accomodate the very distinctive specimens with coriaceous, discolorous leaves, dark green adaxially and reddish-brown abaxially, he described D. bicolor. We therefore consider D. bicolor as a synonym of D. thompsoniana. The misinterpretation of the taxonomy of these species by Perrier de la Bâthie (1940, 1945) can best be explained by the fact that he never saw the original material of D. thompsoniana either in BM or G, and his understanding of the species was based only on the brief Latin diagnoses by Candolle (1828: 337).

Deidamia bicolor was described on the basis of two syntypes and the best-preserved specimen, Perrier de la Bâthie 5284, is designated here as the lectotype.