Pi. Forster, CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF MARSDENIA (ASCLEPIADACEAE, MARSDENIEAE), WITH A REVISION OF THE GENUS IN AUSTRALIA AND PAPUASIA, Australian systematic botany, 8(5), 1995, pp. 703-933
The genus Marsdenia R.Br. is circumscribed utilising data from taxonom
ic history and morphology, and its relationship to other genera in the
Marsdenieae is discussed. Genera that have usually been or commonly r
egarded as distinct, i.e. Gymnema R.Br., Leichardtia R.Br., Bidaria (E
ndl.) Decne, and Thozetia F. Muell. ex Benth., are discussed and consi
dered congeneric with Marsdenia. A revision of the Australian and Papu
asian (Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands) taxa of Marsdeni
a is presented and 78 species (one with two subspecies) and one putati
ve interspecific hybrid are recognised. Forty-six taxa are accepted as
new, namely Marsdenia ambuntiensis, M. archboldiana, M. argillicola,
M. arfakensis, M. belensis, bilobata, bliriensis, M. brassii, M. brevi
s, M. brunnea, M. carrii, M. connivens, M. cremea, M. destituta, M. di
schidioides, M. divisicola, M. egregia, M. flavida, M. globosa, M. gra
ndis, M. graniticola, M. hamata, M. kebarensis, M. lacicola, M. longip
edicellata, M. millariae, M. mira, M. paludicola, M. papillosa, M. par
va, M. poioensis, M. primulina, M. pumila, M. quadrata, M. rara, M. sp
athulata, M. straminea, M. subglobosa, M. torsiva, M. trilobata, M. tu
mida, M. urniflora, M. variabilis, M. venusta, M. viridiflora subsp. t
ropica and M. volcanica. A new name, M. angustata, is provided to repl
ace Bidaria erecta F.Muell. New combinations made are M. brevifolia (G
ymnema brevifolium Benth.), M. geminata (Gymnema geminata R.Br.), M. m
icradenia (Gymnema micradenium Benth.), M. muelleri (Gymnema muelleri
Benth.), M. pleiadenia (Gymnema pleiadenia F.Muell.), M. rivularis (Gy
mnema rivulare Schltr.), M. suborbicularis (Gymnema suborbiculare K.Sc
hum.), M. tricholepis (Gymnema tricholepis Schltr.) and M. trinervis (
Gymnema triverve R.Br.). Lectotypes are chosen for a number of names.
A putative hybrid is recorded between M, viridiflora subsp. viridiflor
a and M, microlepis. Separate keys to the Australian and Papuasian spe
cies of Marsdenia are given. Separate keys to the Australian and Papua
sian genera of Asclepiadaceae are given.